The Grand Prix series in the Olympic season is a sneak peek of what is to come on the Road to Pyeongchang, and we were certainly not disappointed. In the men’s event, many have anticipated the showdown between Nathan Chen (USA) and Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) with Chen winning the event overall. It was not a solid event overall, but then again, the competitions in the first half of the season are all about getting the kinks out of the way in order to peak in competitions that matter.
GOLD: Nathan Chen (USA)
Last season, Chen has established himself as a force to watch out for in men’s figure skating. His victory in Moscow has given everyone a statement that he has a chance to grab that Olympic gold medal in Pyeongchang. His performance was not perfect, but his short program score gave him enough cushion to maintain the first-place spot. We do know that when he’s clean, the scores will be huge, so we’ll certainly watch out for him in Skate America.
SILVER: Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)
We all know that Hanyu starts slow in his first competitions of the season; the silver medal at Autumn Classic International is one proof of that, and so is this silver medal in Rostelecom Cup. The attempted quad loop didn’t work for him in the short program, and with a fall after the quad toe-triple toe, he was six points behind Chen after the short program. He could have had the chance to redeem himself in the free skate, especially after landing the quad lutz, but a pop on the quad toe cost him a shot at the gold, despite winning the free skate. He has a lot more time to prepare for NHK Trophy, where the pressure is heavier.
BRONZE: Mikhail Kolyada (RUS)
Kolyada had attempted a higher technical layout and some versatility for this season, and it’s too early to say something about the payoffs this early. A miss on the combo in the short program had him settling for fourth. The free skate was a disaster as well, with four deductions after three falls, but with Dmitri Aliev falling to seventh, he managed to snatch the bronze medal overall, not to mention a personal best in the free skate. We do have to question the PCS that he got for both programs. Kolyada has two more weeks to work out his technique and his commitment to his programs before his next competition in Cup of China.
FOURTH: Misha Ge (UZB)
We’ll say it again–we’re glad to see Misha Ge back on the ice, and better than ever. He’s proof that a quad isn’t necessary for quality skating. Both his programs were solid, his artistry exquisite. He managed to earn three personal best scores, and deservingly so. His next competition will be in France, where he’ll have another chance to show his artistry.
FIFTH: Moris Kvitelashvili (GEO)
Kvitelashvili came into Rostelecom Cup as a last-minute addition to the line-up and did not disappoint. He had to settle for eighth after the short program after a pop on his triple toe combo and a fall on the quad toe. He rose in the free skate, beating his personal best score by almost seven points. A fifth-place finish is a confidence booster for him coming into his next competition in Internationaux de France.
SIXTH: Dmitri Aliev (RUS)
What a good senior Grand Prix debut! Aliev came into the short program with a solid skate, besting his personal best by five points. He landed the quad lutz in the free skate but lost stamina in the second half of the program, his four falls costing him from a third-place finish in the short program to a seventh-place finish in the free skate and sixth overall. However, his programs have potential, and we know he will be a contender to be on the Olympic team, especially when he’s resolved his stamina issues.
SEVENTH: Nam Nguyen (CAN)
Nguyen is on a slow and steady road to establishing himself as the second Canadian man to get that Olympic spot. This season, he has a more mature approach to the short program, attempting two quads though falling on the quad toe. He struggled to land his quad sal in the free skate this time, and he popped two more jumps, which did not help his chances of placing higher.
EIGHTH: Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT)
Consistency wasn’t Vasiljevs’ best friend in this competition. Despite a solid performance in the short program, he fell apart in the first half of the free skate as he struggled to land his jumps. He managed to save the rest of his program in the second half, but fell from sixth in the short program to eighth overall.
NINTH: Denis Ten (KAZ)
Still recovering from an ankle injury, expectations were low for Ten to end up in the top half of the standings. As we’ve seen in competition, he still wasn’t in top form. Ten also tends to do better on the latter half of the season, and we think Rostelecom Cup is for a way to ease out of his injury in order to do better for the Olympics. We hope that he’ll be in better shape in his next competition in France.
TENTH: Andrei Lazukin (RUS)
Lazukin may not have the same technical content as Aliev and Kolyada, but he has shown a solid performance in Rostelecom Cup. He gave a clean skate in the short program, beating his personal best score by ten points. He lost steam towards the end of his short program, but he has shown that he has the potential to be one of the top men in Russia in the future.
ELEVENTH: Grant Hochstein (USA)
Hochstein wasn’t off to a good start in his first Grand Prix competition. He fell on the quad toe in the short program and received an edge call on his triple lutz. His performance in the free skate was better, but his technical score compared to the other men in the field just wasn’t enough to pull him up the standings.
TWELFTH: Daniel Samohin (ISR)
This just wasn’t Samohin’s week, as he struggled in both of his programs, both in the jumps and even in the spins and step sequence. At this point, with Israel having two spots in the Olympics, it will all be a matter of proving himself worthy of that spot.
You Only Lutz Once 