Denise Biellmann - 1980 Olympic Winter Games Short Program

[dsfddsgh]

Have to hand it to her. Skating to "One of these Days" by Pink Floyd. You won't find any skaters today picking this kind of music to skate to.

[mpf1952]

Not as dominant as her free at the Olympics but triple toe and triple salchow are close in difficulty and it is much more difficult to do in combination with a double loop jump than a double toe. Witt was a super competitor but rarely even tried a triple flip after 1981 in Hartford. Sumners would have beaten her in 84 if she had not doubled her last triple toe and singled out her final double axel. Sumners, like Debbie Thomas four years later, wilted under the Olympic pressure.

[barkingtree88]

Cool! Pink Floyd!

[Marchjoy1963]

I don't know whether a triple toe is considered easier than a shocow, but in combination, doing a shocow there would be not edge can which would make it a simplier combo than a toe, shocow and loops are edge jump.

[Marchjoy1963]

sorry I meant to say ... there would be "no edge change" (not - not edge can).

[russianskatingfan]

If she had stayed in skating until 1988 and had decent figures by 82 onwards she might be the best skater ever today. Witt completely dominated from 84-88 and Biellmann was owning Witt when she was much older in pro competitions. Witt did nothing better than Biellmann really. Witt's biggest weapon vs her rivals was her incredible competiveness and mental toughness but as a pro Biellmann was renowned for that. So she could matched Witt's mental toughness and flat out outskated her.

[nondescriptnyc]

Her edging is buttery, she has good knees, and her balance is exceptional. I'd think these traits would make her a great candidate to excel in school figures...

[russianskatingfan]

This is good but compared to her free skate I find it a bit dissapointing still. Lots of simple choreography where she is just stroking from element to element. Footwork sequence not very good. Triple toe combination was easier then the triple salchow combinations of Fratianne and Marie Allen, but very well done. She would have won the short with a triple salchow combination I bet.