One day after revealing that he was still having trouble with his injured right knee, Daisuke Takahashi went through an uneven practice on Tuesday at the training rink next to the Iceberg Skating Palace.
Takahashi worked out for 30 minutes with compatriots Yuzuru Hanyu and Tatsuki Machida and two other skaters. Russia's Evgeni Plushenko did not turn up to train.
While his teammates looked in excellent form, Takahashi appeared in anything but. He fell at least five times on jumps during the session, nearly equivalent to the other four skaters combined.
It is very apparent that something is wrong with the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist. Though he did not appear in any visible pain, the fact that he is having trouble hitting his jumps is foreboding. The men’s short program will be held on Thursday, with the free skate to follow on Friday.
While Takahashi struggled, Hanyu and Machida tore off quadruple jumps like it was no problem. Hanyu did not fall one time the entire session.
After admitting that he still had pain and water in his knee on Monday, it is hard to envision a scenario where Takahashi makes the podium here.
It would take nothing short of a minor miracle for him to win the gold, and just getting a medal seems highly unlikely based on his current condition.