The Japanese admitted: Semenenko and Dikidzhi deserved more than 100 points at the Grand Prix in China

Evgeny Semenenko and Vladislav Dikidzhi went on the ice in the first warm-up. It would seem that an early start is always a lottery, when the ice is not yet rolled, and the judges have not warmed up. But Semenenko gathered and issued a clean program. The quadruple rittberger, the quadruple salch cascade -- triple toe loop, triple axel. It's all there. The result is third place and 99.72 points.

For Evgeny himself, this start was a real outlet. He honestly admitted how much he missed the international atmosphere and the lively response of the hall.

Of course, it is very joyful for an athlete when the number of competitions increases and even more so when competitions such as Grand Prix stages are added. It is a great pleasure to play with rivals in such a serious environment. Excitement, as I think, is always present at competitions, after all, it is a great responsibility for every athlete. But it is important to cope with experiences and show good results, Semenenko quotes RIA Novosti.

The tribune factor deserves special attention. Chinese fans welcomed our warmth, which means incredibly much to a skater.

“The support of the public is certainly welcome. It’s not my first time in China, I was able to compete at the Beijing Olympics before, but there were no spectators. I like that there are a lot of people in the stands. Of course, it was nice to see my posters. Adds a little more confidence and motivation to skate well, he added.

Agree, to see your names on homemade banners in the Middle Kingdom is a completely different emotion than to skate in front of empty arenas. This gives the same drive that helps jump quadruplets and believe in yourself.

At Vladislav Dikidzhi the situation turned out different. Technically, he also jumped his maximum: a quadruple lutz in a cascade with a triple toe loop, a quadruple salch and a triple axel. But psychology is subtle. Vlad honestly told how he was covered at the start, which eventually resulted in fourth place with a score of 98.86 points.

“It's okay, I feel great. We still have strength. For some reason the legs were not their own. And I started so confidently and should have let go after the first cascade, and in the end, instead of letting go, I was somehow... I don’t know, a little nervous. It was the case, it was, - quotes Dikigi "Championship".

A familiar story. When you want to show too much class, the muscles stiffen. But Vladislav himself understands that he could give an even more relaxed rental, and he definitely has strength for an arbitrary program.

Now here's the fun part. How do our rivals look at us? Japan's Kao Miura and Xiong Sato are now in the lead, with 102.90 and 101.97 points respectively. But their words about the Russians sound like sincere recognition and respect.

Xiong Sato, who faced ours at the Kinoshita Group Cup, notes the Russians' technical superiority:

I competed with them at the Kinoshita Group Cup two months ago. These are very strong skaters, the quality of their jumps is fantastic. I think I can learn a lot from them, Sato said.

But even deeper analysis was given by the leader Kao Miura. He drew attention to the unfairness of the judging components, which often happens to skaters from early warm-ups, and in fact acquitted our guys for less than a hundred points.

“They have a very high level, they are worthy competitors. I saw them on video today. They skated in the first warm-up, if they skated in the second, their components would be higher, they would get more than 100 points in total. I am very pleased to see such strong opponents, it motivates me to train even more. Their programs look very good, full-fledged now, Miura said.

That's a twist. The Japanese leader openly says that judges sometimes underestimate the marks for the presentation and skating for those who go on the ice in the first warm-ups. And if our skated later, they would definitely have stepped over the cherished hundred.

This suggests that Evgeny Semenenko and Vladislav Dikidzhi are now in stunning shape. Their programs don't look like just a set of jumps, they're whole, adult and competitive. There's an arbitrary program ahead. And after such words from rivals and such support from the stands, our guys have a lot to fight for. The intrigue in Shenzhen is just beginning.