Figure Skating | Russian American Dmitriev challenged Khan. Has the battle for the quadruple axel begun?
If earlier the quadruple axel seemed to be something from the category of fantasy, now it is one of the most discussed topics, because gradually the unattainable peak seems more real and more real. And all this thanks to people who, like Buzz Lightyear, believe that infinity has no limit.
He became a two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, and now Artur Dmitriev Jr. Dmitriev undertook his first head of state back in 2018 at the Rostelecom Cup, however, it was not counted, and Hanyu started talking about the fourth axel after the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Dmitriev, who disappeared from the field of vision after the doctor of the Olympic season, advised himself at the US Championships, which ended on January 9. You ask, what was the Russian leading there? It’s simple: last year, Arthur accepted an invitation from the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) and changed his sports citizenship to American. According to him, there was no Germany in Russia, so he decided to play for a promising country.
At the first US championship for himself, Dmitriev took 11th place out of 13, but everyone was equally impressed by the review, including a quadruple axel in a special program.
Let’s start by trying a quadruple axel 💪🏻😱😅 #ArthurDmitriev # ToyotaUSChamps22 pic.twitter.com/Gh3MYqQ96W
– Golden Skate (@goldenskate) January 9, 2022
The jump was made with mistakes, but, unlike Hanyu, Dmitrievu counted it exactly as a quadruple axel, reducing the base cost by only two and a half points, and not lowering it to triple. Therefore, Dmitriev collected more points for his historical will than Hanyu – 5 versus 4.11, but, let’s be honest, the American court turned out to be too loyal. In the recording, his jump came out objectively worse.
Both skaters did not twist half a turn, but Hanyu was given two jackdaws for this mistake, which was carried out to a significant value of the base value (from 12.5 to 8 points), and Dmitriev was one, hence the difference. Two jackdaws could not be avoided. Most likely, he would have received the same 4.11 from them, despite the fact that the gross error has disappeared.
When taking off from the jump, Hanyu touched the ice with his other foot, which was rightly equated to a fall, which gave him “-5” instead of “-4” for the quality of the element’s performance. Dmitriev practically fell. He put his hands and shifted his weight on them so as not to lie down on the ice, but simultaneously touching all limbs is equivalent to falling. Therefore, his “-5” in the protocol is reasonable.
– For an excellent ride, I still do not have enough form, and I need to lose weight. I’ve already lost 8 kilos. As I said earlier, my coach and I are going gradually and are not in a hurry, ”Dmitriev told Match TV.
Hanyu became the first skater to land a quad axel, and Dmitriev became the first skater to land his baseless value to triple. But these are all little things. To go down in history as the first figure skater in the world to perform the quarterfinals at official events, you need to do it clean. Now both skaters are claiming this.
Of course, Hanyu has more chances and opportunities, besides, he dreams about it day and night, but in life everything happens, especially when it comes to sports.