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I couldn't agree more - it's the thing that I've never liked about the ladies singles - the need to have one perfect person and fight everyone else on their behalf a la Kim v Asada. It was always a thing with the US press over US ladies, and I associate it with all sorts of prejudice from body type to racial bias.

I never watched Juniors before this season, but I'm refusing to get invested in any of them for many of the reasons stated above. It's hard enough with the seniors.

I read a post somewhere, ages ago, which commented on the particular coincidence of ability, personality, physical type, upbringing and lifetime experiences that had to happen to produce a champion like Yuzuru Hanyu. The writer commented that no one would wish the series of events that helped to forge his personality and drive on anyone, it's unlikely we will see anything like him again and we should value him accordingly.

Let's hope that they spell it out to the judging panels then - because at the moment there seems to be nothing stopping them from throwing the 3 marks currently available at whoever politics/personal preferences/minds blinded by quads lead them to....

I hope he stands firm and does whatever it takes to recover. He did the 'skating while injured to preserve places' in 2013 and got the three places for the Olympics enabling Machida and Takahashi to go ( much good it did them) and I didn't get the impression that anyone was especially appreciative of the effort. He's not 18 any more, it's not a pre Olympic season, Uno can step up to the plate and will and if they want to go, so can Tanaka and Mura. I don't want to see him injure himself further for places that won't actually lead to anything for that third participant if history is anything to go by.

It is really difficult to see what they want from her .... I hope Keiji and Takahito can do themselves justice this time. The list of the potentially walking wounded is unusually long isn't it? I think there's a lot to be said for the FIG attitude to Worlds - they don't have one in Olympic year.

With Yuzuru unlikely to compete at Worlds, will Team Japan manage to hold on to three spots for the men? Will the Japanese ladies get back that third place?

I hope he gets to do whatever he wants to do. If he wants to emulate Pluschenko ( minus the multiple surgeries and I do think he will stop before it gets to that point) I hope his joints hold out to enable him to do it. If after rehab on the ankle he decides enough is enough then I hope he gets to stop without any adverse comment. I think he still enjoys competition and as long as he's enjoying it and his health holds he'll keep going - I don't think ice shows, much as he enjoys them would give him the same rush. I think he'll take it a season at a time. And i totally agree with @Floria - let's enjoy this second OGM which isn't even 2 weeks old yet !

That would do nicely

It's probably a bit late now but one of an exhausted face with serious bags under the eyes would have been good for those of us in Europe who were watching the Olympics in the small hours...

It's only until the safety curtain drops again and you won't see anything until the first ice show/ TCC press conference/ ACI? 2018..... whenever he is sufficiently recovered to perform/compete. So make the most of it!

There you are then - encouragement - he will be popular with the coaching fraternity edit. I wonder if he'll be quite so encouraging if he ends up coaching, or whether he'll worry about injuries....

I don't understand Japanese but it didn't sound like a challenge to do it - more like (probably totally unnecessary) encouragement- not content to drive his own coach into a breakdown he's encouraging BJ to do the same.

More flu talk - don't know if I'm hiding this properly edit. Well what d'you know - I did !

I bet Boyangs coach will be thrilled to hear that...

A few years ago a friend of mine got whatever strain of flu was particularly virulent that year and his wife and daughters were given anti viral meds to stop it spreading

Stay away from all of them if he has a virus - cant lose any more from the WC.

Looks like they are imitating Valentina/Ondrej

I've always wondered if this is partly habit from that summer of 60 ice shows when Sendai rink was out of commission - can't waste ice time, you never know when it might be taken away from you...

Cue intense conversation with Nao Kodaira at some awards ceremony when they are all back in Japan.

The bit about the virus...... being selfish if Nathan is ill, and his absence from the ex practices suggests that he might be, I hope they will let him out of performing at the exhibition- the last thing the sport needs is for anyone else to keel over with a virus during the run up to the WC and you've got a lot of big names in that ex group.

If he wants to promote FS in Spain he has to ride the impetus of that Olympic medal, and if he's going to semi retire he can't do that from Canada - he's got to be there in Madrid, doing his ice show and exhibitions and the public coaching sessions. Canada was for hard core competition training, for which he's given up a lot of years, lived away from home on his own, in a climate that is very different to his own country. The fact that he was able to function in a normal way in Canada, living in a flat, fending for himself, managing to cope with a foreign language etcetc doesn't mean that it was ideal, and if he's decided to retire going home to Spain seems logical. It's a pity that the need to ride that Olympic impetus means that he can't take up the offer to learn about the coaching side from Brian, but in real life things often don't line up perfectly. Having said that, he's been away a long time and it will be interesting to see if, as he mentioned himself as a possibility, he gets bored!

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