Did Russia dope its way to a gold medal in team figure skating? Part 2

She will finish the 1st but she will not win gold or any medals!

My prediction:

Gold - ROC

Silver - ROC

Bronze - ROC

I don’t smoke meth! I sucked a trucker’s dick. Honest. You know truckers love their meth. It was the trucker cum. I’m clean I tells ya. I’m clean!

Tatiana Tarasova on the ISU potentially raising the age: “Well, let them raise the age. If other countries are so eager to get their medals back, it won’t help. We will still win.”

Correction: [quote] Tatiana Tarasova on the ISU potentially raising the age: “Well, let them raise the age. If other countries are so eager to get their medals back, it won’t help. We will still cheat.”

Pure as the driven snow

Anyone else finding the whole notion of the Russian government sanctioned doping program to win Olympic medals super cringe.... Like what is this, 1960s East Germany? Russia is a shitty country, wining a few Olympic medals will not change this.

The whole Russian mess makes them look pathetic, like ad a race of people how inbred do you have to be to have to increase your blood oxygen level to compete?

The current and future are stars like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka who, being super talented, aren't afraid to call in a mental health day.

R3 you do know even after 2 years, Kamila is still underage, she is just 15 years old, she might be a cheater, but you are a disgusting pig for writing that filthy post of yours!

R8 FRAU!

R8 Not in Russian years. They’re like dog years. Literally.

The entire Russian team is drugged. They just messed up with the timing or the ratios on Kamila's drug cocktail. Or, she, for some reason, metabolized it differently. Maybe because she's so young. The fact that a team already competing under sanction for drugging was caught drugging and the whole lot of them weren't immediately kicked out of the Olympics and stripped of all their medals is ridiculous.

She was immediately kicked out by IOC but that stupid hearing from Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) decided she can stay!

I know this is off-topic (not sure where to put it) but I enjoyed this anecdote:

"Several months after coming out publicly as a queer woman, Canadian ice dance star Kaitlyn Weaver was doing a show in Nashville when another woman approached her and asked, “Are you and Andrew dating?”

The woman was referring to Andrew Poje, Weaver’s ice dance partner of 15 years. Weaver told her no, and the conversation flowed into a different topic, before the woman interrupted Weaver to ask her the same question.

Weaver answered again: no. “I told her, ‘I have a girlfriend’ and she did not understand. She looked so disparaged that I wasn’t dating Andrew,” she recalls."

Just looked up Kaitlyn Weaver and in her coming out post as a 'queer' woman, whatever that actually means, she wanted to especially thank the 'trans women of colour' for paving the way. Uh, okay.

R7 cringe is a verb, not an adjective. Even when it’s “super cringe”.

R15 Move with the times, you ancient gay. I'm sure that you use some slang expressions from the 1910s and think nothing of it.

Johnny and Tara say, "no place in skating!"

Someone should have straight up said to Tarasova... "Yes, because you all cheat... "

Tarasova is secretly Divine, who lived, moved to Russia, and is trolling us all.

"A commentator said a few days ago that there are officially 18 Russian skaters and 15 'non-Russian Russian skaters' at the Olympics. That's a lot."

And we're currently at the 11th of 25 skaters in the women's free right now in case anyone wants to tune in to see the ROC sweep later on.

It's so nice seeing Nicole Schott still skating at 25.

Kamila and her fake crocodile tears. Fuck the cheating scumbag Russians. What a low class people.

Great. If the Russians sweep they wont get shit till a full investigation is over. If they do at all.

R24 That's what I'm wondering about because I think it's RUSADA who investigates the doping infraction because it happened during the Russian nationals. And if they do, we pretty much know that they will conclude that she can keep her medal.

So I am wondering what it would take. I know that the IOC was able to "ban" Russia, so can they do that properly? The IOC doesn't want to though because they want Russia's money e.g. holding future Olympics.

Are cutaways to fat families in far flung places really that endearing?

Mariah Bell overscored, so it doesn't just happen to the Russians, but love seeing Adam Rippon anyway.

Plushenko by the way, he said that Kamila was overscored in the short. He said that he thinks it should have been Shcherbakova-Sakamoto-Valieva.

Anyone know how one can stream free skate without signing up for another account (do not have Peacock, would prefer not to)

R28 does this link work for you?

It's on USA, R28. So if you have cable, YouTube TV, Sling, or anything else that has USA channel.

That partial signature was a mistake. Sorry.

Thanks, friends.

Liu is slow and boring. A full crowd does add a lot of energy.

I really appreciate the help, I just enjoyed the end of Liu's routine.

This sport couldn't exist without ME!

Fuck, things go sideways fast with younger attention-deficit DLs. I guess they are the ones glued to fellow Millennials at winning anything! However, these snowflakes simply don’t have it in them like the truly mentally tough elite athletes of yore.

R36 what the fuck are you even talking about?

these athletes aren't Millennials, they're Gen Z. You realise that millennials are 40-years-old now?

You mean like Michelle Kwan, R36, who could never keep it together at the Olympics, as much as I loved her?

or Nancy K? Oh, she's Gen X, never mind.

Last group is on the ice, everyone is skating for the second finish. in a few weeks, it will become gold!

Can any of you recognize the different non-axel jumps at full speed? I've read the descriptions and the inside edge or outside edge, land same foot or opposite foot distinctions make sense. But they still all look the same at full speed.

This Korean chick's spins are lacking, which surprises me.

R40 My understanding is that it's RUSADA who investigates Kamila's failed doping test....

Yes, it’s easy to distinguish the jumps, R42.

it's not hard to tell the edge jumps or toe jumps, also the entry can tell you the skater is preparing a flip or loop etc.

that's a beautiful 3A. sorry for the fall on 3T

I'm probably not looking at the right thing; too caught up in the in-air revolutions.

I love this fiery, leonine costume on Higuchi up close.

Yeah, I like her costume and music. Too bad about the fall. All good except that one fall.

I hate Trusova's heavily dyed hair, don't like it.

Arms over the head is a nice change-up, but it can be overused.

Trusova can definitely do the quads, but like someone said about "modern" skating in another thread - her whole routine looks like belabored setups for jumps and doing minor arm movements in between for "artistry." The music is a complete afterthought - not really tied to the performance. Anything could be playing.

Yeah, the Russian choreography is comparatively not good but they are so far ahead of everyone else on the difficulty.

Trusova, at least, makes no attempt be a cute fairy princess.

God forgive me, I love the little doper's skating.

She's so narrow. I've learned so much about figure skating on DL. Someone was explaining body type and skating and how you either have to be narrow and lithe or big-legged and strong (Ito, Harding, Bonaly). Wide hips without strong legs would be a non-starter.

it's hard for the Japanese girl to skate after that quad after quad FS

R56, that's why doping is so wrong. It demoralizes the clean skaters, and downgrades their accomplishments.

Big pressure is on Kamila now. Trusova landing 5 quads did what it was designed to do.. find a way of beating Valieva. Let's see.

I love that US whined its way into this scoring system and now its eaten the sport

And she skated early in the group, throw down 5 quads, beat that bitches! it's a huge pressure for every one after her.

I don't like Scherbakova's routine. But, certainly well done.

Shcherbakova is my favourite of the 3 Russians - so lovely and (mostly) skates clean.

Congrats to these 3 Russian girls. Enjoy going back home with nothing.

I actually like Scherbakova's, she is very polished!

YES! She beats the ugly quadster. Good, her skating is lovely.

Did that bobble cost her?

Congratulations, Scherbakova won the Olympic gold!

She's done.

The victim/pressure narrative will be immense. I mean, she was certainly under intense pressure. Not sure how much of a victim she is though.

Think the pressure has got to Kamila.

Japan bronze? Probably too far behind, even with all these mistakes?

Kamila won't get the gold, too many fuck ups.

once again, Kamila will not win any medals regardless how good or wait, not so good now she skates here.

And now, apparently, Eteri is chewing her out.

Oh Natasha, go back to bed.

Ok she is out, we have a medal ceremony!!!!

No medal for Kamila and I can't help to feel bad for the kid.

OH. MY. GOD. Anna Shcherbakova Olympic gold. So happy, she is so lovely (I know I have said that twice already). Her favourite skaters are Yuna Kim and Mao Asada, and she invests her winnings in stocks. Also, people wanted her to quit after the Nationals (I wonder why?) but she said, no, she wants to know that she tried everything she could. She changed her boots the week before the Olympics. She's a quiet heroine. (I get that she probably was doped up too).

Valieva 4th is nuts, really nuts. But congrats to Kaori!!!

What an ugly outcome. If she had been withdrawn, as she should have been, she wouldn't have been publicly crushed.

Any chick land a triple axle?

Doped or clean?

Didn't think so...

R79, the Japanese bronze medalist landed a really clean triple axel.

This means that the women's free will get a medal ceremony although the team event won't.

Why is a triple axle such a big deal? Isnt a quad a lot harder?

Trusova can't land a triple axle lol. So it depends on the skater.

Depends on the quad. Obviously triple axel is less revolutions 3.5 v. 4, but it is still a very difficult jump.

I don't think a lot of people even realize that it's 3.5 rotations, not 3 because "triple" is right there in the name. Axel is just a whole different thing since it's a forward takeoff vs backwards for all the other jumps.

I'm happy for the Japanese bronze medalist.

R82, it is a very difficult jump that has only ever been executed by 3 women in the history of skating. Midori Ito at the 92 Olympics, Tonya Harding at the 91 Nationals and Joan Crawford on the set of Ice Follies of 1939.

Comrade Kamiella takes one for the Federation. All those falls, she finishes 4th and now they can have a medal ceremony. And Eteri won't be investigated, right? Highly suspicious.

R83 I know the forward jumping makes it different to other jumps so maybe I doesnt work for some even if you do quads?

R87, there will still be an investigation because of the team medal, which Russia could lose to the U.S.

Trusova is really flipping out.

Why is the red head Russian mad?

I feel a bit sad because just like Zagitova at the last Olympics, Shcherbakova couldn't look properly happy - because the 'chosen' one didn't win.

It's silly they leave their skates on.

R90, I've heard that she and the gold medalist really don't like each other, and Trusova thinks that she should have won the gold.

Trusova looks like she could cut a bitch.

R36 here. I do admit that I clump Millennials along with Gen Z because they are equal in my eyes as “Snowflakes”. The key take away for you short attention-deficiters is that you are happy to see your fellow snowflakes crumble at the Olympics because they lack the mental toughness that older elite athletes of yore possessed. Note: your lack of comprehensive reading skills. Just keep short texting your AD friends with your skillful thumbs!

Trusova is an entitled cunt, always has been. Plushenko says that she insists on doing things her way even against professional advice.

At least the Russians didn't sweep the medals.

R95 I gave you a F&F. Take your weird, bitter shit somewhere else, this has nothing to do with any of this.

R80 Kaori didn't have 3A, it's the other Japanese girl Wakaba Higuchi but she fell on the 3T

Guess who is Trusova's favorite skater?

Nathan Chen!

No wonder she skates like Chen, quad after quad on the ice!

My mistake, R99.

I have been an ardent watcher of the Beijing Olympics since the opening ceremonies and I love it all! It’s not just about the Russian women’s figure skating, ya know. I know you just started watching because of the drama with Kamala Valieva so you would not understand. I feel sorry for you.

Kamila.

I'm looking forward to the pairs figure skating. How high can the men toss the women in the air? It puts me on pins and needles when they do that.

So am I.

R104 I get nervous everytime they do it but most of the time the women land nicely. It just looks like they get so much higher than a singles skater jump.

The ROC(Russia) has always been a delight to watch in this competition and a part of me feels bad that they have such a checquered past. I’m still happy to see Kamila perform even if she fucked it up for the awards ceremony. Selfish, I know.

Are we pretending Anna Shcherbakova is not a doping bitch as well?

R108 could be. We will probably never know. It's hard to trust Russia after so many scandals. Yes there have been dopers from the US but they dont systematically do it to almost all the athletes.

Trusova translation: “I will never go on the ice again in my life! I hate this sport, I hate it! You can't do it this way! You can't do it this way! Everyone has a gold medal, but not me. You knew everything!"

Polina Edmunds:

"Why shouldn’t Trusova be crying? She’s been overscored for sloppy technical the past 2 seasons, so she expects the same here. Emotional abuse from dishonest judging is real, for both skaters underscored, & the overscored when the system suddenly doesn’t work to their advantage. While she was still overscored for even silver, remember that 2nd place is the first to lose, and she’s a child."

Good to see karma catch up with the lying doping brat.

There should be an investigative documentary in Eteri Tutberidze's program on Netflix or somewhere else. So much there to mine through. Though obviously no one without approval could do it and if they got approved it would just be what those fake ass Russians want shown.

More Trusova translation: "I hate, hate, hate. I won't go there, I don't understand. I hate. Leave me alone! I won't go on the ice again".

Trusova's outburst is a window into the whole Eteri world. It's a cruel, joyless, entitled place.

R109 well, depends on how you define "systematically", like that gymnastic superchick who takes ADHD medication because she has ADHD, it's all legal for her!

It's so messed up when the bronze medallist looks happier than the silver and gold medallists.

Now that the doper has disgraced the entire country, her coach, and Putin, the next time anyone sees her in public, she will look like this...

Translation of the first thing Eteri said to Kamila after she skated: "Why did you let it go? Explain it to me, why. Why did you stop fighting? You let it go after that axel. Why?”

Shcherbakova: "It's hard to tell. I have mixed feelings - I was very happy to be in the right time and the right place. This has been what I've been working toward everyday. I still can't comprehend what has happened - on one hand, I feel this emptiness inside."

This is such a fucked up sport. But its so dramatic in part cause a majority of the competitors are teenage girls.

She fell on purpose. DUH, people!

A total Russian set up so it will be brushed under the rug and forgotten.

On to the next Olympics.

R122 I'm pretty sure she didn't fall on purpose. They could simply have withdrawn her or how do you explain Eteri berating her after a bad performance? This was real. It was the weight of the pressure - she could not cope. She's still just 15.

Sure, r123/Housecow/hon.

Thank you, next.

Russian made sure she fell. They couldn't sweep so two is fine for now. Btw, the other two Russians are also doped up but we know that.

Maybe because I am older and am not paying as much attention and don't view the Olympics in a much more jaded fashion than when I was a kid, but I feel like the Olympic athlete medalist becoming a celebrity has less mileage than it used to be. Their 15 minutes of fame seems to be shorter

Nice they are letting this skater perform - but someone who did pot....

[Quote] They could simply have withdrawn her

Yes and that would mean to the world they are guilty. They are not doing that.

I admit I thought there was a possibility she fell on purpose. But then I remembered how fragile and idiotic I was at 15, as were my friends, and I truly believe she just folded under the pressure. We’ve seen athletes much older and more experienced than her (hello Aaron Rodgers) cave under pressure. It’s actually not surprising at all.

It looked better for KV to bomb on ice. See, she's not a doper after all, just beat down and on edge, nervous and persecuted. See what the west did to her!

r129, your frau-ness is strong. Sheeeeesh.

I'm tired of the "She's only 15" excuses. She needs to be held accountable in some way and the grandfather heart medication excuse is laughable.

So Kamila is the sacrificial lamb, and now this will all get swept under the rug. Meanwhile all these little Russian twigs landing multiple quads in one routine are doping. And they'll all be gone long before the next Olympics.

[Quote]It makes no sense why the FDA has withheld approval, unless you think of pro-life lobbies who may be exerting undue influence in the process.

R592 (from previous thread) -. I'm a little confused why a fertility monitor that involves testing urine with a stick or a strip or whatever requires FDA approval. AFAIK FDA approval is necessary for ingested medications or topically applied medicines that are absorbed through the skin. There's probably another reason why.

R131, whatever. Obviously you were born full grown and have no idea how emotional a 15 year old can be. And no one is excusing her actions. She should not have been skating at all. She should have been sent home the minute all of this came to light.

However, I will say, it’s possible she was told to fall. I don’t think she was, but she was crying so hard afterward that it did occur to me she was crying because she was ordered to blow her routine, and not because she fell by accident.

Poor Kamila, she went to the Olympics and all she got was PTSD.

Did anyone else think the post skate coverage was a little gross? Regardless of what we think of the ROC program and its cheating, these are teenage girls who most likely don't have a say in how things are done. The way the cameras were right in their faces while they were crying and going through a highly emotional moment felt a bit exploitative.

I'm sure I'll be called a Frau or Mary! or Boris, but it felt they could have covered it differently. I wonder if they'll edit any of the footage out when they re-air it tonight.

"SHE'S ONLY 15!"

"WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?!"

"OH, WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?"

R137, On NBC? No way they'll edit that out. They're catering to an American audience that loves the drama and to tsk-tsk the Russians.

No R137, your just an OBESE frau.

If anyone missed the video of the aftermath and wants to see it, here it is (no voiceover commentary)

R138 can’t offer a cogent argument. Nice insults though! You’re name wouldn’t be Dump by any chance…

Sorry but the storyline they want us to believe is the greatest skater in the history of the sport completely collapsed over some scandal and doesn't even finish top 3? She was trained with the help of drugs to be a jumping robot. Some of you are really naïve or completely dumb. She was told to put on her acting face along with the coaches and the other bot skaters. They did.

Oh dear me…that was meant to say “your name” at r142.

Thanks R140, but I'm just coming off a bout of food poisoning so am feeling quite svelte at the moment.

The video at r141, wow, that girl is headed for the gulag, me thinks. What a dumpster fire.

Fraucunt @ r129/r135/r142 you argue with your emotions first. There's your first mistake. That is why there's no argument. Being self aware is important in life. People like you make the world worse. Now, go eat your emotion with that family size Cheetos bag you have in the basement, dear.

You must be new here because "what about the children" has been a long standing line here at the DL for decades.

R147, no one said “what about the children.” Go back to Dumpville, this is DL. You’re very lost.

r145, maybe just "one more thin wafer" might do the trick to getting to your goal weight. Just try it. It's worked for other fat asses.

Of course we have said it fatty fraucunt/r148. You're just a typical know it all frau. Carry on with the stereotype.

R149, you’re REALLY obsessed with figure skating. Nearly all of your posts are in these two threads. Of course, as a Dumpster, you have to resort to insults. Well, I bet you’re projecting. You seem like a 400 lb heifer who sits in their basement and dreams of being a figure skater, but all these Russian twigs took away your dream.

Look again r151 and count this time. Math must be hard for you.

From the comments on the video at R141, an attempted translation of what was being said by the Russians.

Pretty much sums it up.

I counted, r152. Yup—400 lbs. on the nose.

[Quote] you’re REALLY obsessed with figure skating. Nearly all of your posts are in these two threads. Of course, as a Dumpster, you have to resort to insults. Well, I bet you’re projecting. You seem like a 400 lb heifer who sits in their basement and dreams of being a figure skater, but all these Russian twigs took away your dream.

Talk about projection? Sheeeeesh. You basically repeated what I said you up thread to you. Way to go genius. Now, your Cheetos are waiting, piggy.

R156, I say this with love—400 lbs is too much weight to be. You’ll never be a figure skater at that weight. And get out of the basement sometime.

Doping schmoping - Kamila deserved to lose because of those hideous red gloves on her man hands.

[Quote] Yup—400 lbs. on the nose.

We're not talking about your labias, hon.

Again, just repeating, r157. So original.

R86, that's not correct. All current Russians have successfully landed 3As and some landed them twice in the same program and in combinations. Tuktamysheva, Kostornaia, Trusova, Scherbakova, and Valieva.

Shouldn't a lot of pressure be put on the ISU to investigate Eteri and possibly take action against her, like banning her? This is hugely embarrassing for them.

I doubt the IOC will do anything. They are feckless at best, and really just a money-grubbing, corrupt organization at the end of the day.

Wow.

Who gives a shit if Kamila choked or was told to take a dive? Either way, a 15 year old girl is taking the fall for the corrupt Russian doping machine. And now Sasha--I'm sure Russia will spin her fit as righteous anger for how Kamila was treated by the OUTSIDE world, while at home she'll be severely punished.

Her punishment in Russia will be that she's kicked to the curb. There is an endless supply of prepubescent girls for the Russian system to manipulate.

"Maybe because I am older and am not paying as much attention and don't view the Olympics in a much more jaded fashion than when I was a kid, but I feel like the Olympic athlete medalist becoming a celebrity has less mileage than it used to be. Their 15 minutes of fame seems to be shorter."

Attention spans are shorter generally, and Olympic "stars" are a once every four years proposition. I still think someone could be a fairly big celebrity under the fight conditions. An of-age (say 21 years old) cute, personable, fashionable American woman wins the Gold in an Olympics held in a time zone where most people could watch live. Plus, she's active on social media on topics beyond figure skating.

To R167's point, the only other Olympic gold medalists that I can think of, aside from the figure skaters, who have leveraged their Olympic champion status are Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn. Michael Phelps seems reluctant as to his, but he's also been forthright about his mental health issues. Same with Simone Biles.

Sorry, meant "right conditions."

R39, technically, Michelle Kwan is Gen X too.

[quote]Why is a triple axle such a big deal? Isnt a quad a lot harder?

I think it might depend on the skater. The difference is in 1/2 rotation, however, one might be able to generate more speed/momentum launching backwards than going forward.

Surya Bonaly supposedly was able to land a quad in practice, but was unable to do a triple axel.

Midori Ito was able to to a Triple Axel, but not a quad. I'm actually really surprised that she wasn't able to as she got so much height and distance on her jumps and she rotated so fast she was always done before she even started to come down.

Ito pulling it off at the 1992 Olympics. She was quite high on the jump.

R172 that is always one of my favorite Olympic Moments. There's a video that went around of the French coverage of that event. It shows it from a different angle and you get to see how truly high up she is. It's amazing.

That's Juan Antonio Samaranch giving Ito her silver medal in that video in R172. Talk about IOC corruption. He embodied it.

I volunteer to start an American version of Eteri's school for teenage boys. If I promise to dope them up, do you think they'll come?

For some reason, I was drawn back to R137’s comment about how NBC’s coverage was “a little gross.” No, NBC did the right thing. We saw the cruelty, abuse and exploitation. No one can deny it now, it was there for all to see.

Tell us more, R174.

Trusova’s father was a former wrestler, so she shares his scrappy bulldog character.

I love how NBC primetime showed the coverage of doping brat and the gold medalist crying. They both suck and are cheating brats.

She had no tear drops—just a scrunched up face—no smeared eye makeup like her teammate or red nose and tears like the Japanese skater. She deserves a gold for her acting.

If people see it for what it is R176.

I’ve seen a lot of online comments that Sasha was throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child and Kamila got what she deserved.

What fuckery. There were no tears from Kamila’s eyes. None. And that Tusova bitch. Fuck OFF. Give your silver back cunt if you don’t want it.

Russia is just a scum country. They should be banned. If Kamila’s life is ruined blame the adults. What a fucking mess.

NBC played up the drama as they should. THIS is Olympic drama that doesn’t come along very often. They should have run with it more. I bet ratings were great tonight.

And the Gold (Oscar) goes to KAMILA!

Fake ass crying.

Acting 101. Russian are playing the WORLD!

Those are evil people around Kamila. And they made a joke of the figure skating today. You know the other two Russians were doped. None of them are clean. Ban Russia.

That’s right, there were no tears on the cheater.

The one who won silver was crying, her eyeliner was running all over the place.

The sense of entitlement, though was off the fucking charts.

I felt bad for the gold winner. She was all by herself. She did great, though.

The Japanese lady was so happy but couldn’t be as happy as she could have.

Kamila better not go near any windows anytime soon.

Ban Russia again, R185???

Aren’t they fucking banned already??

Such bullshit that they’re allowed to compete at all. Who the fuck controls all those damn committees that decide this shit?

Surely they can’t be full of Russian members?? How much fucking money does that fucking thug Putin give to those committees??

😡🤬😡🤬

Sometimes I despair over these bullshit groups that still give the fucking Russians permission to compete.

R181 I watched it live from EUROSPORTS, Sasha's tantrum was epic! But I kinda liked it, lol. She was facing back towards the camera, so we only heard the loud talk. Even without knowing a single word she was saying, I can tell she was really pissed off,

"this is so unfair, I threw 5 quads, FIVE FUCKING QUADS! and you are telling me I didn't win the gold medal, are you fucking kidding me? fuck you all....!"

ok she probably didn't really curse like that, but not far off in my imagination.

Well, the judging is never fair but this was especially egregious rigging. Sasha's jumps were called and Shcherbakova didn't get a single call and should have had at least two "!" and two "UR" calls.

And if that had happened, Trusova and her five quads, even with calls, would give her the gold that I think she deserved.

If these two were men, Trusova would have won because landing 5 quads is a macho achievement, compared to a measly and weaker two. BUT, Shcherbs is more feminine. They both have shit skating skills but one is the delicate flower female skaters are expected to be.

This is a problem for Wakaba Higuchi too - she's stocky, and the powers that be want the pretty feminine champ that they got. sucks but that's what this "sport" is.

Oh but I loved the story that I guess is true -- it took till 3am for Eteri to drag Sasha to the car, while yelling at her - and the girl kept up her tantrum after that, refusing to to eat or drink. If true, I'm a bit worried for her. Come save her Plushy the way Lambiel saved the floundering crying Shoma Uno after his coach fired him.

What do PEDs do in figure skating? Obviously, it's not for muscle building on these slight women. Though maybe strength generally, even if not obvious bulk. I'd assume drugs that aid recovery so they can train more intensely. And drugs that help endurance so the athletes don't feel as "heavy" or winded as the program goes on. It looks breezy, but I'm sure a skating program, especially the free skate is a LOT physically.

[quote] Kamila better not go near any windows anytime soon.

No, she tanked the program like she was told to.

The head of Rusfed showed up at the rink and had a little conversation with Shcherbakova - maybe he had a little something to add to her usual "smelling salts".

Anyway, it's Trusova who better watch her back! She's already on the shit list for moving to Plushenko (temporarily). Spunky little thing should have stayed there !!

Read a rumor that Trusova will head to Nathan Chen's coach, Rafael Arutyunyan (or however you spell it). He's been quoted as saying he wished he had a female quadster. You're not considered a "superstar" coach unless you succeed in multiple disciplines, which is why Eteri tried to nab Shoma Uno and she did nab Tarasova & Morozov.

They're all jealous of Brian Orser with his Yuna, Javi, Yuzuru triumvirate. The others haven't made it with both boys and girls. Well, Eteri and Raf haven't, and they want it bad. Nobody's ever satisfied - always wanting one more whatever... I think Eteri may have overdone it this time. Hope so anyway - she's a bitch. So's Raf, badmouthing Mariah like she's a loser. Well, she is, but what kind of coach just says it flat out and stops even showing up for you?

R190 Back to 2010 Vancouver, Mao Asada successfully landed not just one 3A but three 3A in her program, a truly remarkable achievement in women's figure skating, it was a milestone, but she still lost to Yuna Kim. After her loss, you heard a lot talks from men's skating fans and skaters, they argued Mao Asada's 3A should be rewarded more on the points, the scoring system was not ready for women who can jump 3A, it's unfair to Mao Asada and that's why she lost the gold medal.

R193 I won't be surprise if she moves to Cali and trains with Rafael. Sasha said her favorite skater is Nathan Chen, watch her skate, it was very much Chen-alike, just quad after quad, with minimum transitions etc.

How did Mao do three triple axels in one program? I thought they're limited to repeating a jump twice, with one in competition?

Or is that some old, ancient, rule?

No one else finds it weird that Trusova is being allowed to throw this tantrum? I would figure they'd tell her to STFU. Don't they control their every movement? What's the likelihood she was told to have the tantrum in hopes that the media focuses on that rather than the obvious Kamila issues?

What's she crying for anyway? (Think Nancy Kerrigan's voice). She was never expecting Gold in the first place.

No one else finds it weird that Trusova is being allowed to throw this tantrum? I would figure they'd tell her to STFU. Don't they control their every movement? What's the likelihood she was told to have the tantrum in hopes that the media focuses on that rather than the obvious Kamila issues?

What's she crying for anyway? (Think Nancy Kerrigan's voice). She was never expecting Gold in the first place.

R196 Mao Asada had 3A+2T in her SP, in FS she added another two, 3A then 3A+2T. She had three 3A in her program, the first in women's figure skating! Also the rule is you cannot repeat the same jump or the repeated jumps will receive zero value, the same jump means the exact same jump by itself or jump sequences with no difference. For example, you have 3Lz-3T planned in the beginning and a second 3Lz in the later half, the first Lz in sequence and the second Lz by itself, they are different so both Lz will receive credit. However, once you started on the ice, you completed the first 3Lz but you were not able add that 3T, your first jump has become 3Lz only, which immediately invalidated your planned second 3lz in the later half, to salvage the situation, now you must add a 3T/3L or 2T/2L or even single T/L to your second 3Lz, otherwise, your will receive zero point for the second Lz since it's exactly the same jump you have completed in the beginning.

Yes, my reply at R196 conveys I understand how it works. However, I meant to type 1 in combination, not competition. My reply was in regards to the statement Mao did 3 triple axels in one program, she didn't. She did 1 in her SP and.2 in her LP.

Mao lost that competition not because they weren't ready for the triple axel, but partly because Mao stumbled and omitted a jump.

R171 Did Midori Ito ever even attempt a quad? It wasn't a thing yet in 1992. Ito turned pro the second after she got that silver medal and never looked back. Poor thing was such a bundle of nerves despite being the best--she never seemed to enjoy competing but she was so relaxed and happy as a pro.

Re Mao Asada and Kim Yuna, they should have scored her 3As higher, but Kim should still have won. Mao had some stumbles, and Kim was textbook perfect.

R82, the forward entry of the Axel is what makes it so much harder. With the other 2 edge jumps (Salchow and loop) you are on both blades prior as you enter the jump and then you're basically pushing-up. But with the Axel you're entering the jump on one leg then pretty much hoisting yourself in the air. It's hard to get enough momentum from that. The pick jumps also have one-leg entries, but you slam the toe pick down to get leverage. Also, adding a turn to a jump (like going from triple to quad) doesn't make the jump harder in terms of mastering the skill of the jump, it's about getting enough power, height, and speed to get enough revolutions in the air. That's why the Russians need to pump these little girls with PEDs: their bodies don't have the strength for multiple quads and triple-triple combos so they need the drugs to boost their endurance.

This video breaks down the jumps from what's considered easiest to hardest:

R201, Quads were a thing in 1992... at least attempting them. Harding claimed she could land one..."claimed," but we know she's a liar. Surya Bonaly said she could land them in practice and attempted one at the 1992 Albertville Games.

And Midori turned pro but did look back.. Japan asked her to regain her eligibility, and she did.. and competed amateur again in 1996, but nowhere near her former glory.

Where the heck is Tanya Harding and her crowbar when you need them? Someone needs to put these doping little Russian bitches in line......

I'd forgotten about Ito returning in 1996--she did have a hard time, not surprisingly.

Quads were not a thing in 1992, Bonaly was an outlier. Similarly, Kristi Yamaguci was an outlier in that she had the 3Lz-3T in 1992 but that didn't become a thing until about a decade later. Kristi was also working on the 3A and if she had stayed amateur she would absolutely have won in 1994 and likely saved us from the Harding-Kerrigan-Baiul mess. (Funny thing that Kristi also had such a hard time with the Salchow which is considered the easiest jump when she was so ahead of her time in mastering such a difficult combo.)

I don't remember Tonya claiming to have landed a quad, but I agree she probably lied. She was laser-focused on the 3A to the detriment of all her other skills and she lost that after a year.

Speaking of--Bonaly on the quad.

[quote]“I don’t know why it took so long” for women figure skaters to compete with quadruple jumps, Bonaly says. “For years everybody tried to keep the ladies pretty and not look like athletes. The mentality was that men could quadruple jumps and look like a warrior or big hero, and the girls should stay pretty like princesses.”

I meant.it was a thing in that people were attempting them or claiming they could land them.

And yes, Kristi absolutely would have won again in 94. If she had remained amateur she also would have prevented Tonya from needing to have Kerrigan whacked (allegedly).

Kristis salchow issues were always attributed to not being able to unlearn the technique she used in Pairs as it was their throw jump.. she recently said she doesn't know if that's true but it sounds like a good excuse to use!

If only Surya would have actually taken the time to learn to skate.

It make sense--Kristi was otherwise a technically perfect skater. Plus sometimes skaters just randomly struggle with a random jump, as if their body just doesn't want to go that way. Kerrigan had a perfect lutz but struggled with the easier flip.

The Russians are blaming everyone else but themselves for what happened to Kamila. The Russian Defence Ministry even made a propaganda video in defence of her:

FYI I discovered from reading the chinese volunteers' gossip about what happened last night that Eteri's nickname in China is 'noodle sister' because her hair looks like ramen.

R209 Kristi's flip was money for her. She fell on it at her 1st Worlds in Paris 1989, I can't recall her ever missing another one while an amateur.

You do realize I said it was Kerrigan who struggled with the flip?

here's a video of the women's gold medal winners over time. Lipinski jumping up and down, such a contrast.

If Russia invades Ukraine, could Kamila be drafted lol?

R215 She'll be okay on that front because only men, and only 18+ are drafted.

It sounds like there's drama over the draft there though! -

[quote]“It’s a bit of a melodrama. Boys turn up with their mothers, who shout and scream about how their sons should be exempt, like in a Brazilian soap opera,” says Igor.

R210, that's standard operating procedure for the Russians. It's never their fault, on anything, even when it's 100 percent their fault like this case.

Comrade Kamila will do a brief stint at Putins stripper pole before being shipped off to gulag.

Not one tear from Kamila.

Kamila spent more time on the ice, than above it skating, this time around. No tears....

[QUOTE] You're not considered a "superstar" coach unless you succeed in multiple disciplines, which is why Eteri tried to nab Shoma Uno and she did nab Tarasova & Morozov.

I have to disagree. Tamara Moskvina is a superstar coach and she only trains pairs. Dubreil and Lauzon are phenomenal and they only do ice dance. I think Eteri is just a megalomaniac and wants all the glory.

What kind of a skating career did Eteri have? She sounds a tad on the sadistic side.

Eteri was an ice dancer on cruise ships and Ice Capades. Seriously.

Oh, and she was across the street from the federal building in OKC when it was blown up.

Here is Part 1 of an interview she gave in December

Eteri skating:

Full video:

Eteri looks evil, a straight up caricature.

The "greatest figure skater of all time" would have to fall or fuck up on every jump after her short program in order to lose a medal placement.

Oh, how convenient.

we would like to have her coach here!

[quote]Eteri looks evil, a straight up caricature.

It's the hair. No (straight) woman with hair that bad can be trusted.

R44, I have a hell of a time telling any of the figure skating jumps apart -- aside from the axel (with its forward entry)!

Most of the best coaches weren’t the top skaters, apart from Orser and Wilson. Genius skaters don’t know how to teach what comes naturally to them, I recall Ilia Kulik and Ekaterina Gordeeva had a skating school which folded very quickly.

R231 Watch the video at R201. Once you understand the differences between the jumps, you can spot the typical form on entry. Salchow (no toepick) starts with the takeoff leg going into a wide circle on the ice to get on the back inside blade edge. Loop (also no toepick) takes off and lands on the same leg, so starts in an ankles crossed position. The easiest pick jump is toe loop, and the typical entry is skating forward, doing a quick turn to backward and then switching legs so that the leg you switched direction with toe picks the ice and the other leg is your takeoff leg (that's what makes it easier--lots of leveralge/momentum from those switches). Flip is a pick jump that takes off on the back inside edge so skaters usually start it skating forward then "flip" to going backward to get enough momentum. The difference from the toe loop is you don't see the legs switch position--the same leg that "flips" is the takeoff leg while the other leg toepicks the ice (less leverage, makes it harder). Lutz is a pick jump from the back outside edge, so skaters have to lunge back with the toepick leg to have time to shift onto the outside edge--that's why you see a long backward takeoff with the toepick leg extending back then slamming to the ground. Very hard because of the awkward position on entry, tough to get the leverage/momentum you need.

It's harder to spot them in combo or when skaters use unusual entries. But the second or third jump in a combo is almost always going to be a toe loop or loop--the way to spot is if there is a leg switch it's a toe loop, if it lands on the same leg it's a loop. Other types of combos require a mohawk turn, half-loop, or other connections, so just rely on the commentators to tell you what they are and try to observe carefully during the slow mo replay. If you watch carefully enough, you can pick up on it.

R233, thanks! Will watch. I can ID all of the gymnastics skills in real-time, so maybe I'll finally get around to learning my salchow from a lutz.

As R233, mentioned above, start with the Salchow, it's really easily identifiable by the big, wide, circular turns the skater will take going into the jump. Also their legs sort of make an upside down V right before they take off for the jump.

I had forgotten how good Mirai Nagasu was when she was younger. I really never noticed how incredible her speed is and she really did have some of the best spins in that era.

I also forgot that she essentially earned 3 spots to the Olympics and should have been a 3-Time Olympian... funny that each time she got those placings she edged Ashley Wagner for the spot.

In 2010 she gave herself a nose bleed by spinning so fast.

Kristis 1992 nationals performance is the one I consider her Olympic performance.

R237 cause it's basically the only time she landed the triple salchow.

I never understood why Kristi just didn't take the triple salchow out of her program. I know she probably wanted it in to show she was well rounded, but the fact that she basically never landed it, only made it more glaring of an issue.

Kremlin official responds to IOC criticism:

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov held a press conference Friday where he defended the ROC’s coaching techniques for all of its winter sports

"Thomas Bach is a very authoritative person in the sports world. Of course we respect his opinion, but we do not necessarily agree with him," Peskov said, via Reuters’ Karolos Grohmann. "He doesn’t like the harshness of our coaches, but everybody knows that the harshness of a coach in high-level sport is key for their athletes to achieve victories. And we are seeing that the athletes are achieving victories. So let’s be proud of our winners, congratulate our medalists. Valieva was fourth but in high-level sport, the strongest wins.”

[quote] "He doesn’t like the harshness of our coaches,

And to imagine that the way they behave in public, in front of the cameras, is the sweeter edge of that iceberg.

Ugh, I had blocked from my memory what terrible commentators Scott and Sandra were.

R239 It's an unofficial rule that skaters need to show the judges they are capable of all 5 triples and axel jumps, otherwise the skater would be considered with limited or incomplete technique. Under ordinals, if you don't attempt all jumps and you intentionally avoid certain jumps in your program, the judges will rank you lower than others, it would definitely hurt you placement. After the figure skating switched to COP judging, that has become a less concern , because you can add other jumps to make up the score, the impact is much smaller, but sill most skaters have all 5 triples planned in their program, it's a statement for their overall skating technique.

I am fascinated by that Plushenko says he betted a lot of money on Shcherbakova to win before the Olympics.

[quote]"I am doubly happy for Anechka. She definitely deserved the gold. In addition, now I can admit that before the Olympics I made a bet at a bookmaker's for Shcherbakova's victory. The odds were decent - 3.85. The gold won me a substantial amount - several million rubles. Yes, Valieva was considered the unconditional favorite. But I had a feeling, long before the doping scandal, that Kamila would not win. I thought back to 2002, my first Olympics in Salt Lake City... In general, I decided to bet on Shcherbakova because she is older, more experienced. Despite injuries, illnesses, other difficulties, she always rides confidently and steadily. Superfighter!

(For reference, one million rubles is $13,100 USD!)

I'd have to see the receipts to believe that, Zhenya.

R244 not a big surprise, consider what happened to Yulia Lipnitskaya in Sochi.

R243 Jill Trenary did fine not doing all the triples! No triple lutz for her... but exquisite artistry! No really, this was considered artistic!

^ omg the music

Jill Trenary, like Scott Hamilton, are both perfect examples as to why the compulsory figures should never have existed.

And I know artistry is up to the eye of the beholder... but in my opinion that program was no better than anything Tonya ever did.

Kristi Yamaguchi probably really does not get enough credit for being the phenomenal athlete she was.

I don't think many others she was competing against could have managed to compete at Worlds in both Ladies and Paris event and finish both 4th and 5th in each event.

I am surprised to find out Yulia Lipnitskaya became a mom in 2020, she was only 22!

Kerrigan had the most elegant dress ever.

Kerrigan had trashy music as well. Neil Diamond? Barely one step above Tonya's selections.

R247, figure skating was a totally different world in 1992 than in 1990. Jill won because of compulsories--and that was the last Worlds to require them. Without the, Midori Ito would have wiped the floor with her.

That shitty Neil Diamond medley not withstanding, Nancy should have won over Oksana and her tippietoe dancing. I will die on this hill.

Yes, I agree re: Trenary and Compulsories.

I personally disagree, R249. Nancy had harder content and was rewarded for it. She got the Tech vote. However, she skated like it was a job she hated. Oksana did the thing that judges want... she had emotion and didn't look like she was phoning it in because she expected to win.

Also I think Baiuls SP was 10x better than Kerrigans.

Bring back school figures now!!!!!

Oh, and fuck Janet!

Nancy didn't get a high enough tech vote (or Oksana's were too high)--I think 3 of the judges actually scored Oksana higher on tech than Nancy, which was absolute bullshit. Even if by an equally slight margin, Nancy should have taken it. Nancy's jumps were better and she had more difficult entries.

I'm also one of the few who preferred Kwan over Lipinski in 1998, but I at least understand why the judges gave it to Tara.

I mean, Nancy's own judge, the American, didn't even give Nancy the Technical edge over Oksana. What does that tell you?

They gave it to Tara for the same reason they gave it to Oksana.

Kristi Yamaguchi's most elegant performance, by far, was set to Crystal Water's "100% Pure Love."

R260, that he was so distracted by the tippietoes he missed Oksana's 2 foot landing, easy entries, and wobbles.

R250 that's thanks in large part to the bullshit narrative that came from the likes of Scott Hamilton. Kristi (and Nancy) didn't "look" athletic--they were relatively tall and had lean muscle, so he'd only go on about their elegance and artistry, and talk about Midori, Surya, and Tonya as if they were linebackers on skates. Meanwhile, both Kristi and Nancy had really difficult combos and complex choreography (at least Nancy did until she stopped pushing herself) but you'd think they operated on fairy dust or something.

Dick Button was so much better at acknowledging skaters' strengths and weaknessness without defaulting to the binary bullshit of "this one is known for her artistry, this one is known for altheticism." Even though he could get really DRA-MA-TIC, I always appreciated his calls more.

R252 Wasn't Nancy's dress made by Vera Wang at a cost of $25,000?

FASHION!

I just learned a few weeks ago that Surya's costume in 92 was designed my Christian Lacroix. Funnily enough, I only learned that because Kristi Yamaguchi talked about it.

When did Dick Button do anything but bitch about a skaters' back not being pleasing to him in a layback?

I preferred Peggy.

UK doping scandal. Why did it take so long to strip the team of medals?

R220, She didn't cry because she was too dehydrated. Noodle sister doesn't allow her skaters to drink water at competitions.

Dick Button was an ornery little bitch, but he didn't spew nonsense such as which skaters were "athletic" (because he knew THEY ALL ARE). He just called the elements. And if something was done badly he said it, but he also acknowledged if something was done well, even if that skater wasn't "known for it." He was well-paired with Peggy who also just called the elements as they were presented and mostly kept her comments free of nonsense.

By comparison, Scott would fill every program with "this skater is known for..." and barely tell you anything about what they were actually doing on the ice. My favorite moments were when he'd say things like "this could be her best jump" and 9 times out of 10 the skater would mess up. Or stupid shit like when during Oksana's free skate in 1994 he shouted at her triple flip: "Slightly two-footed BUT SHE FOUGHT FOR IT!" WTF does that even mean? She two-footed it. That's a mistake no matter how much she FOUGHT FOR IT. As if pretty much every skater doesn't FIGHT FOR IT? And then when Sandra Bezic joined him, OMG it just turned into the ultimate sniping who is the ultimate skater cool kid who knows it all -fest. At least Verne Lundquist, bless his dumb ass, didn't pretend to know shit, he just reacted to what he saw like an entertained savant.

[quote]As if pretty much every skater doesn't FIGHT FOR IT?

Yes, yes.. we all uh fight for it. Would never not fight for it.

R269, "She's really worked on her Artistry... feels every note of her music.."

Pairs is currently the best combination of athleticism and artistry.

Here's a cute video of Sui and Han four years ago. They have a cute older brother and younger sister relationship. I love her eyerolls.

And Han is a cutie.

Sorry. Here is link.

R267 it's about 6 months, so the team event medal will be settled in August lol

The US is now petitioning that they receive the medals from the Team competition prior to the end of the games.

they should have a ceremony after the team competition, the medals can be stripped later, so what's the big deal, and athletes do want to get on the podium even it's just silver or bronze.

Right. Medals are stripped all the time. There's no great reason not to hold the ceremony. The Russian chick was initially allowed to skate and thereafter her disqualification was overturned. So at this point there's no final resolution. And who knows how long it will be until there is.

Trenary was the cunt of her generation.

TRENARY = BITCH

The non-binary dude's partner is blowing it. She's fell twice and bobbled a landing.

Tara's going off about how non-binary guy is at the Olympics "authentically" and Johnny is saying they're "living their truth." Leduc's boyfriend (according to Terry Gannon) has a kinky boots thing going that was fun.

R281, she is skating with an ankle injury.

geez, the World Championships are in March! I predict that Kamila will get things together and beat Shcherbakova and Trusova there. I'm not going to bet on it though...!

Valieva won't be at Worlds. Tuktamysheva will be sent.

R285 source?

R285, Valieva is under investigation. No way that she's going.

R287 She's formally under investigation by RUSADA. You know, the people who lifted her suspension prematurely so that she could skate?

R288, no RUSADA completed theirs. It's now in hands of WADA and IOC. CAS actual hearings are yet to happen.

R289 The CAS hearing went and is gone. The doping infraction is still formally investigated by RUSADA. IOC/WADA claim they will investigate Sambo-70/Team Tutberidze but I am not really holding my breath on that one.

R269 Scott was a biased piece of shit who laid it on thick for his favorites (ie the western skaters he was signing up for Stars on Ice, which he produced). He did it in 2002 with the pairs, promoting the corny ass Canadian team with their juvenile program at the expense of the utterly sublime Russian team. The Canadians would be far more marketable than the Commies, so there was Hamilton, disingenuously glorifying them while not being able to say anything charitable about Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, who arguably had the most beautiful performances of all time. I blame him and Bezic for the IJS that has wrecked the artistry of skating, especially in pairs with their butt ugly lifts nowadays.

Hamilton also pulled this shit in 1994 at the Olympic pairs comp. He was orgasming over Gordeeva and Grinkov all week (they were Stars on Ice alumni), while denigrating Mishkutenok and Dmitriev. Mish was a “big girl” and a “heavy girl,” they were “troubled,” etc. When M&D laid down a dark, passionate, one-of-kind, flawless performance for the ages, Hamilton was stunned into silence. He couldn’t say a single word, which prompted Lundquist to remark “THAT was breathtaking!” M&D got a standing ovation (something Gordeeva admitted bothered her at the time). Ultimately Gordeeva and Grinkov won with a flawed program, but Hamilton’s bias pisses me off to this day.

R290 she will be found not guilty of doping but will receive a few months of suspension for lack of oversight, and her skating career is basically over, Russian girls have such a short career, they can't even skate more than 2~3 seasons without being replaced by younger girls. This probably explained the reason why they lifted her ban in Beijing, it's her first but also her last Olympics.

I feel pretty sure that they will time the punishment (if there's even one) accordingly so that she gets to go to the World Championships but we'll see. They are backing their star skater to the hilt from what I've seen. She will be nineteen at the next Olympics so you're probably right that she'll be done by then though.

I think just the opposite. She wont compete at Worlds. She's no longer of any use to them. Having her continue to compete would only subject them to more scrutiny. They no longer need her. They have others who are doped up enough for them to win.

To keep her under this incredible stress seems abusive to me, so I would think it would be a terrible idea to send her to Worlds.

She's become a symbol of corruption, of bad practice in sport in general, and she's obviously not supported by her coaches - it was a television reporter that was the only one who stepped up to comfort her in that NBC footage after her bad performance. Her coach simply berated her like it was just another day and she was just another athlete - despite the spotlight of the world being on her, in a very negative way.

Do people enjoy watching a 15 year old be abused and potentially destroyed? I didn't watch it - but it's reminding me of what I read about Squid Games. Somebody save her! Get her therapy, medical help to get off all the drugs, I for one, don't like watching this sado-masochistic drama play out.

[quote]Do people enjoy watching a 15 year old be abused and potentially destroyed?

You'd be surprised how many do, and who they are.

Eteri has put Kamila back to practice.

The Paralympics are starting on March 4. Do the Russian Paralympians dope as well?

R298, possibly. I heard the Russian paralympic skaters are the only ones doing quadruple wheelies.

R298 Yes, they do. I'm reading Rodchenkov's book at the moment and he says that he worked at the Paralympic Games as well. Also the International Paralympic Committee voted unanimously to ban the entire Russian Paralympic team from competing in the 2016 Summer Paralympics. They have bigger balls than the IOC.

They dope the curlers, the 15-year-old figure skaters, the wheelchair athletes and everyone in between. It would be more shocking if a clean Russian athlete actually existed.

Was Valieva's entire family being threatened with the gulag the reason behind the effusive, BS-y praise she posted below?

[quote] "You are absolute masters at what you do! You not only train, but also teach how to overcome yourself, which helps not only in sport but also in life," Valieva wrote alongside a photo of herself and her coaches at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

[quote] "With you by my side, I feel protected and able to overcome any ordeals. Thank you for helping me to be strong," she added.

Spanish pairs skater Laura Barquero has failed a doping test. She tested positive for Clostebol, an androgenic steroid. The sample was collected in an in-competition anti-doping control on Feb. 18 during the pairs skating short programme.

She and her partner Marco Zandron finished 11th so this won't be high profile though.

And somewhere the Russian skating federation officials are cheering. "Are you gonna ban Spain from the Olympics now, you degenerate capitalist hypocrites?"

And they’d have a point.

R305, how so? Does Spain engage in state-sponsored doping the way Russia has?

^ Nope.

Cue the “Oops! It was in her lip balm! We had no idea!” It may not be state-sponsored in other countries but it’s way more widespread than you think.

[QUOTE] In both Russia and the U.S., the structure of Olympic sports is shaped by the broader political economy. Russia’s doping is state-sponsored because nearly everything in Russia is centralized and state-controlled. In the United States, where the U.S. Olympic Committee, by law, receives no government funding and American athletes receive no state support, Olympic training is outsourced to athletes and private interests like Nike. Any doping is outsourced to those same private interests. Cheating in Russia is a product of the state. Cheating in the U.S. is merely another capitalistic venture: To get money to fund adequate training, one must win, and it’s a whole lot easier to win on dope.

I've always said that that's the difference - with Russia it's state sponsored so you can pin it onto a country doing it (read Rodchenko's book; it's jaw-dropping what they did) while with capitalist countries it's up to the athlete to seek it and consent to do it, so then you can only pin it onto the individual athlete. Countless Russian athletes have told us that they had no choice. They had to do it or they were out of the sport.

*Rodchenkov

There's a rumor that the French are going to ban all athletes from Russia and Belarus from the upcoming World Championships, unless something changes with the invasion before then.

OMG could there be justice for Japanese women at long last?

How long is the IOC going to wait to strip Russia of team gold?

R313, it will delay doing it as long as possible.

Confirmed. Nathalie Pechalet, the president of the French Federation of Ice Sports has announced that no Russian or Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in competitions that France is hosting...

So unless things change, the quadster kids won't be at the Worlds in Montpellier (21 March).

At Worlds period or at Worlds under Russian flag, uniforms, etc.

At World's period. The order comes from France's Ministry of Sports, so it's similar to what happened in Australia and Djokovic - even if the skating bodies want them to be there, they can't be. Obviously this may change but that's the position right now.

A lot of people are saying that the ISU might cancel Worlds but the ISU can't afford to.

That could make for an interesting Worlds. An American or South Korean might sneak on to the podium in Women's. Men's will be similar to the Olympics. Pairs might get an American in there--Knierem and the non-husband were fifth after the Chinese and the three Russian teams. Ice dance could go French American American--if Hubbell/Dohohue haven't retired yet.

Now the ISU has put a statement out saying that Russian, Belarusian athletes and officials are barred from international committee.

No Russian officials - snicker.. fairer scoring?

So no Russian judges ???

Hurray!!!!!!

Meanwhile this is what two-time Ukraine national champion, Anastasiia Arkhipova, 18, is doing..

Trying to look cute and Instagram-able during war?

These skaters are tiny. Nathan Chen is only 5ft6.

If only they had been banned from the Olympics. But everyone is a coward and let them play and cheat again and again.

R321 can you imagine Karen Chen doing that?

R323. Nathan is so adorable.

And 5ft2 Shoma Uno is even cuter! Love these little pocket gays, well, pocket skaters, what's the difference.

Interesting... along with the Russians not being able to send athletes, China has for some reason decided not to send any skaters. Is it political or are they afraid of getting caught doping?

This means the Pairs field is now wide open.

Arkhypova is now in Poland, she has posted that she was persuaded to flee Kyiv by her coach and parents.

Surya Bonaly and Oksana Baiul both live in Las Vegas and they paired up to rally for Ukraine

No Chinese or Russians in Pairs? That's going to be the weirdest competition ever. So, I guess the Japanese, Americans and the Canadians? Could be any of them.

S/H is done with skating after the gold medal, the other Chinese pair didn't submit for the worlds due to a minor injury, that was before the announcement of banning Russian skaters. Now China wants to send them, they have a real chance of medal since all Russian pairs are gone, but ISU said no to China, they missed the deadline.

R330 Geez Oksana looks awful these days.

Just proves 'Black don't crack - but white sho do, pale blondes especially"

Oksana has had battles with the bottle and I'm guessing that combined with crappy cosmetic procedures explains why she looks like crap.

The Chinese Pairs thing doesn't really make sense to me. Even if their top team was injured, why wouldn't they have submitted to send a replacement team?

They have a number 2 pair who are really good - Peng/Jin I think...

They decided not to send any athletes to Worlds - even their top man, Boyang Jin, who's also quite good and a medal contender.

Are they mad at NATO for being harsh on their buddies in the USS.... I mean Russia?

Surya Bonaly is by all accounts really sweet.

Surya Bonaly has aged well. Also, it’s magnanimous of her to be such good friends with Oksana, especially since Oksana was gifted the 1993 World Championship gold. It should have gone to Surya, hands down, that year.

I don’t blame Miss Bonaly for the tantrum she had the following year at Worlds.

R339, sure, the 1993 Worlds should have been Surya's... if Surya ever bothered to learn how to actually skate!

Aww, and here I thought this thread was bumped because the Russians were stripped of the team gold!

R340 Surya skated just like Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek and Evgeny Plushenko did—big jumps with some flailing in between. What’s good for the gander should be good for the goose.

Plus, her outfits were Lacroix, sweetie. That alone should have been enough.

R342... no, she didn't skate, period. She ran across the ice. All the others knew how to stroke... especially Evan, both on the ice and in the steam room.

Also, Suryas jumps were never great, or consistent. Yamaguchi jumped better than Surya did.

R335 from FS chats, after the Olympics, the Chinese federation didn't push for worlds, they might want to give all skaters a well deserved rest, they have been training like hell in the last two years for Beijing Olympics. The deadline for worlds was Feb 28 and they didn't submit the skater's list to ISU. After the Russians were banned, their other pair has become a serious medal contender now, they tried to blame it on miscommunications in the office and someone forgot to email/fax the list etc, but ISU was not convinced.

China cares about giving their athletes a rest? That seems like bigger bullshit than a "miscommunication" angle.

I loved Surya's costumes, especially the ones that looked liked a can can girl - low waisted with a skirt pulled back plus a little bustle. There were penny sequins dangling from the bottom of the skirt.

Surya was athletic but not very polished. She was always fun to watch.

Some bitches need extravagant, designer, costumes to distract from the fact that they cant skate.

Both Nathan Chen and Hanyu have withdrawn from Worlds, so this'll be the first men's champion other than them in six years.

Makes it interesting. Could baby Japanese Kagiyama win? Or Shoma Uno? Vincent Zhou? Italy's Daniel Grassl?

Is Korean Junhwan Cha going to Worlds? I hope he and his baby face get on the podium.

Just cancel it. Worlds in the same year as the Olympics is stupid.

No they shouldn't cancel it. They absolutely should have it, without the Russians, so we can get a more accurate idea of what the top field looks like without doping cheaters involved.

"They absolutely should have it, without the Russians, so we can get a more accurate idea of what the top field looks like without doping cheaters involved. "

If all the Russians are dopers and you can't trust their performances, then isn't it as easy as looking at past results without including the Russians?

Worlds in an Olympic year isn’t stupid. It’s a good kickoff for the next cycle. Sets the international bar going into next season. But fuck the Russians. They can sit their cheating invading asses home.

Of course it's not, R353. You don't know how skaters would perform without the demoralizing effect of having to compete against skaters who are doped.

[quote]If all the Russians are dopers and you can't trust their performances, then isn't it as easy as looking at past results without including the Russians?

Uh.. no. That's not how it works. Additionally, Worlds is the close of a season, the Olympics are not. Not everyone who is eligible for Worlds qualifies to the Olympics.

Well, there's World Team Trophy - isn't that usually in April? Though maybe it's one of those quasi-competitions like the Japan Open?

Papadakis and Cizeron will be on home turf this time when they win.

Age raised to 17. BTW, did the skaters ever receive their medals? If not, what is taking so long?

“I don’t think there’s any chance that the team will lose their medals, and I think the only question is whether she does,” said Bill Bock, a sports lawyer who was an early proponent of the theory that paved the way for Valieva to skate in the women’s individual competition at the Games. “The team can keep her results.”

“I do think it’s most likely that she will keep her medal” as well, Bock said, adding that he thought that such a decision would rest on what sanction, if any, she ultimately receives for the doping violation. A warning, or a very short suspension would make it easy to let her get a team medal of her own, he thought.