That's so true. It was in fact pretty controversial at 1985 Euros, when Witt won with rather weak FS there (Ivanova, by contrast, skated pretty well).
At bigger competitions, Ivanova got nervous, which caused her not only to miss her big jumps but also to compromise on her basic skills (like spins and stroking) & presentation. Some of the best performances I saw her deliver were at smaller competitions.
No, the British judge at Worlds was the infamous Vanessa Riley who killed many a skater with her marks in her time. Didn't give a damn and I used to love listening to the commentators when her marks were read out. Remember her 5.6 to Fadeev because she could see through his pants? Great lady.
It's too bad really as I think this was the best long program she ever came up with. Nice to see her smile though. Anyway, it seemed like the judges would always put Witt in first in the SP as long she didn't make a major error to make up for her deficit in the figures and give her a better chance to win.
Honestly I believe she should have been first in the short program at these Euros. Witt wasn't that great especially in her serpentine step it seemed like she was choppy and skating on stilts. Kira on the over hand entered her step sequence from a near stand still and used her smooth edges to push her along through difficult and interesting steps.
she always seemed to crack under pressure, except for at the 85 worlds.
barkingtree88 1 year ago
That's so true. It was in fact pretty controversial at 1985 Euros, when Witt won with rather weak FS there (Ivanova, by contrast, skated pretty well).
At bigger competitions, Ivanova got nervous, which caused her not only to miss her big jumps but also to compromise on her basic skills (like spins and stroking) & presentation. Some of the best performances I saw her deliver were at smaller competitions.
nondescriptnyc 2 years ago
No, the British judge at Worlds was the infamous Vanessa Riley who killed many a skater with her marks in her time. Didn't give a damn and I used to love listening to the commentators when her marks were read out. Remember her 5.6 to Fadeev because she could see through his pants? Great lady.
premierrules 3 years ago
Ivanova was 1st in figures, 3rd in the short (weak 2axel landing) and 2nd in the short.
miloandtock1 3 years ago
I believe if Kira was 2nd in both SP and LP, she would have still been 1st overall because Katarina Witt was 4th in figures.
christopher1980 3 years ago
@christopher1980 She would have been. But Kondrashova was great in the short and probably should have won that element.
schulz1 1 month ago
It's too bad really as I think this was the best long program she ever came up with. Nice to see her smile though. Anyway, it seemed like the judges would always put Witt in first in the SP as long she didn't make a major error to make up for her deficit in the figures and give her a better chance to win.
timothyhh 3 years ago 3
Anyway had she won the SP she would have won the event.
tsimshan 4 years ago
Honestly I believe she should have been first in the short program at these Euros. Witt wasn't that great especially in her serpentine step it seemed like she was choppy and skating on stilts. Kira on the over hand entered her step sequence from a near stand still and used her smooth edges to push her along through difficult and interesting steps.
tsimshan 4 years ago