Warm-up Group 1
The Eurosport broadcast began half an hour after the event started so we missed the first four skaters.
Robert Grzegorczyk (POL) - Paso Doble from Strictly Ballroom. 3axel; 3lutz two-footed spun out 2toe; flying camel; 3flip possibly two-footed, may have been clean but the free foot was very low; 3axel landed forward fell out; camel spin; good circular steps; 3toe; combo spin; 2salchow; 2salchow2toe; straight steps, but he looked to be halfway down the ice before the actual steps began; upright spin. 3.8 to 4.5, didn't see the second set of marks, but he went into the lead.
Group 2
Vitaly Danilchenko (UKR) - Music from the soundtrack of Volcano, nasty costume with waaay too much flesh fabric. 4toe fell and took a while to get back into the programme; 3axel fall; flying camel very fast; 3lutz, a long wait going into it and not much speed or flow on landing; camel spin, was probably changefoot but I wasn't paying attention; 3loop; serpentine steps/spirals; 3axel2toe; 2flip; backspin; straight steps, nice; 3flip stumbled out; into 3salchow leaning way forward on landing and nearly put his hands down; into 3toe only just held; combo spin. 4.7 to 4.9, 4.3 to 5.1, first.
Silvio Smalun (GER) - Rhapsody in Rock. 3axel fall, he was so close; 1lutz, actually looked kind of cool because he ended up in a tuck position in the air; into 3toe; 3flip2toe; 3salchow, stepped out fairly early but clean; upright spin; 3loop; besti squats; 3lutz2toe; changefoot sit; 1flip; combo spin; serpentine steps; axel went very wrong, I think he only made one revolution and landed forwards. deathdrop. "Looked as though he was trying to do four and a half minutes in three and a half minutes" says Chris, he was rushing everything. 4.3 to 4.9, 4.5 to 4.9, two judges had him first and one third, but he goes into second.
Alexei Kozlov (EST) - Polovtsian Dances, which Chris mispronounced, there's no excuse for that when it's been used so much...3sal says Joanne, I thought it was a toe but I was distracted and didn't get a good look at it; 3axel fell and took a while to get up; 3flip; 3lutz; flying camel into upright spin; 2axel2toe; changefoot camel; 2loop; into 3loop a little stumble out; circular steps without many steps; 3toe; combo spin; 3salchow2toe; spin combo with nice catchfoot position. 4.4 to 4.9, 4.5 to 4.8, first to sixth, third overall. The commentators are whinging about the dance judging again, bah...
Konstantin Kostin (LAT) - 3loop; 1axel; 4toe two-footed, hand down; changefoot camel; he looks to be flying around the ice; 3flutz; circular steps; 2salchow2toe; flying camel, hopover to camel, change to sit; open axel, cool!; 2flip; flying back sit; straight steps; 2axel stepped out; 3toe; stars, butterflies, and general turns into a back sit with a hop or two. He has so many interesting moves. Joanne says he has "relax his body down into his legs" - er, okaaay, that would be interesting to see...4.2 to 4.7, 4.3 to 4.8, second to seventh.
Gheorghe Chiper (ROM) - Black Cat White Cat soundtrack, nasty outfit, the top was tangerine and dark red with lime green PVC bits...4toe two-footed and fell, close; 3axel spun out; 3flip landed very forward and stepped out; into 3loop; flying camel; 3lutz2toe; semi-sit into upright spin; fall on 3axel; 2salchow half loop 3salchow fell out, and took off on two feet anyway; death drop; 3lutz fall; steps; combo spin a little sluggish, he looked pretty tired. 4.0 to 4.9, 4.2 to 4.9, first to tenth, yikes! Into third place.
Sergei Rylov (AZE) - Carmen, with the obligatory matador outfit *sigh*. Fall on 3axel; 2lutz; death drop to upright spin; 2axel2toe; 2loop hand down; combo spin with a couple of hopovers; he looks really tired; 2flip stepped out; 2lutz; 3flip from nowhere, into 3salchow, into 3toe, all gorgeous!; 2loop; combo spin. The triples came just as Chris said he seemed to have given up on the programme and Joanne said he wasn't even trying to rotate the jumps LOL. Now she says he lost all his personality and charisma during the programme - er, I don't recall him ever having any in the first place...3.9 to 4.5, 4.1 to 4.6, fourth to eleventh, fifth overall.
Group 3
Markus Leminen (FIN) - 3lutz2toe; 3axel, Chris says it's the best one he's seen him do in competition; 3toe; flying sit; 3loop; combo spin, some travel; 2flip; 2axel landed with arms folded; serpentine steps; spirals; flying camel; 2salchow; 2salchow; death drop. 4.6 to 5.3, whistles from the crowd, 4.7 to 5.3, first from every judge except the Russian one, who has him second.
Robert Kazimir (SVK) - Dragonheart. Flying camel; 3flip; 3axel, just held; changefoot camel; 3lutz3toe; straight steps, the crowd are still applauding from the combo!; 3salchow; combo spin; 2axel; 3loop, long, slow entry, two footed and a hand down; 2lutz; 3toe; changefoot sit; circular steps. Huge roar from the crowd, yay, I'm so happy for him! The Slovakian team seem to have been inspired by performing at home, and the crowd are so supportive and enthusiastic, this is wonderful to see! 4.9 to 5.4, a massive roar from the crowd, he stands to take the applause...5.0 to 5.5, first across the board, wheee!
Frederic Dambier (FRA) - 3axel2toe; 4salchow, underrotated, two-footed, fell out; 3lutz; death drop; 3flip; combo spin with hopover and then another change of foot; 1axel; 3loop; fast backspin; straight steps; 3salchow2toe; 3toe; changefoot sit to scratch spin. 5.1 to 5.4, 5.0 to 5.5, first on a 6-3 split.
Stephane Lambiel (SUI) - 3flip3toe, flip was high and floating, toe was a little dodgy; 3lutz3toe; 2axel; combo spin with variation on sit positions, and a Sandhu spin; 3loop; another wonderful, fast, gorgeous combo spin; 3salchow from consecutive threes; 3lutz; 2axel; circular steps; butterfly into back sit; another spin with a position I've never seen before. Wow, that was an amazing performance! I think I've got over my disappointment at not seeing Patrick Meier here now...5.0 to 5.4, 4.9 to 5.5, first to fourth, into second place. The crowd don't like the marks at all.
Ivan Dinev (BUL) - 4toe hand down; 3axel, very high; death drop; 3lutz; serpentine spirals; 3axel2toe; combo spin changed foot twice, but I'm not sure that it was supposed to, he seemed to have some trouble on the second part of the spin and only did a couple of revolutions before changing foot again; 3loop; straight steps; flying camel to sit, slow; 2flip; 3flip, just; 3salchow fall, it was off from the start; sit spin. 5.3 to 5.6, 5.2 to 5.6, firsts except for a second and a fourth, he takes the lead.
Vakhtang Murvanidze (GEO) - Soundtrack from The Godfather. 3axel just held; 3flip fall; changefoot camel, fast and good positions; 2flip; slide spiral into cantilever!; 1loop; flying camel; 1axel fell out; 3lutz; 3toe, nice; backspin; diagonal straight steps with hardly any steps; 3flip; 2salchow; another cantilever; into 3salchow; combo spin. 4.6 to 5.2, 4.9 to 5.3, third to eight, into fifth overall.
Group 4
Yevgeny Plushenko (RUS) - I can't watch him now without thinking of Barry Davies' "washing-up gloves" comment...4toe3toe2loop, loop was pretty cheated, he was forwards before he took off; 4toe; 3axel3toe; flying camel; I do wish Joanne Conway would stop gushing over him quite so much; circular steps; 3salchow; combo spin, mostly upright; 3lutz; Biellmann spiral; 3flip; 3loop leaning forward slightly on the landing; combo spin with Biellmann; butterfly into back sit; into sit to upright spin. Massive reception from the crowd, flowers raining down from all over the place...5.8 to 5.9, and a 6.0 - er, how can you have a six already? 5.8s, 5.9s and two 6.0s...You'd think they might leave a little more room, incredible as that performance was...
Stanick Jeannette (FRA) - Costume was dark green with a cool frilly jacket. 2toe; 3axel2toe; 3flip; big death drop into that leg-on-shoulder position; 3axel just held; his split thing straight into a changefoot sit, back part first; 3lutz; 2loop; 3salchow, easy; into 3toe; combo spin; circular steps; flying camel into that kind of sideways sit position of his (one of my favourite spin positions) to a 3/4 sit to scratch. I'm so glad to see him skate so well, that was fab! 5.3 to 5.6, 5.5 to 5.8, all seconds apart from one third.
Sergei Davydov (BLR) - Mask of Zorro. 3axel3toe; 3lutz, fell, underrotated; 3loop spun out; flying camel; 2lutz, tripped as he stepped off the landing edges; 3flip spun out, Joanne thought it was another lutz for some reason..; combo spin; 3salchow two-footed, hand down; layback spin; straight steps, slow; death drop without any real flight; circular steps. A huge cheer from the crowd while we're watching the replays, I guess Yagudin's on the ice :o) 4.7 to 5.4, 5.0 to 5.9, that must be a mistake, it went with a 4.9 for tech, he looked confused too LOL, fourth to eighth, into sixth.
Alexei Yagudin (RUS) - Gladiator. Argh, the stress...4toe3toe; 4toe had some trouble and stepped out early, waaah, the title's gone; 1axel, ick; 3flip; 3axel3toe; fabulous circular steps; into 3loop; butterfly into back sit; combo spin; 3salchow just held; 3lutz; flying camel; wonderful straight steps; combo spin. Amazing, he made those mistakes but I've never seen him skate with such passion, and that's saying something. He's in tears at the end, and looks so thrilled, it's hard to know if it's because he thinks he's done enough, or just from the exhilaration of the way he skated... After Plushenko skated I thought that even if Yagudin went clean he might not be able to beat him...now, having seen that, if only he hadn't made those mistakes, he probably would have got it. 5.6 to 5.9, lots of whistles, 5.9s except for one 5.8, two judges had him in first! But of course he's second...
Alexander Abt (RUS) - Gladiator again...4toe fall; 3axel2toe, axel was two-footed; fall on 3lutz; combo spin; 3axel hand down and fell out; 3flip; flying camel really flew; 3loop iffy landing; butterfly into back sit; 3salchow; 2toe; death drop to scratch spin. 5.0 to 5.4, 5.3 to 5.7, fourth to sixth, into fourth place. In the K&C he didn't look well at all.
Andrejs Vlascenko (GER) - Notre Dame de Paris. 1axel; 3salchow; 1axel; lutz made one and a half revolutions and landed forwards; 3toe; circular steps; into flying back sit; combo spin; 3flip; 3loop; some spreadeagles; flying camel; straight steps; 3salchow2toe; fast combo spin. 4.7 to 5.3, the crowd don't like it, 4.8 to 5.6, fourth to thirteenth, crumbs, eighth on the free skate, sixth overall, and a cheer from the French as they realise Jeannette's got the bronze, wheee!
What an incredible night, there was some really wonderful skating, and I'm completely exhausted from all the excitement...