Better performance of the season, best result in career (as well as TEB, in my opinion), two spots confirmed for Finland at next Euros. So, everything’s alright?
Well, I think not. Terribly too important, too severe, too heavy that misunderstanding with triple loop: Kiira really took the risk losing her silver medal (damn, probably every medal!), presenting, as a matter of fact, a FS with eleven elements only, and leaving behind about five-six points which wouldn’t have changed in better her ranking (luckily) in this competition, but which could relegate her even at fourth final place. Besides, without it is almost sure she would have got her new PB (breaking 170 points), and her best in FS (more than 110 points): and that’s saying a lot! Even within a performance in which, as usual, she argued with Flip (as rightly affirmed by Anna in the past, Kiira hardly ever had a “wrong edge” call: in Sheffield, she fell out even of this good habit…), and with very high Components as always, well then, Technical Elements Score has been torn down by such a stupid error.
That’s true, in new Judging System rules have become perhaps too many to remember, but it seems really difficult to believe that either Maaret, or Susanna became aware of such an incredible boob… and what about Finnish Federation? And even Shae-Lynn, or Maurizio Margaglio? Honestly, since Kiira didn’t run into this kind of mistakes neither in this season nor in the past, the thought coming to my mind is that during her performance she was a little bit confused, maybe thinking again about previous errors… who can say. Sure, “all’s well that ends well”, but…
Anyway, after a so hard season’s beginning, with so many physical problems, a great, great result indeed, who surely give her spirit and strength, with a view to Worlds in Nice: and this city brings back to Kiira’s mind many sweet memories…
At last, here’s a summary of Kiira’s performances in this season:
| SP EXECUTED ELEMENTS | Base Value | NHK | Cup of Russia | Nationals | Euros |
| 2T+3T< | 4.20 | 3.10 | |||
| 3T+3T< | 7.00 | 4.90 | |||
| 3T+2T | 5.40 | 5.90 | |||
| 3T+3T | 8.20 | 8.90 | |||
| 3Lo | 5.10 | 6.00 | 4.40 | 5.90 | |
| 3Lo< | 3.60 | 2.90 | |||
| FSSp4 | 3.00 | 3.79 | 3.93 | 4.00 | 3.93 |
| 1A | 1.10 | 0.50 | 0.50 | ||
| 2A | 3.30 | 3.87 | 4.01 | ||
| LSp3 | 2.40 | 2.76 | 2.83 | 3.19 | |
| LSp4 | 2.70 | 3.56 | |||
| SlSt2 | 2.60 | 3.17 | |||
| SlSt3 | 3.30 | 4.09 | 4.09 | 4.13 | |
| CCoSp4 | 3.50 | 4.07 | 4.36 | 4.36 | 4.29 |
| PROGRAM COMPONENTS | Factor/Average | S c o r e s | |||
| Skating Skills | 0.80 / 7.46 | 7.46 | 7.54 | 7.50 | 7.57 |
| Transitions | 0.80 / 7.14 | 7.14 | 7.18 | 7.07 | 7.14 |
| Performance / Execution | 0.80 / 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.39 | 7.39 | 7.75 |
| Choreography | 0.80 / 7.39 | 7.39 | 7.54 | 7.71 | 7.64 |
| Interpretation | 0.80 / 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.61 | 7.75 | 7.93 |
| FS EXECUTED ELEMENTS | Base Value | NHK | Cup of Russia | Nationals | Euros |
| 3T+2T | 5.40 | 5.20 | |||
| 3T+3T | 8.20 | 7.70 | |||
| 2T+2T | 2.60 | 2.60 | |||
| 2T | 1.30 | 1.21 | |||
| 2S<< | 0.40 | 0.11 | |||
| 2A+2T | 4.60 | 5.03 | |||
| FSSp1 | 2.00 | 2.86 | |||
| FSSp4 | 3.00 | 3.71 | 3.79 | 3.79 | |
| 2Lo | 1.98x | 2.11 | |||
| ChSp1 | 2.00 | 3.10 | 3.10 | 3.30 | 2.90 |
| 2F | 1.80 | 1.03 | |||
| 3S | 4.20 | 4.80 | 2.80 | 3.40 | |
| 3F | 5.30 | 4.60 | |||
| 3S+2T | 6.05x | 6.25 | |||
| 2S+2T | 2.86x | 2.89 | 2.86 | 2.95 | |
| 3Lo+2T+2Lo | 9.02x | 9.52 | 9.52 | ||
| 3Lo<+2T+2Lo | 7.37x | 6.67 | |||
| 2Lo+2T+2Lo | 5.39x | 5.56 | |||
| 3Lo | 5.61x | 5.61 | 5.91 | ||
| SlSt3 | 3.30 | 4.09 | 3.94 | 4.30 | 3.80 |
| 2A | 3.30 | 3.80 | |||
| 2A | 3.63x | 3.77 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 3.70 |
| LSp3 | 2.40 | 2.83 | 3.26 | 2.90 | |
| LSp4 | 2.70 | 2.99 | |||
| CCoSp3 | 3.00 | 3.93 | |||
| CCoSp4 | 3.50 | 4.21 | 4.29 | 4.14 | |
| PROGRAM COMPONENTS | Factor/Average | S c o r e s | |||
| Skating Skills | 1.60 / 7.14 | 7.14 | 7.39 | 7.68 | 7.32 |
| Transitions | 1.60 / 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.11 | 7.36 | 7.07 |
| Performance / Execution | 1.60 / 7.11 | 7.11 | 7.32 | 7.64 | 7.43 |
| Choreography | 1.60 / 7.39 | 7.39 | 7.39 | 8.14 | 7.43 |
| Interpretation | 1.60 / 7.36 | 7.36 | 7.43 | 7.96 | 7.54 |
I am happy you wrote this. I too tried to contact Kiira and ask her what happened there. But I dont know how to do that, I couldnt find a personal contact of her.
Anyway, what happened there shouldnt happen again and those guilty sould be punish in some way. It is very obvious that Kiira made no mistake by adding that third loop to her programme, because that loop was there from the begining of the season and nobody said anything about it. Nor at Gp, nor at nationals. The Zayak rule says that there are only 2 triple jumps that can be repeated during the long programme. And her programme has 3, Salcow, Toeloop and Loop. Who made this programme for her?? I mean how come that early after she finnished her long and before the results were shown, the fans had already seen the mistake, but nobody in her stuff had and when asked she said she didnt know about that rule. I cant believe this, if we know, she should know better than us. At this stage in her carreer this kind of errors are not to be admitted.
I wish Kiira good luck at Worlds and hopefully no more misunderstandings.
Ileana, what you said isn’t totally correct: rule says that can be repeated only two triple jumps of the same kind. So, in example, are admitted two 3S, than two 3T, but, after those, can’t be doubled a 3Lo, or a 3F and so on.
I can’t believe her staff (and Kiira, of course) were ignoring this rule: probably, Kiira’s plans of FS changed during her performance, or something like that…
Kiira didnt change anything. I’ve been watching her programs since fall and I know the structure by heart. The only change was that at Nationals and Europeans she tried 3F instead of 2A she jumped in both her GP. The rest of the triple jumps were two triple salcows, two triple T and two triple loops. The fact that only at Europeans the judges saw the problem, is because only then she manage to jump all the triples. Until then she used to double some of them, this is why she didnt break the rule.
As for her staff, I dont know, I dont think we will ever know what really happened. I have read some articles from the russian media and of course they wrote angainst her because they were mad the russian girls didnt medal…again. I wish Kiira and her staff solved this problem until Worlds, to show everyone what she is capable of. She had a brilliant SP at Euros and I think the most clean LP ever.
Auguri KIIRA!!! per tutto! sei bravissima e bellissima! ti voglio bene! rimani cosi come sei! auguri di ogni bene! ti guardo e mi dai tanta serenita!
Probably the reason why the jump wasn’t reduced earlier is the fact that Kiira didn’t manage 3T-3T combination in her FS earlier this season so there wasn’t any reason to make the last loop invalid element. This was the first time she made clean programme (except the flip) and the judges noticed the mistake. Well, the team and the choreographer should haven known this rule and it almost cost too much.
This rule is really weird when the competitor has two same triples in combination (another possible is very rare but possible 3Lo-3Lo). It’s stupid that the skater is punished when she is making difficult 3T-3T combination. The rule is ok, if you would make eg. 3T-2T, 3T, 3S-2T, 3S, 3Lo-3T and 3Lo, then it’s reasonable.
I wonder which is the jump Kiira will add. Another 2A? 3Lz? They are only possible if she is planning to keep the rest of the jumps. So the jump collection would be next:
3T-3T
3S-2T
3Lo-2T-2Lo
3F
3Lo
2A
2A or 3Lz
My assumption is that Kiira will drop another 3S away because 3Lo is more valuable.
Northeagle did an excellent spreadsheet above of Kiira’s performance this season.