They would not have medalled. But I think we underestimate the Gadbois group. They did do Moulin Rouge, they through this experience have also grown. I do think this win of V/M will see them evolve with respect to their style. Or at the very least I hope so.
As to all that ails Russian ice dancing it will not be a quick fix. They have to go back to the basics and teach their junior dancers how to glide, how to properly perform their compulsory dances, fix issues of posturing and what not. This lack of solid fundamentals was glaringly obvious when you compared the skates of the Shibs with B/S. Russians have speed and attack and that is great for single skaters, but if you're going to be an ice dancer, you need to add nuances, control, smoothness, soft knees, extension, character etc.
Personally, I look back at Elena Ilinykh's skates with Shibnev at test skates and I wondered to myself, there goes the best ice dancer that they've had in ages and she has no partner that can match her? Yet they have all these boys trying to jump and they're not making the cut. Is it that they see no prestige in ice dancing? Where are all the men? I think it's a good idea that she's begun to coach, I hope she can make a palpable difference in the future.
EDIT: Tarasova claims B/S would have had a better chance of getting bronze if they changed their SD from September. WE all knew that, but Zhulin had other plans. His plan was to get in S/K so he gave them the more sophisticated SD. B/S is arguably your top Russian team and they can't even be supplied with decent material. Russian politics and their own tomfoolery will be their biggest obstacle to achieving Olympic success.
