It's such a shame that Canada missed 3 spots for Korea by one placement because I really like what the guys are putting out this year. I look past consistency issues at this point in the season and imagine what the skates could be like come nationals. Through that lens I think Nationals is going to be an awesome competition with some outstanding skates not qualifying. Packaging and content across the board is really strong. Kudos to the boys.
A side note on Gogolev. He had a really bad fall on warmup. I was just looking up as he hit the ice so I'm not sure on what element, but I think it was 3A. Down hard on right side. He hurt arm/wrist and possibly rib area.
The rest of his warmup was really shaky and he skated first. Somehow he had an amazing skate. A lot of the athletes in the audience were standing in response.
I don't know what the future holds for him because he doesn't hit JGP until next fall and the technical landscape is changing quickly. And he has a growth spurt coming. For now, his two programs are outstanding and I hope they keep both for next year, frankly...because people need to see them. His awareness of arms and body position is improving rapidly and he pulled in 160. I believe he's skating senior at nationals. Would be too funny if he finished second, which with all the talent we have I couldn't rule out at this point.
What a moment he might be able to create with this with a clean skate (which I've long since given up expecting, but it's fun to dream about it). There is such a solidity to his skating, strength in every step, every edge. The speed in that last camel spin was also really great. All around a fantastic choice for him.
That would be amazing!!
That's great news! Liam is a gorgeous skater.
