Women's World Figure Skating Championships.

The 2018 World Figure Skating Championships have ended in Milan. The Russian team won two medals at the tournament: they took silver in pair skating Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, the men got bronze Mikhail Kolyada.

In terms of the quantity and quality of medals, this World Championship was the worst for Russia in the last five years - in 2014 we had two silvers, and the next three years Russians invariably won gold in women's skating.

What does it mean?

Difficulties await Zagitova

The women's tournament was a real disappointment for Russian fans. When I fell for the third time during the free program, I became afraid for three quotas for our team at the future world championship. Let us remind you that according to the regulations, a country whose two best skaters' results total 13 or fewer places receives the maximum number of quotas - three. Zagitova risked falling below fifth place, and then everything would have been bad.

In 2018, the World Figure Skating Championships take place from March 21 to 25 in the Italian city of Milan. The Russian national team is represented by 15 skaters; they took part in such disciplines as women's and men's singles, ice dancing, and pair skating. There will be 4 sets of medals awarded at the championship.

Figure skating results 2018 World Championships women, pairs, men: results of single skating

The gold medal in women's single skating was won by Canadian athlete Kaitlyn Osmond, who scored 223.23 points. The second position was taken by the Japanese Wakaba Higuchi - 210.90, and the third place was also secured by the Japanese participant Satoko Miyahara, she earned - 210.08 points. The performance of Russian athletes was a complete failure. The girls fell one after another during their performances. Thus, distancing yourself from the medals of the 2018 World Cup. And as a result, Russian Maria Sotskova with 196.61 points became 8th, and Stanislava Konstantinova became 19th, she replaced Evgenia Medvedeva, who was unable to take part due to a leg injury. The most shocking performance was the performance of Olympic champion Alina Zagitova, who at the beginning of her performance managed to fall 3 times. The girl tried with all her might to rehabilitate herself, but she failed, and as a result, only 5th place in the World Championship. In the men's solo performance, USA athlete Nathan Chen won with a score of 321.40. The second was the Japanese Soma Uno with 273.77 points. The bronze medalist was the athlete from Russia Mikhail Kolyada, who scored 272.32 points, but his teammate Dmitry Aliev secured 7th position with a score of 252.30. It is also worth noting that the men’s solo performance was not without falls.

Figure skating results 2018 World Championships women, pairs, men: winners of performances among duets

In the free program among sports pairs, the German duo Alena Savchenko and Bruno Massot won with a score of 248.84. Russian athletes Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov came second with 225.53 points. The third position was taken by the French duo Vannesa James and Morgan Cipres - 218.36. Russian couple Natalya Zabiyako and Alexander Enbert took 4th position with a score of 207.88. But the 3rd duet Kristina Astakhova and Alexey Rogonov were even less lucky, they became only 8th with 202.16 points. In the free ice dance, athletes from France Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron took first place with a score of 207.20. The duo from the USA, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, came second with 194.64 points. Third place went to Caitlin Weaver and Andrew Poje from Canada – 192.35. Unfortunately, a couple from Russia, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, came 7th with 184.01 points, and Tiffany Zagorski and Jonathan Gureiro took 8th place with 180.42.

Today the World Figure Skating Championships in Milan (Italy) ended - the last major start of the 2017-2018 season. We all followed these competitions with interest and excitement, cheered and worried about the skaters, and shared our opinions and observations. Of course, the results will be summed up, errors analyzed and the necessary conclusions drawn. In the meantime, a few words about our skaters, naturally from my exclusively subjective point of view. So, let's begin.

Couples.

Kristina Astakhova - Alexey Rogonov (8th place). In the short program we overcame our nervousness and skated without mistakes. Alexey’s landing on the triple Salchow was a little uncertain (he couldn’t hold his back and went into a big bump on the way out). It seemed to me that by the end of the program they were a little tired - the sequence of steps was performed rather heavily and without speed. On joint rotation I would also like more speed. The free program is not without errors. Christina fell from a triple Salchow (she didn’t reach the take-off leg with her body), a triple loop throw with a touch through the triple. Nevertheless, a good result – 202.16 and a well-deserved eighth place.

Evgenia Tarasova - Vladimir Morozov (2nd place). We are already so accustomed to the brilliant performance of the short program that it seems that it cannot be any other way. Wonderful, very concentrated, with your head on, unmistakably! Lutz split of incredible height. Triple toe loop – clean. The triple loop release is a huge flight and height with a long exit. All other elements are at the highest level. The free program was better than at the Olympics, but not without errors. The distinctive element of this pair, the quadruple twist, was executed to its advantage. Instead of a triple Salchow, Volodya made a double and made a mistake on the third jump in a combination of three jumps (3T+2T+2P), as a result the cascade was counted as 3T+2T and was minus. Zhenya kicked a little (just a little) with her second leg after landing from a triple Littberger throw. But in general they skated very well, especially since it was not easy to go out and skate after Alena and Bruno’s brilliant skate. Congratulations to them on their well-deserved silver medal!

Natalya Zabiyako - Alexander Enbert (4th place). After the short program we were fourth, although in my opinion we should have been third. I wrote about this earlier. An arbitrary program with errors. Cascade 3T+2T+2R – the partner has a single loop. Triple Salchow - Sasha landed on two feet (didn't spin) without exiting. The triple loop throw was not clean - Natasha dropped her back and, as a result, she touched the ice with both hands. I have no dissatisfaction with the final result. The French, even though Vanessa fell from a triple Salchow throw, were technically better and skated better. Everything is fair.

Separately, a few words about the free program of Alena Savchenko and Bruno Massot. The rental is clean. The production of the program, in my opinion, is brilliant. Personally, I am recording this program in my historical archive. If this couple skates cleanly, they are out of reach (this is my opinion, I understand that there are many who disagree). My congratulations on an absolutely deserved victory!

Final results table

Single skating. Women

Stanislav Konstantinov (19th place). I’ll repeat myself a bit about the short program. I started the short program seemingly in the mood, with good speed, but all the speed disappeared after the serpentine and then it rushed on... Cascade 3L + 3T - both jumps are under-rotated and without exit. Triple flip - underrotated. Bad overall. The free program turned out even worse than the short program. Not a single purely executed jump - just falls and wallows, and everything was under-rotated. Only two crooked double axels. Plus a fall at the beginning of the program in elementary steps out of the blue. I don’t know what happened to her, but, of course, it was a sad sight. Behind us are a galaxy of beautiful junior girls who will advance to adult competitions next year. Stanislava did not take advantage of the chance to prove herself at adult competitions this season, and next season there will be very tough competition and in addition to “deep ribs”, you need to be able to do a lot of other things, first of all, jump steadily.

Maria Sotskova (8th place). I’m very happy for Masha that she completed the short program. I’ve lost a little weight since the Olympics, well done. Overall I skated cleanly. Free – not everything turned out as we would have liked. It seems that I fell only from the second triple lutz, I did the rest. But during the review, a lot of underrotation was discovered in almost all the main jumps, which did not allow us to fight for high places. Very weak rotations - slow, without speed. This obviously catches the eye. Nevertheless, I congratulate Masha on her performance and wish her further productive work.

Alina Zagitova (5th place). So much has fallen on this young girl over the past month (fame, congratulations, criticism, and hatred from individual representatives of the human community). Of course, it was very difficult for her mentally, including going to the start line. As a result, the short program did not have the same energy as at the Olympic Games, it was a little tight, but still at a good speed, with emotions. The cascade (3L+3R) is slightly minus due to the short departure. Everything else is excellent. Controversial second place after the short program and headlines like “ Zagitova lost to Costner…” clearly did not contribute to a good mood for the free program skate. The free program was a failure. When he fell from the first triple Lutz, the audience gasped loudly. It was clear that Alina immediately began to think about how to save the situation. After the second fall from the cascade (2A+3T), it became clear that the situation was unlikely to be saved and all that remained was to do everything that was available, including the signature cascade in conjunction with the second triple lutz. But it didn’t work out, I fell again. I got the impression that her legs simply didn’t obey her, she went into jumps without speed, pushed poorly - there was no height at all. Well, this happens, nothing works. Such acquired negative experience is also a necessary experience, so there is no need to be upset. This page of the book of life is already closed. And then hard work, new starts, new victories. Separately, a huge thank you to the audience (spectators present at the sports palace) for the immense support they provided to Alina during the performance. To be honest, I didn't even expect it. It’s very nice that people are able to empathize not only with their athletes, but also with their opponents.

Of course, it’s a pity that the girls’ competition was based on the principle that whoever falls the least and makes under-rotations will win, but this is sport and everything is fair. Well, neither Alina nor Caroline lived up to the hopes of their fans, nothing can be done... The gold medal, along with Caitlin Osmond, deservedly goes to Canada.

Final results.

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Single skating. Men

Dmitry Aliev. (7th place) I was very nervous in the short program. At the starting position there was such a tremor in my hands, it was scary to watch. On the 4L+3T cascade there was a slight under-rotation on the lutz, but the guy took the risk, went for it and did it. I still don’t understand what happened with the quadruple toe loop. He pushed absolutely normally, flew out smoothly, either he got scared of the sides, or something else happened, but he obviously changed his mind about jumping (twisting four turns) already in the air. As a result, the same jump -3T was unintentionally repeated, which is unacceptable in a short program. The second 3T is accordingly rated zero points. I suspect that with joy and relief (on the part of the judging panel) I was sent to 13th place, which in my opinion is very cruel. What a great guy to do the free program! One serious mistake was a butterfly on the first triple axel, the judges saw two more underrotations, on the second 3A, and in the 4T+3T cascade on the first jump. I’m glad that his performance turned out well, after such an unfortunate misunderstanding in the short, he found strength in himself. Congratulations to him on his well-deserved seventh place.

Mikhail Kolyada (3rd place). It’s very nice that I finally skated cleanly in the short program, albeit in a lighter version (without the quadruple lutz). The 4T+3T cascade is nothing to complain about, at the highest level. Triple Lutz with a trip to the boat - clean. The triple axel is, as always, simply academic. All elements are completely rejected (well, experts and judges love it). At the end of the free program, we were, of course, a little lucky that Vincent Zhou and Boyang Jin actually “collapsed” and flew very far away. But this fact in no way detracts from Misha’s merits in receiving the bronze medal. Yes, not everything worked out. Quadruple lutz - again did not work for opening on the way out, from the air the right hand reaches down to the ice, the left shoulder goes away, again a classic fall from the exit onto the left knee. The second 4T is a fall from the exit. Well, the “butterfly” in the form of a double loop, did not gain speed, practically did not push and only double instead of triple. Nevertheless, I think that the third place is absolutely deserved, for which I congratulate him, and I also congratulate that part of the fans who were tolerant of his failures and continued to believe in Misha and support him, and not shower insults on him and the coaching staff composition.

The boys have completed their task: there are three quotas for next year.

Final results.

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Dancing on Ice.

Tiffany Zagorski - Jonathan Gurreiro (8th place). I won’t talk about the technical component, since I’m not an expert. As for the skate itself, we skated flawlessly, in a good mood. Improved your personal record. The duo is growing and progressing. The free program, in my opinion, was executed flawlessly. At a good speed, they looked quite easy, unmistakable. They grow and improve, which is what I wish for them in the future.

Alexandra Stepanova - Ivan Bukin (7th place). The short dance was also skated flawlessly, at good speed. As for the extra support the judges saw, as the athletes themselves say, the skate was on the ice and did not leave the ice. I think athletes know better. It’s a pity that this happened, if it weren’t for the penalty for the extra support, there would have been every chance to fight for medals. The free dance worked. A duo with great potential, they skate great. The skill must be improved so that in the future the judges do not have the opportunity to find fault with the executed elements.

It’s a pity that we didn’t manage to bring three quotas, but we believe that next season we will get higher places with three quotas.

Final results in dancing.

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The Olympic cycle is over. The next Olympics is in four years. The last World Junior Championship showed that we have good young people. The season was difficult and controversial. There were successes and failures. Nevertheless, on behalf of the fans, I congratulate all skaters and coaches on the end of the season!

The equally exciting World Figure Figure Championship has ended. Unfortunately, the Stobova/Klimov couple could not come due to an injury to their partner, so Russia was represented by the same lineup as at the Olympics in Pyeongchang. Absent were the Chinese Xu/Han and the Canadians Duhamel/Redford.

The partner's fall did not allow the Astakhova/Rogonov pair to rise a little higher. Although the couple did not expect to compete at the World Cup, so they may have relaxed and got tired. But overall they performed well. The Zabiyako/Enbert pair performed well at both the World Championships and the Olympics. Of course, they are still a long way from reaching the world podium, although Frank’s mistakes. James/Cipre pairs in Moscow helped Natasha and Andrey get bronze. I can't say that there was a battle between the couples for places. In the absence of the Canadian pair Duhamel/Redford and the Chinese Xu/Han, somehow everything was more or less smooth. Nobody claimed the first place for Savchenko/Masso. Zhenya and Volodya took second, with minor blemishes. The Frenchmen Vanessa and Morgan honestly won bronze at the championship. They had such a huge chance to take 3rd place at the European Championships, but they were eager for gold, in the end they really messed up the program and lost to the Zabiyako/Enbert pair by only one hundredth. Perhaps the guys were so upset that the Russian couple was pulled out that they abandoned the exhibition. And at the World Cup, James and Cipre again got a chance, and this time they didn’t let it slip away. Well done of course. Vanessa fell flat at first very hard, but she pulled herself together and skated her program very well. One of the surprises was that Amer. the Shimeca/Knierim pair tore off the todes. You don't see this often. The partner pulled his hand hard.

Only the lazy didn’t discuss Alina for the young ladies. Disruption. Failure. And so on. Everyone who saw her program at the World Championships understood that she resolved the situation in a completely childish manner, replacing the failed cascade jumps with others. But oh what a fighter. I think she has many more victories ahead of her.

Caroline was very upset. Everything is clear with Alina. She has a bright future, but Carolina, with her weak set of jumps, should have performed cleanly, but she couldn’t. It's not even clear what happened. Although, in general, what was going on on the ice of Milan. The guys in the top 10 did not lose their units. The girls had a little less, but they also tore it off as best they could. Canadian Osmond, Japanese Higuchi, and American Tennell performed more or less cleanly. This is one of the top 5. Osmond somehow didn't look like a black swan, but her set of elements helped her rise to 1st place. There were no questions for Higuchi at all. Clean and not bad. Of course, during Miyahara’s skating, she couldn’t count on a medal, but she was very lucky after Alina and Karolina’s breakdowns. It seems to me that if Carolina had not fallen, she would have been pulled up to 3rd place. But it didn’t work out that way.

I sincerely felt sorry for Stanislav Konstantinov. She didn’t even shine at the Junior World Championships, but here she wanted to surprise so much that she ruined everything. And so you look at Alina 15, Stanislava 17. But the difference is not only in skating, but also in stamina and psychology.

Masha Sotskova performed better than at the Olympics. She looked kind of frightened there. It's calmer and more confident here. But its set of elements is weak. She still has to grow.

At this championship, an innovation was introduced: during the warm-up we see a list of elements that the skaters must perform, and during the execution of the program, in the left corner, in addition to the current and leader points, the points for the element and the inscription of which element were displayed. I think that those who are shouting about incorrect refereeing and need to return to 6.0 will have it clearer that you all see. Of course, you can hold out for the element with pluses. But if the set of elements is initially different from its competitors + it is not yet executed cleanly, but in my opinion, not at all.

It was very clear to see in men how sets of elements work wonders. In the men's top ten, almost everyone claimed quarters, except for Denis Vasilievs from Latvia. But he skated the program quite cleanly and remained in the top 10, and rose to 6th overall. Old-timer Michal Brezin performed excellently for himself. Didn't break anything. Alexey Bichenko from Israel is also good. If the guys had not disrupted the jumps, then of course he would have been moved up, but miraculously he remained in 4th place in the total.

Dima Aliyev performed well, but in the short program, instead of one compulsory element, he did two and the second was simply not counted. Therefore, in the short he was dropped to 13th place. Of course it was a shame. I performed well in the free program. Seventh overall.

Misha Kolyada. His soul ached for him. First, he was “outvoted” for the Olympics with his 8th place. But as someone put it too early, both Misha and Zhenya and Volodya in pairs were given medals. The guys performed at the Olympics for the first time. And they already have such a burden on them. The bear is smart. Second place after Chen in the short. In the free program, 2 falls did not allow me to rise higher. Shoma Uno fell 4 times, but his elements were cooler. So Misha deservedly received bronze. Otherwise they have already given up on him. So and so. There is no need to press the guy. He and the coach themselves know what's what. He also removed the cog element that caused him to fail at the Olympics. And then it seemed like there were 2 falls, but I pulled myself together and rode to the end so steadfastly. Russia has secured 3 quotas for men next year. I don’t remember the last time this happened.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find Misha and Dima’s performance at the World Cup. It turns out they are not interesting. Match Arena put up a few pairs and that’s it.

Shoma Uno hit. Many athletes were clearly tired. And Shoma also suffered a fall. He fell over and over again, as if he would end up on all fours. But then, towards the end of the program, I don’t know where the guy got the strength from, but Shoma turned on again and let’s jump. So his silver is well deserved. Of course, Misha could reach it, but apparently he still needs to grow.

In general, the last warm-up killed me on the spot. When 2 athletes from the USA come out and declare 6 quarters in the program. Although the American Vincent Shu disrupted the program and ended up in 19th place. It still affects the guys psychologically.

The same Boyang Jin dropped out so much that he was relegated to 23rd place, penultimate. Only Nathan Chen had nerves of steel. Apparently his unsuccessful performance at the Olympics had an impact and he really tried his best. First place in the short and first place in the free with six!!! quarters. He has a gap of 39.95 over Shoma Uno in the free program. Something transcendental and unreal. We can say he performed 5 goals better than his competitors.

Javier Fernandez and Yuzuru Hanyu were absent from the World Cup.

Absent from the dances were Virtu/Moir, brother and sister Shibutani and Bobrova/Soloviev. Although, in my opinion, to complete the season, Katya and Dima had to go. Otherwise Vanya and Sasha and Tiffany and John had to take the rap. The guys are not among the leaders, so they only got two quotas.

In general, an interesting thing comes up with dancing. Alina was bullied for gold, which she did not give in to Zhenya. Misha for not getting on the podium. And only Bobrova/Soloviev, who took 5th place, remained at the top. How so?! This is from the 3rd Olympics. And if you look at Sochinskaya’s results, they are not much different from this one. The couple just didn't grow up. I don’t know whose merit it is to the “coach”, to the guys themselves. But the fact remains a fact. For the first time since the first Olympics in 1976, where dance was included, Russia was left without medals at all. And it turns out okay. And no one shouts about it. On the contrary, everyone praises the winners and champions in the group, Katya and Dima. Only this view does not give so much honor. In fact, the couple did not progress at all during the off-season. Well, only at the European Championships. But the trend is being driven by Americans and Canadians.

In general, you are amazed at the coaches Dubreuil/Lauzon. No sooner had the Canadians Virtue/Moir left than their own American found himself on the pedestal. Hubble/Donohue pair. The fourth couple in Canada's national selection immediately took 14th place. Maybe the federation should think about it and change its rules. trainers. Inject new blood, as they say. It's scary just to watch. Couples from Canada and the US support each other. From other countries that train with Dubreuil/Lauzon, they also strive to jump into the top 10.

Now it is impossible to demand that Vanya and Sasha or Tiffany and Jonathan jump above their heads. The guys are growing up. There are simply no leaders at the moment.

Due to the lack of 3 couples at the World Cup, everyone seemed to have to move, but that was not the case. It is clear that the leaders remained the French. Papadakis/Ciceron, followed by Amer. Hubble/Donohue pair. But a battle broke out for 3rd place. In the short program, the Canadians Weaver/Poje were in 3rd place by a small margin, followed by the Italians Cappellini/Lannote. Everything was decided in the free program. The Italians beat the Canadians, but not enough to take 3rd place overall. As a result, Weaver/Poje are third, Cappellini/Lannote are fourth. Honestly, I would pull it on the Italians. Well, they deserved it, especially the home championship. They failed to win bronze at the European Championships. Then the Italians were thrown into 5th place, giving them only 105 points in the free program at the European Championships, instead of 114 at the World Championships (they were apparently also very upset and were not present at the exhibition). Well, the judges helped the Bukin/Stepanova pair at home to get third place (they had 109 in the free program at the World and European Championships). But not here. It's a shame.

The pairs Stepanova/Bukin and Zagorski/Gureiro performed well. It’s a shame that Stepanova/Bukin was not allowed to compete at the Olympics. After all, this would be their first experience. I hope that the guys will not miss the next Olympics.

For new innovations, points for each element were also visible. It is interesting that the dances have very complex tracks, which include up to 20 elements, and if even one is performed incorrectly, the level decreases. But the couples Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Ciceron have all the elements in the 4th level program.

An interesting incident happened with the Polish couple Kaliszek/Spodyrev. Having skated the short program well in 13th place, they were dropped in the free program to 19th. It’s not clear what happened. But it is quite possible that the tracks have been demoted to the lowest level. It happens.

I really enjoyed filming at the Olympics. The cameras were aimed beautifully. These cuts are in jumps from point A to point B or when the camera was rotated during replay, simulating 3D. Of course, everything is simpler in Moscow and Milan. I’m looking forward to the new championship, as I already feel in my heels that it will be spectacular and exciting

On March 23, medals were awarded in women's single skating at the 2018 World Championships in Milan. Canadian Caitlin Osmond became the champion, Wakaba Higuchi won silver, Satoko Miyahara won bronze. The best among the Russians was Alina Zagitova, who took 5th place. Thus, for the first time since 2014, Russian women failed to win medals at the World Championships.

Caitlin Osmond leapt from fourth place in the short program to first in the free skate to win Canada's first world title in 45 years. The last time a Canadian won the world championship in women's singles was 1973. It was Karen Magnussen. Now the streak has been broken thanks to Caitlyn Osmond.

“Canada is always considered the favorite in figure skating, but in the women’s singles we have the hardest time winning,” Osmond said. “I hope now we will have more champions.”

Osmond, who opened the warm-up of the strongest, began her program with a triple flip-triple toe loop cascade and continued with five more clean jumps. The only glitch occurred when the silver medalist of the 2017 world champion made a stepout during the double axel-triple toe loop combination. Osmond scored 150.50 points for the free skate and this was enough for gold at the World Championships.

“I didn’t think I could win here and I only realized I was world champion when it showed on the scoreboard. My goal was to cleanly roll back the program. My main goal was to get on the podium, but I never thought I could become a world champion,” said 22-year-old Osmond.

“It was probably the most difficult program of the whole season. It was important for me to focus on completing the program, and I'm just really happy that I was able to end my year with two clean free skates,” she shares.

“Carolina and Alina are very strong competitors,” noted the new world champion after the competition. “Unfortunately, today not everything went according to plan. But I’m just happy because I did what I wanted.”

Higuchi performed seven clean triples, including two combinations, as well as two double axels in her program to the James Bond theme to jump from eighth place after the short program to second. The 17-year-old skater earned 145.01 points in the free skate, which the total was 210.90 points.

“After the mistakes in the short program, I was determined to give everything I had trained. I think I did it today, so I'm very pleased. It gave me a lot of confidence that I can show everything that I had at the end of the season,” the two-time bronze medalist at the junior world championships told reporters. “I’m sorry.” that I couldn’t show the best short program, but it was a very good experience for me.”

Satoko Miahara (Japan) was able to compose herself and avoid a large number of mistakes. Despite the fact that the first half of the season was difficult for the Japanese figure skater, she found the strength to demonstrate mature skating. With a score of 135.72, Satoko won the bronze medal.

Alina Zagitova (Russia) failed her free program (4 teaching points). The athlete fell three times. After the Olympic Games, unfortunately, Alina could not cope with her excitement. With a score of 128.21 points, the athlete takes seventh place in the free program, and in terms of total points she becomes fifth.

Carolina Costner (Italy) was unable to please the public with a good performance. P After she fell on the triple Salchow and made a mistake on the Axel at the home World Championships, Carolina became only fifth in the free program with a score of 128.61 points and did not make it to the podium.

“I was concentrating 100% on my skating and the elements, but I was a little behind in terms of rhythm and I didn’t feel as comfortable and confident as I did during the skates, and that’s why I made mistakes.I did everything in my power.I couldn't do more.This is a great achievement for me and I am grateful to the Italian public for how supportive they have been. It’s hard to be among the best for 15 years, and so far I can’t say anything about my future. I want to take a long vacation and think everything through carefully,” Costner commented.

Free program results

Final position