Grand Prix Final
Grand Prix Final
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Report from Petra:
Short Program: First was the short program, to the music of "Adagio", 4 Toeloop-3 Toeloop, 3 Axel, 3 Lutz. His marks seem to be "low" concidering, he skated clean perfect program.
Tech: 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.9 First free skate: Then on the same day there was the first free skate to "Carmen". He skated last and did 4 Toeloop-3 Toeloop, 3 Axel, 3 Salchow, and again the very rare combination 3 Axel-1/2 Loop-3 Flip, 3 lutz and 3 Loop. He received two 6.0's for presentation. After the skate he talked about how hard it is to have two programs on one day: "Actually, it was very difficult to skate to today, especially in the afternoon session. I was really short of breath and I don't know why. But I'm very happy with my free skate. I did 100 per cent what I had planned to do tonight. I did two triple axels, I did a quad-triple combination. I didn't press myself to the limit, I did everything I wanted to do. Tomorrow will be different." His marks:
Tech: 5.7 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 Second free skate:
After two great performances there was still another one ahead, the second free skate will bring the decision of this competition. He skated to "St. Petersburg 300" and this must have been very special to him to skate this program dedicated to his hometown in his hometown. So he obviously felt very secure and happy to show a special performance and it was! The opening combination was his historic 4 Toeloop-3 Toeloop-3 Loop completed perfectly and he did a fist pump after it like saying "Yes, I made it again!!", then another 6 triples 3 Axel, 3 Salchow, 3 Lutz, 3 Axel-3 Toeloop and 3 Flip, easily and totally clean. This was his best performance ever. And amazing was after the Flip, he skated another 2 minutes his program without any jump because he did all necassary jumps already so he could concentrate just on the artistry wich is was wonderful and got six 6.0's for it!!! Even though a 6.0 in the technical mark would be deserved too since he had a totally clean performance and with most difficult content, it can't get any better. Including very fast footwork and of course the Biellmann spiral and spin but the donut spin was missed this time. He also had the luck to skate last again so the judges gave him full credit for this perfect program. All together he probably had his best competition ever with 3 clean programs and beautiful artistry. He can be very pleased with the result. After the competition he said: "I only skated better in practice, no seriously, I think this was one of my best performances ever. I think getting six perfect marks is a record for me. Now, the task for me to get perfect marks for technical merit as well." Yes, it is a record for him, the most 6.0's so far he got at the Russian Nationals 2000 with five 6.0's at presentation. His marks:
Tech: 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 Exhibition:
At the exhibition of the Gran Prix Final Evgeni skated to Sex Bomb again after he skated it last at the ZDF Eisgala Dec. 2001. It was a nice surprise that he skated it again since I thought we would not see it anymore and would do a new exhibition number. He had two performances at the exhibition. But first skated Sex Bomb and it was almost the same choreography like always but he did the layback move (don't know the name) from Ilja Klimkin but couldn't do it as good as Klimkin, just a little bit. He did a 3 toeloop and 2 axel and the Carmen straight line footwork.
The second performance, he skated to vocal music of the soundtrack from Igor Korniluk "Criminal St. Petersburg" from wich he did the music for Evgeni's free skate. The title is "The town wich doesn't exist". This music is wonderful, he skated so beautifully to it. He mixed the choreography of "St. Petersburg 300" and his short program "Adagio". It was great seeing him skate a program where he doesn't need to concentrate on jumps just on the artistry and you easily get lost while watching it so beautiful he is skating. He tried again this layback Klimkin move wich he can't do at all like Klimkin so it looks a bit funny. In the program he did a 3 toeloop then the circular footwork of "Adagio", 2 axel, camel-donutspin, another spin combo and the straight line footwork of "Adagio". This was a great finish of the Gran Prix Final with Evgeni doing his best performances ever.....
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This years Grand Prix Final 2003 was took place in Evgeni's hometown St. Petersburg. This must
have
been very special to him and that fact will show in his programs wich he skated perfectly.
He seemed to
reach another level in his skating, his performances (5 all together) where like out of this
world, all clean and secure with the best presentation ever. (I just saw the second free
skate and the exhibition on tape from wich I report, the other infos are taken from other
reports)
