Since I am posting this so late, I probably don't have anything new to add to the discussions, so I will keep this short.
Patrick's win came with no surprise to me. It reminded me of 09 Worlds where Yuna was so far ahead of everyone, unless she completely bombed, she would win. His second quad in combination with a triple toe was really nice, as were his lutzes and flips, but the axel still needs work. Also, his program gave me a greater emotional impact at Canadian nationals, so I wasn't as impressed with him as I probably would have been had I not watched nationals. PCS were slightly on the ridiculous side, but the result was correct in the end.
Kozuka's silver medal wasn't too much of a surprise to me either - he had already skated two solid programs, so why not do a third? The quad was HUGE! I would've given it a plus 3 goe. He carries so much speed across the ice - he may even be the fastest skater in the world today. While other skaters seemed to be slow (perhaps due to the camera work?) he zoomed by from end to end, moving through intricate choreography at full speed like it was nothing. Once he starts to really perform, his components will be through the roof. A well-deserved 1st place TES score.
Gachinski... I just don't know about him. He is very slow, especially compared to the other medalists, and his spins are Ryan Bradley level. If he can cut this Plushenko copy-cat crap and develop his own (better) style, he can really be a force for Russia come Sochi 2014. PCS were definitely laughable - he should not be getting above the 6 range with that program. Too many O-faces in 4 and a half minutes.
Brezina started off with probably the most ambitious layout - 2 different types of quads, but ran out of steam. He needs to develop a little more speed so his jumps carry a longer arc instead of going straight up and down, which will not only make combos easier, but will also increase the GOE. As much as I love the sweater vest, this program needs to go. I am excited to see what he can pull out when he has an entire season to prepare.
Oda...I AM SO MAD AT YOU (LOL you're not reading this)!!! Had he even just done a double toe instead of a triple - which he totally could have done - he would have been the 2011 World Bronze Medalist. WHY? WHY? WHY? He needs to re-evaluate his program strategy so he repeats, for example, axel and flip instead of axel and toe. This way, he could only do one 3T, and would be less likely to Zayak.
I am so sad for 2010 champion Takahashi, but it just wasn't meant to be. After that performance given by Chan, it was clear no one was going to beat him, but I wish Takahashi could have at least salvaged a bronze. He was clearly thrown by the whole boot problem, and was off for the rest of the program with his jumps, but he needs to work on getting the levels on his spins. When you make a mistake as large as singling a quad, you need to milk every point you can out of the CoP, and Takahashi's spins just don't cut it right now. Maybe he should work with Lambiel for a little...?
Joubert looked yummy, and his quad was a beauty, but he too lost points for holding positions for 7 instead of the required 8 for a level. I love Amodio's fire and personality out there on the ice, but it's time for a program with spread out elements with real choreo in between. I am tired of all these programs where the skaters essentially play ping pong going back and forth from jump to jump with no relation to the music and no transitions in between. I hope we will see some changes next year. This was a very strange mens event, but also possibly the most competitive event at worlds, so it's no surprise the US lost the third spot. Hopefully the US ladies can get back the third spot, and with their skill levels it will be a disappointment if they don't.
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