Since U.S. Championships are starting on Wednesday, I figured I should reflect on Russian Nationals in an effort to actually keep up with this blog before my thoughts and feelings slip away.
Typically I consider Russian Nationals to be the One True Christmas Gift, but that feeling was quite muted this year. Russia hosted ~5 million events this Fall in lieu of cancelled international events, which meant that there were really no surprises to be had. Yes, it's exciting to see who can pull out all the stops at Nationals, but having seen these programs so many times and being so aware of everyone's progress throughout the season, there weren't any performances I was specifically looking forward to seeing. But here are some highlights!
#3: Tarasova and Morozov's Surprise Gold Medal
Russian Pairs is one of the most competitive disciplines internationally, primarily because there is often no clear frontrunner. Boikova/Kozlovskii and Mishina/Galliamov have been leading the pack over the past year, but often switch placements depending on the competition (although Mishina/Galliamov have been struggling with their side-by-side jumps as of late). Pavliuchenko/Khodykin, who placed 3rd here, have been steadily improving, especially after getting rid of their weird Tron program from last season. And Panfilova/Rylov have the most beautiful throw elements internationally. But the true surprise here was Tarasova/Morozov, who have had continued issues the past 2 or 3 seasons with consistency and performance, coming out on top. They certainly have the most mature pairs skating of all the teams in Russia, but have struggled immensely with...like...having their shit together since 2018. I had forgotten how enjoyable a good skate from these two could be.
#2: The One, The Only, Mikhail Kolyada
This program, that I have included ~3 times already on this blog, is just TOO GOOD. I desperately hope that he keeps this long program for Beijing 2022 because I think that with a quad lutz or a quad lutz combo, this could really challenge for a medal. Ilia Averbukh deserves a medal for this creation. And while this performance was not perfect, the fact that Kolyada was able to perform to this level and win nationals only weeks after suffering from COVID is a miracle.
#1: The Entire Ladies Event (Primarily, Eteri Tutberidze's tears)
The last 4 performances of the ladies event here at Russian Nationals were outstanding. Even Daria Usacheva, who did not have the technical content to medal here, delivered a spectacular performance. After Sasha Trusova performed, with full quads after having COVID, I thought "Oh, that'll be the winner here". And then after Kamila Valieva's program, with two beautiful quad toe loops (despite having that ugly Bolero program), I thought "Oh wow, Kamila will win this year". And then finally, after Anna Shcherbakova's outing, it was clear that Anna would come away with her THIRD gold medal at Russian Nationals. Her long program performance was so solid, but what I was struck the most by was the emotion from Eteri and Danny on the boards as she finished. I have never seen these people cry. Quite frankly, I rarely see any emotion except frustration from that team. I think Eteri Tutberidze crying at Russian Nationals might be the most shocking thing that happened in 2020. Anna has always had a beautiful skating quality, but there was a different determination here with her jumping passes, especially the quad lutz and quad flip at the start of the program. It's very interesting to me that over the past 3 years, even as rumors and speculation swirl around other skaters, she has continued to come away with the win. Kostornaia's absence here (having withdrawn due to COVID) was certainly a gap in the lineup, but I think Anna, Kamila, and Sasha will likely stay the course and be the three ladies sent to the Olympics. But who knows, this stuff changes every week. In any case, enjoy this beautiful performance.
Jail Time: Anna's COVID Crisis
I know I just described how spectacular Anna's long program was at Russian Nationals, but it would be irresponsible to not touch on the ABSOLUTE LUNACY of her even being allowed to skate. Anna was diagnosed with COVID back in November and has been suffering from pneumonia. After her short program, she was so winded that she collapsed into the arms of her coaches. Eteri and Danny were having her sniff things along the boards to try and clear her breathing and sinuses. And many have speculated that her endurance through the free skate was due to a host of drugs administered by the controversial team doctor. Some reports even say that she had a fever the day of the free skate. Anna Shcherbakova should not have skated here, not because she was a risk to other skaters (I'm sure she hasn't been contagious for quite awhile), but because she was risking her own athletic career and livelihood to do so. Doctors do not yet know how COVID lung damage could persist, and for her to risk her respiratory health just to win a National title in a throw-away year is sad.
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