Philip Hersh
@olyphil
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Olympic sports specialist. Formerly with Chicago Tribune (1984-2015). Covered 20 Olympic Games.
Chicago
Joined December 2008
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WIN AT BANGKOK 3024
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COME BACK TO ME TEASER
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PondPhuwin WeAre EP6
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Olón
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ESTREIA DAVI DOC
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어버이날
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Bruno Mars
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Suki
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#SRHvLSG
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THE A'TIN OF SB19
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ANTT
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Chromatica Ball
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SHEE SLAYS AT 20
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自動車税
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Paul Ryan
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ダンバイン
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1st Dream of FAYMAY
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Piers Morgan
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#乃木坂46ANN
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Travis Head
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みどりの窓口
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Big Black
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Steve Albini
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オーサムリザルト
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B'zのGet Wild
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#ポケモンタイプ診断
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Belem
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Very hard to watch Kamila Valieva at the end of a Friday practice in which she fell three times during free skate run-through and then stood at the boards with her forehead on the dasher.
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Re: Valieva - If you are competing against adults, you should be treated as an adult - in case of doping and everything else. At this level of competition, the idea of a “protected person” is ridiculous. It encourages people to use the protection as a way to circumvent rules.
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Jackie Wong
@rockerskating
not only works tirelessly (on own dime) to feed accurate, timely information to skating fans (for free) but also is unfailingly generous sharing his expertise with colleagues. I cannot count
how many times Jackie has helped me-including a few hours ago
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Austrian Figure Skating Federation asks to have no RUS/BLR athletes in international events outside those countries and for RUS/BLR sports leaders suspension from intl positions. The most prominent:
@ISU_Figure
VP Alexander Lakernik of RUS
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There is just one person in the world who can top the 106.89 Hanyu just got...and that person is....Hanyu.
#GPHelsinki
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Ilia Malinin just won the world title with the greatest free skate performance in figure skating history. Six clean quads, highest free skate score in history (227.79, topping Nathan Chen's 224.92 from 2019.)
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Sources telling me figure skating Grand Prix selections will be next Friday, July 15 (announcement may be a day later), and a city in England may take the China event (that announcement expected Monday or Tuesday.) Still hearing RUS event goes to Finland.
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Just spoke with Brian Orser for an upcoming
@icenetwork
story. Asked him about Yuzuru Hanyu’s future. Orser said, “I’m having the sense he is going to continue” to the next Olympics. Might he take a year off from competing? “He won’t take a year off. Absolutely not."
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And Jason Brown finished sixth, less than two points from fourth.
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Who needs music with words? Shoma Uno let the oboe speak, and he interpreted what it was saying beautifully.
#Worlds2022
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Figure skating Grand Prix selections are being delayed until a site for sixth event is picked. Selections now likely to be mid July
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Remember this when you hear Russians sounding aggrieved about their athletes being barred from international events.
Ukraine swim coach Ayuna Morozova "not in good health" after being saved from the rubble of a bomb blast in Kharkiv - sports community in a race against time, with "swimmers and parents" among those injured like Morozova, Ukraine Swim boss tells SOS
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I would like to give
@rockerskating
a standing 👏👏👏 for another week of exhaustive and invaluable coverage at
#USChamps22
His colleagues appreciate it as much as figure skating fans do. GOE +5. And thanks.
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World’s most popular skater, 2-time Oly champ Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, has wisely decided to skip Grand Prix out of Covid-spurred concern for his own health (he has asthma) and others' (his Canada-based coaches and the fans who swarm to watch him.) Get the message,
@ISU_Figure
?
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“If you are skating in an adult competition, you should be an adult,” said Rafael Arutunian, coach of Olympic champion Nathan Chen. My
@NBCOlympics
story about chances for Valieva case to bring change.
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Vincent Zhou has tested positive for Covid in screening yesterday. According to
@USFigureSkating
, "Zhou is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status. If the results are negative, Zhou will be able to compete in the men’s short program, which begins Tuesday."
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1 / The IOC has said it does not expect Valieva to come to the press conference after free skate. The official team leaders’ handbook for figure skating says medalists must attend press conference after free skate / free dance.
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Check out the pictures with this story, and you will be struck by the size of the crowds at Sunday parade honoring 2-time Oly figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu in his hometown, Sendai, Japan. Wow.
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Nathan Chen’s coach, Rafael Arutunian, just told me there will be major changes in three-time world champion Nathan Chen’s short and free programs before the Grand Prix Final Dec. 9-12 in Osaka, Japan. Stay tuned….
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David Simon (The Wire, Treme) who has been blocked from Twitter while the Toddler-in-Chief gets to keep on ranting, wrote a lovely tribute to his friend and TV collaborator, Anthony Bourdain. David asked those of us not blocked from a Twitter to post:
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Heard today that
@ISU_Figure
will announce the Grand Prix event selections on June 30. Still no word on where China event will move to. Russia event headed for Finland, sources tell me.
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If Simone Biles were a figure skater, she would be the first to land a quadruple axel.
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Julie Vader, who with colleague Abby Haight covered the Tonya Harding story more closely than anyone, has a take on “I, Tonya” that is dead on.
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Isabeau Levito has just win her first World Championships medal, a silver, while finishing second in both programs - and earned Team USA a third women's spot in 2025 worlds. Teammate Amber Glenn 10th. Levito's finish best by U.S. woman since Ashley Wagner in 2016.
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I asked Brian Orser if he would be primary coach for Evgenia Medvedeva, Yuzuru Hanyu, Jin Boyang and Jason Brown. Orser replied: “Jason will be a team effort. Me, Tracy (Wilson), Karen Preston and Lee Barkell.”
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Good for
@ISU_Figure
to take immediate action to get rid of the world feed commentators after their Wednesday insult directed at Meagan Duhamel. Wish ISU also had called out their other unacceptable comments.
#Worlds2022
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Watching all these alphabet soup organizations (CAS, WADA, IOC, ITA, RUSADA, etc.) chasing their own tails while passing the buck in the Valieva case would be amusing if it weren’t so pathetic when a serious matter needs to be dealt with.
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Via
@USFigureSkating
: If the USA gets an expected medal in ice dance tonight, it will be first time since 1967 that US skaters will have won medals in all 4 disciplines.
#worlds2022
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1/Asked in Zoom press call a few minutes ago about hate crimes & aggressions Asian-Americans have suffered during pandemic, Nathan Chen said, “Thank you for bringing that up. Of course it has impacted me because I am disgusted by the amount of hate and violence that…."(MORE)
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A Kenyan distance runner has been provisionally suspended for use of same drug, trimetazidine, found in Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping sample six weeks before the 2022 Olympics. Just in case you wanted to believe it was an accident Valieva was taking the drug…
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1 /
@nathanwchen
had expressed anxiety about safety getting to
#WorldFigure
and once on ground. Given the many accounts / photos of rules being flouted the past couple days, I asked him after Tuesday practice what his experience has been like:
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I have now watched Nathan Chen’s short program about 10 times, and it gets better every time as I see more and more of the nuance.
#Beijing2022
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A relentless drive for greatness produced both melodrama and golden brilliance from Yuzuru Hanyu - and made him my choice as
@icenetwork
Person of the Year. The story:
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Everyone should hope Yuzu recovers fast. He is great for the sport.
@olyphil
Although I'll be rooting for Nathan Chen, I hope Yuzuru is 100% recovered in time for the Olympics. Figure skating needs him.
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Rafael Arutunian just confirmed that Nathan Chen will skate the short program and Adam Rippon free skate in team event at
@pyeongchang2018
. Since he coaches both, he and skaters discussed it and agreed on preference.
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Nathan Chen knew what he wanted. So did his coach, Rafael Arutunian, who wanted the same thing. They both got it. My story for
@NBCOlympics
on Chen’s triumph.
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The ISU has nearly $300 million in financial assets. That means thatthe reported $1 million loss in advertising because of the ban on Russia is both a) pocket change and b) a small price to pay for staying on the moral high ground after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
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If that was Gracie Gold’s last competitive SP, what a way to finish. With a big smile for much of the final minute.
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A real skating fan can appreciate the overall, one-for-the-ages genius of Yuzuru Hanyu and the jumping wizardry of Nathan Chen and the playful joy of Shoma Uno and the stylish duende of Javi Fernandez.
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Hanyu, Ledecká rise above it all in a year when world sport needed them - and other athletes - as salvation from scandal and cowardice. My 32nd annual international sports awards:
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And, as
@mhjd_85
noted, they added personal insult to generic misogyny and stupidity. I have asked the ISU if they will be allowed to continue.
Hello
@ISU_Figure
! The commentators on your feed noting that a female partner is ‘taller and heavier’ is just not at all necessary and super inappropriate. That was just one of many ridiculous statements made today.
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@jasonbskates
just confirmed to me that he is planning to compete next season. In finishing a solid fifth at worlds for the second straight year, Brown's free skate had the best component scores and best spin scores.
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Breathtaking Olympic
@pyeongchang2018
performances highlighted figure skating season. My look back, including Yuzuru Hanyu,
@nathanwchen
,
@kaetlyn_23
@Adaripp
@mirai_nagasu
@JannyMedvedeva
@aljonasavchenko
,
@MaxTAaron
, Alina Zagitova,
@ShibSibs
& more
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1/ Just watched Yuzuru Hanyu otherworldly SP at
#RostelelcomCup
. His 4S can be used as a how-to example perfection on that jump for years to come. And his 3Ax was almost as good. But for a slightly wobbly landing on 3T after 4T, this was perfection….
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2/ By the standard of every skater in the world except Hanyu, it was perfection. At his best, like today, the 2-time Olympic champion simply is in a different stratosphere, reflected in his score of 110.53 - highest of the season. It’s Yuzu’s world, and we’re lucky to be in it
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Massimo Scali didn’t get to Beijing as Alysa Liu’s coach. But his work with Nathan Chen did. My story for
@NBCOlympics
on an unlikely turn of events.
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Gracie Gold just got a 67.49 for her very solid short program at the USFS Championships Series in Georgia. It is her best SP score at any event since the 2016 World Team Trophy and seven points higher than in her earlier Championships Series event this year.
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Skate Canada considering an appeal. Russian Olympic Committee says it will appeal. I don’t see that medal ceremony happening any time soon.
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Relying on wiki because I can’t find an official list of results on ISU web site, it looks as if Denis Vasiljevs made history as the first Euro Championships medalist ever for Latvia.
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If Shcherbakova’s spins were any slower, she would be arrested for loitering. That plus meh 2Ax and fall on combo 3Lz…and she still gets 69.05. Gimme a break.
#EuroFigure
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In an Instagram video, Alysa Liu, 18, said she would be back on ice next season. Liu, a 2022 Olympian and two-time U.S. champion, retired soon after winning the bronze medal at the 2022 worlds. The video showed her doing some triple jumps recently.
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If I had $1 for every time I have written or tweeted how brilliant a skater Yuzuru Hanyu is, I would be a multi-millionaire. Hoping he will be fully healed to show his best at the Olympics. At his best, he is obviously THE BEST.
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If you missed
#OlympicIce
this morning, watch the replay to listen to Katarina Witt. The 2-time Olympic gold medalist gave an impassioned and incisive explanation of what she felt watching the women’s free, emphasizing the urgent need to change the sport.
@peacockTV
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Two-time Oly champ Yuzuru Hanyu’s graduation thesis from Japan’s Waseda University studied how motion capture technology can be used in figure skating, both as a training tool and potentially for AI judging. Hs major is human information science.
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In the maelstrom of getting this decision while trying to catch a plane, I neglected to make one point: Kamila Valieva, 15 when this happened, deserves sympathy unless, unlikely as it seems, she was aware of being given the banned substance. Her entourage must be investigated.
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The John Coughlin story, tragic for all involved, should lead to empathy and understanding instead of finger-pointing. My view:
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I would be delighted to watch Yuzuru Hanyu do nothing but step sequences for four minutes.
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Brian Orser says he was "totally stunned" to be tabbed by as Evgenia Medvedeva’s new coach. Orser: "Even though she has some amazing titles, I feel they are the tip of the iceberg.” My exclusive for
@icenetwork
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Yuzuru Hanyu wondered if he ever would recover from ankle injury. Now he wants to give a “dream performance” on his “dream stage, the Olympics.” My
@icenetwork
story:
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@max_ambesi
Hanyu, remarkable in so many ways, has made it possible by mastering the very difficult approach he uses for his 3A. He almost is doing it from a standing start: no long glide, just turn, takeoff, boom. No matter how many times I see him execute this, it boggles my mind.
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The
@JannyMedvedeva
saga: Orser on her ex-coach's reaction, plus money, choreography. . .& more. My latest Globetrotting blog:
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Hold the presses: this IS a big story in Italy, host of the next Winter Games. Friend sent me this page from today’s issue of Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport:
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Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier skated two strong programs to become the first US pair to win a world since Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner in 1979.
#worlds2022
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A sad, untimely farewell to Denis Ten, iconic as “The Artist” on ice. My story:
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Great line on difference between Hanyu & Fernandez from Canadian TV commentator
@cjlanecoach
“Hanyu is the prince in the ice castle, and Javi is the guy sitting next to you at the bar."
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Hearing reigning U.S. singles champion Mariah Bell and reigning world pairs champions Alexa Knierim - Brandon Frazier have, as of now, indicated they want to skate Grand Prix this season, while reigning Olympic champion Nathan Chen and reigning world bronze Vincent Zhou do not.
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WTF with 4 judges (coincidence that 3 were from ex-Soviet Bloc countries?) putting Kihira 3rd? You can justify (or at least reasonably debate) Rika being second to Shcherbakova, but behind Tuktsmysheva, too? No way.
#WorldFigure
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Tallinn, Estonia becoming the can-do figure skating host for the world. It just took over the World Junior Championships removed from Sofia, Bulgaria because of Covid. They now will be April 13-17. Tallinn also took over 4 Continents (from China) and had Euro Champs as planned
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Brian Orser on Evgenia Medvedeva leaving him to return to a Eteri Tutberidze: “I’m definitely not angry, and there is absolutely no bitterness.” My exclusive for
@NBCOlympicTalk
@NBCSports
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Mariah Bell said Monday she has not yet given much thought to her competitive future after worlds. She noted having heard Serena Williams say, “If this is my last match, I’m not telling anyone.” Bell said she would be inclined to have a similar approach.
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In (sort of) suspending a skating judge,
@ISU_Figure
mocks fans with ethical relativism. My story:
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1 / Breaking: have just learned 2-time U.S. champion and 2022 world bronze medalist Alysa Liu will work with coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali in her return to competitive figure skating. She has worked with both in the past.
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That is nuts.
🇫🇷
#KevinAymoz
also won best Step Sequence over 🇯🇵
#YuzuruHanyu
in the
#ACI19
Mens FS:
StepSeq:
🇫🇷Aymoz 5.30
🇯🇵Hanyu 5.15
🇵🇭Caluza 3.89
🇲🇽Carrillo 3.83
🇬🇧Mattick 3.63
🇰🇷Cha 3.38
🇨🇦Messing 3.07
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Flawed in places but still historic for Hanyu with the quad-3A sequence. The most remarkable thing about the 2 time Oly champion is his relentless desire to keep pushing the envelope.
#GPHelsinki
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Connect the dots, from Guatemala to Beijing: (long tweet string follows)
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Vincent Zhou said Tuesday he has no firm plans about his competitive future after worlds. Zhou said new Boston Skating Club facility will be a training option once he returns to Brown in the fall. Difficulty in finding ice time had led him to leave Brown after one semester.
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.
@jasonbskates
reshapes career trajectory ahead of Skate Canada and 2022 Olympics. My latest for
@NBCSports
@NBCOlympicTalk
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NPR fact check had found more than a dozen Trump untruths and none for Clinton so far. She should be calling him on them
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If all the ducks can be put in row soon, best place to hold delayed 22 team fig skate medal ceremony would be upcoming world champs in Montreal. Two countries involved are North American, and there won’t be Russians to complain about having it rubbed in their faces.
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Twenty-two perfect 10s in PCS (out of 45) for Jason Brown, including all 10s for interpretation.
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There is no explanation for Kaori Sakamoto not getting highest GOE score for 2A. The run-out alone was off the charts (+103 on my scorecard)
#WorldFigure
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Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu simply the best. Again. Ever. My story on the short program at
#Worlds2016
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@ISU_Figure
To clarify: Hanyu specifically cited logistical issues in relation to both his Canada-based coaches and his ability to get back to Canada (he is in Japan.) But general health concerns for himself and others were the overriding reason for his decision to skip the Grand Prix.
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Given the ISU fecklessness, one can only hope that government authorities will step in to say shape up or we shut you down.
#WorldFigure
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Yuzu Hanyu just blew the doors off the arena. Ice littered with bears. Four quads. Best free for him in 16 months
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Yuzuru Hanyu’s strong competitive will drives him to keep up with quad explosion. But it also could be hurting his chances at 2d straight Olympic title. My view:
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Nathan Chen just said it is TBD as to whether he will compete at World Championships next month.
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Denis Ten fought so hard and courageously through injuries to get to the 2018 Olympics in Korea, so he could honor his Korean heritage. It was a bittersweet moment as foot injuries made it a painful attempt that ended after the short program.
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May I point out what a great worlds it was for two Asian-American U.S. skaters named Chen?
#WorldFigure
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Sources have confirmed to me the that stories saying
@JannyMedvedeva
has left Eteri Tutberidze are true. One source said a move to Brian Orser is the likely possibility. She is expected to make an announcement in a day or two.
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With a 4-quad free skate, Ilia Malinin is a runaway winner in the World Junior Championships. His victory margin, 41.80, is by far the largest since IJS first used in 2005. Previous largest was 19.12 by Adam Rippon of US in 2009.
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Pull the plug. now.
Amber Glenn, 2021 U.S. silver medalist, out of U.S. Figure Skating Champs after positive Covid test. Glenn struggled to 14th in Thursday’s short program, crushing her Olympic hopes, and sounds like Covid may have played a role. Third Olympic hopeful to test positive this week.
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