Olympic picks as simple as a quadruple lutz
fighting back the doubts that have plagued him for the past year, and received a standing ovation.
“It was good motivation having them cause damage to my eardrums,” said Zhou, who won the silver medal last year.
Skating last, the reigning national champion, Chen, 18, was untouchable, landing five quads and scoring 210.78, giving him a huge margin of victory.
“I think I really did my job tonight,” said businesslike Chen.
But it was the competition between Zhou and Chen that left so many questions unanswered. Ross Miner, 26, who was a national silver medalist in 2013 and generally an afterthought at this competition, electrified the crowd with a dazzling performance to a Queen medley. Though he only landed one quad jump, it was a total performance and vaulted him into first place.
“I had one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had on the ice,” Miner said. “It’s such a good feeling to put it out there and show what I’m capable of.”
He was followed by two favorites to make the Olympic team, Adam Rippon and Jason Brown. Both performances were completely flat, sucking the life out of the SAP Center. Stepping into the buzz still remaining from Miner’s performance, Rippon started by falling on his quad lutz and finished by singling two of his final triples.
“I broke my foot a year ago today,” Rippon said, cracking, “I skated a little bit like it was still broken.”
The crowd seemed shocked, but were ready for fan favorite Brown. Yet he, too, fell on his first jump, then under-rotated his first two triples. By the end his program had become a painful slog, and he finished in sixth place.
The final podium was Chen, Miner and Zhou, not what was expected.
“I’m at a loss,” tweeted NBC commentator Johnny Weir. “Brilliant triumphs and heartbreaking heartbreaks. I have no idea what’s going to happen with the men’s Olympic selection.”
So instead of talk about Olympic glory and anticipation for South Korea, the night ended with discussion of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 weightings and with calculations being done on who finished in what place at previous competitions.
“I’m second no matter what to Nathan,” asserted Rippon. “(Because of ) my Tier 1s and Tier 3s. I feel I have great criteria going into the selection committee.”
When asked if he thought he belonged on the Olympic team, Rippon answered the way his good friend and training partner Wagner had answered the night before. “Yes, I do,” he said. Rippon’s comments echoed the bold ones he made on a conference call before this week’s competition.
“There is absolutely no reason I shouldn’t be on the Olympic team.” Rippon asserted on the call. “I’ve proven time and time again that I’m one of the most consistent skaters in the world. I’m a leader.”
He’s also one of the brashest and funniest. When asked this week about being an openly gay athlete, Rippon said, “It’s exactly like being a straight athlete but with better eyebrows.”
So who will make the Olympic team?
Zhou, the teenager who isn’t fully polished but who has the jumps. Or Miner, who put on the best show at the nationals. Or Rippon, who has done the calculations and believes he deserves it.
“The only argument is if other competitors’ mothers are on the selection committee,” Rippon said on the conference call.
No word what Gloria Miner was up to Saturday night. But knowing skating, she might have had a say.