I didn't know G & G and M & D back then ... I saw the performances and I thought that despite the flaws G & G were technically and artistically superior. G & G had a lightness and grace with their movements _ their lifts looked effortless ... and their edges were simply superb.

G&G the best pair skaters ever!!!!

this really shows how much they deserved their gold medal thankyou for explaining G&G FOREVER

G&G were the best pair in ice skating history and that's a fact

I believe a saw a comment somewhere else that expressed M&D made it look difficult whereas G&G made it look effortless. I couldn't agree more. This video gives an excellent explanation of the differences between these two teams. G&G deserved the gold.

G&G earned that gold! it was 19 years ago. move on!

No other pair can compare to G&G. They were magical! They skated as one. And deserved every medal they won. So sad to see his life cut so short.

Even with the few errors, this is a program for the ages. Their obvious connection aside, their symmetry, flow and speed were impressive. Their body lines are absolutely gorgeous and the execution of pair skating moves are textbook (other than the occasional problem with jumps). Maria Zueva choreographed a masterpiece for them (actually 2 considering the brilliance of the short program).

Their lifts did lack finesse compared to G&G.

G&G were the most magical,elegantly romantic pair skaters in the history of pair skating. They had this God-given talent of mesmerizing the audience with their exquisite technical and artistic maneuvers. They always transcend any mistake they made.They were aesthetically wonderful on ice. They epitomize what pair skating is all about. Passion,elegant artistry,honesty,poetry in motion,great athleticism.God-given immortal greatness.like WILT CHAMBERLAIN of basketball, MICHAEL PHELPS of swimming, USAIN BOLT of track & field,SECRETARIAT of horse racing, COMANECI of Gymnastics,TORVILL & DEAN of ice dancing and there is the incomparable GORDEEVA & GRINKOV of pair skating.

G&G won fair & square!! Thats my opinion!! M&D are excellent skaters as well...but clearly G&G are the superior of the 2!!

When G & G do a throw, Sergei doesn't stop skating. He skates right through the throw. When D & M doba throw, he comes to a complete stop and has to skate hard to get his speed back. Those tpe of things make G & G, a cut anove the rest.

G&G forever!

G & G deserved the gold. Thank you nephertiti77 for the video.

thank you for the comparison. you explained the reasons why the judges would have given G & G higher marks. i can definitely see how easy they make skating look. they make is look very easy.

G&G were magical and perfection on the ice. They deserved their medals and every other achievement they won. These two glided around the ice with such grace and their skating told a beautiful story. No other pairs have come to being as great as G&G.

You put a lot of work into this and I respect your expertise. Your side-by-side comparisons of all the different elements in each program make it clear this really was no contest! (I'm one of those who did feel M&D were robbed.) Now that you've pointed them out, I can't get past the ruffles and flourishes that M&D used to hide the fact that their footwork wasn't as hard as G&G's and that Natalia's landings and death spirals were going to be iffy at best. Wish you would do more of these! :-)

G&G won the Gold because there the best

If it doesn't disrupt the program, it's not considered a mistake. And Sergei didn't touch the Ice with his hand. You can be to athletic. It's suppose to be graceful and artistic. That's G & G. They truly skate as one.

People tend to overlook how hard the elements G&G does as well because they always make it look easy. That’s why people spot their little (or not) mistakes.

Isn't it kind of silly that this is still so hotly debated 18 yrs later. They all came out winners because they all had good sportsmanship. That's something that all of you who bicker with each other on youtube can learn from. Artur can even be seen carrying Sergei's coffin at his funeral, they were best friends. The downmarking of comments is stupid and immature, grow up you guys.

Best of the best G&G.

Jesus, thanks god there was somebody who took his/her time to make this video. Discussions are all well and good but now it is so clear. A mere textbook of figure skating. And in a perfect quality. Thank you!!!

Хорошее видео.Дает возможность сравнить оба выступления.И, конечно, несмотря на некоторые погрешности, Екатерина Гордеева и Сергей Гриньков лучшие!

IMO no one can match the finesse and conditioning of G&G. Sergei's pivot is incomparable!!🌹🇷🇺♥️

I have always enjoyed watching M&D, but they never compared to G&G except in audience appreciation. M&D were always crowd favorites for their showmanship and they deserved that adoration. But their skating never came close to G&G.

I just realized what a thorn G&G had been to Tamara Moskvina LOL. The only time her team didn't win gold was when G&G competed (with the exception of the Worlds in '88).

What an intelligently made video. Good job. G&G=G.O.A.T.-Greatest Of All Time. R.I.P. Sergei.

ВЕЛИКИЕ!!! Катя и Сергей!

When G and G performs as a couple, they are mesmerizing! Ok be gets lost in not the magic they create. Even with effortless speed and quiet grace, they are breathtaking and magical combined. Brilliant, perfect!!

M&D's performance was brilliant, however, to me, it looked like they were doing hard work which they were obliged to do, a kind of artificial. Their performance was amazing, however, I will not watch it over and over again as I watch G&G's performances. I believe the majority of people in the world, not judges only, would vote for G&G. Because there is truth behind them, they don't pretend.

Ekaterina was a true beauty which may have swayed people in her favor. ;) If you got it, USE it!! hehe I do want to say that I was soooooo sad when Sergei died. That was heartbreaking. too young. too talented. too nice. too much in love to be lost... A great loss felt by all fans of beautiful skating..

G&G los mejores¡¡¡ unicos¡

M&D's lifts didn't look so good. It looked like it took a lot of effort for them. Either Natalia was too heavy, or Artur was not very strong.

Yep, imagining M&D with gold and G&G with silver is totally ridiculous after this video. The situation now looks different from many aspects. Like before US judge was thought to be most biased, as he scored M&D with 5.6 and G&G with 5.8. Now he (or was it she?) appears to be both the most demanding and objective. Good for him/her!

Love this video! Thank you!

In Calgary they were the BEST! And their routine was FLAWLESS!

I've always kind of thought M&D lifts are what really held them back. Even the Canadian and American #3 pairs had harder lifts. And I don't think M&D got nothing for the 2 footed double Axel, it was really a minor mistake and since this was before judges had video replay it's possible that judges didn't even see it (at least they always seemed to ignore it when she 2 footed in the past, which she did a lot).

It's like the Kirov Ballet vs the Bolshoi Ballet. Both exquisite in their own ways. 💖💖

Thanks!Can you do the same with Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze versus Sale & Pelletier? I would really appreciate.

Я абсолютно согласна, что Гордеева и Гриньков были лучшими и в Калгари, и в Лиллехаммере. У них конечно замечаются небольшие ошибки, но зато они более артистичны и техничны. По этим критериям Мишкутенок и Дмитриев им проигрывают.

indeed, if nattalia had so much flexibility, how come m&d could never do a good death spiral? even kazakova herself had problems with the BODS despite her flexibility

nice video! it explains everything very clearly!

Interesting to see this stuff side by side. You've almost got me convinced. ;) I especially agree about the death spirals, no one wants to see a butt sticking up & bent knees. Still loved M&D's performance but you make good points.

G&G VS M&D WERE BOTH GREAT IN THEIR PERFORMANCES , BUT THIS IS A COMPITITION THAT NEEDS JUDGES ,AND JUDGES WERE TRAINED TO LOOK FOR TECHNICALITIES . .AS I WATCHED MANY TIMES ALL THE FAIR SKATERS I FOUND G&G WAS ONE OF OF ITS KIND , VERY CLEAN ,FLAWLESS AND EFFORTLESS WHEN DOING THE HARD ELEMENTS ,ONLY G&G HAS DONE INCREDIBLY MARVELOUS IN ALL PROGRAMS . SO CLASSICALS ,THAT ALL THE SPECTATORS COULD CONNECT DEEPLY INTO THIS COUPLES HEART AND SOUL ,. G&G . . NO DOUBT THEY'RE THE BEST AND DESERVES THE 1994 GOLD MEDALS . .BUT SERGIE LEAVES THE WORLD TOO SOON . .SO SAD . . .BUT GOD GAVE KATIA ANOTHER MAN TO TAKE CARE AND LOVE ,GIVING HER ANOTHER GIFT LIZA KULIA . .THANK YOU ILIA KULIK FOR OUR FAVORITE KATIA . .GREETINGS FROM THE PHILIPPINES 2018 . .HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL SKATERS . .SEE YOUU ALL SKATERS THIS WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES . .

That's nonsense. I give the international panel of judges more credit than that.

Can you do one for Berezhnaya & Sikharulisze and Sale & Pelletier?

Absolutely. G&G such a pretty couple, and whether stiff and extremely controled, were perfect. M&D, also technically perfect, were a choreographic bombast and exhibited an exhuberance for the ages.

Actually, this video has helped me to spot same "trademark" inferiority skating with all Moskvina's students: even Berezhnaya&Sikharulidze who were claimed to be "a perfect blend of G&G and M&D" had same problems with spirals, stopping before throws and probably something else.

THAT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!! how did you get such awesome footage??

May I correct you? Stanislav Leonovich was G&G's second coach. Zhuk was first. They left him for Leonovich because of the difficult personality and drinking habits of Zhuk...

I long ago kind of stopped arguing, yet can't keep from yet another comment. What really amazes me is the ever lasting comments regarding the unfairness and favoritism of judges. Come on, guys. How one could bribe 8 out of 9 judges!In 2002, just one bribed judge was enough for a huge scandal. If talking about favoritism, then it might be fair to blame the Belorussian judge who was the only one to place MD first allegedly because Natalia was from Belorussia.

Looking back at their videos, it said pairs usually can't jump high enough is why they paired them, one of their coaches wanted her to change partners and drop her partner and get someone better qualified. But they fired their coach. So they stayed G&G.

all your video show is that C & G are outstanding , apart from a few tech issues C & G are far the better skaters

contano l eleganza e la passione. non cado nel tranello con chi fa delle pose per sbalordire il pubblico. insomma m & d non li trovo cosi eleganti sono un po pesanti

Don't be hating on Gordeeva and Grinkov... Who ever made this video...

what is the name of this song? it's been stuck in my head since i first saw this video!

G&G will always be the Best anyone crabbing are just sore losers...watching M&D they were stiff and choppy....he came to a complete stop before he threw M..that is lack of control .... in my eyes they barely deserved the silver metal...

May I ask, who do you agree with? Have you seen the video in full?

That would be great!!! We all are wating!

@bagman817 - I think the point is to compare different versions of greatness. Both pairs will godown in history as great.

Far as G&G I missed seeing them perform as a couple. I only heard later on someone lost their husband during the Lillie hammer Olympics, plus Nancy Kerrigan had been injured by someone they thought Tanya Harding paid to get rid of Nancy in the competition.

Excellent analogy! :) And ITA about the best 4 ever - The Protopopovs, G&G, M&D, and S&Z. :)

great comparison. Their skating looked effortless, and truly expressed their emotions and connection to each other. D&M are good skaters but look clunky and D always looks like he is struggling. I agree I think D&M depended on their dramatic moves and music to cover up some lacking connection.

Gordeeva and Grinkov were better looking. So there.

There’s Actually A Montage of G & G That Was Created & Posted Here On KZfaq… It’s Appropriately Titled… “G & G… Simply The Best”… To The Song By… As It’s Extremely Apparent To Anyone Who Paid Attention… G & G Was & IMHO Will Always Be… Sooo “Simply The Best”!!!🙏💖🤗🥰🤩😍😘🫠…. GordeevaAndGrinkovForever!!!💖🤗😘

@nephertiti77 I think it is a good job. As I perceive it your intention was to explain rankings rationally, because it seems that people tend to be very emotional and highly subjective in their assessment. That is why I really appreciate your job. Still, it is on spectator to understand your reasoning or to oppose it, and I think its quite upsetting that you lost motivation. As a complete amateur I enjoy the possibility to understand judging. Thanks!!

They were both very good, but I feel that G&G had a more smooth routine. Sergei had a little bobble.

There’s Actually A Montage of G & G That Was Created & Posted Here On KZfaq… It’s Appropriately Titled… “G & G… Simply The Best”… To The Song By Tina Turner!!💖🤗😘… As It’s Extremely Apparent To Anyone Who Paid Attention… G & G Was & IMHO Will Always Be… Sooo “Simply The Best”!!!🙏💖🤗🥰🤩😍😘🫠…. GordeevaAndGrinkovForever!!!💖🤗😘

PART II Yet, it’s less mistakes that 'weigh' less and they were not disturbing the program as much as G&G mistakes.Even if G&G had better flow,lines and lifts,it shouldnt make up in marks for numerous mistakes they made.Especially that MD were not novice junior skaters that would only stroke slowly from one board to another.And they had strong sides too-her flexibility that she WAS ABLE to use in the program.Katia maybe was flexible, but obviously she wasnt able to incorporate that in the skate

I remember this evening very vividly....the Lillehammer spectators were actually HOWLING in excitement and approval toward the conclusion of M&D's performance. I've NEVER heard a reaction like that for ANY skating performance,let alone pairs. M&D should have taken Gold that night..I know it... you know it... the whole world knew it.

This is truly hilarious how people keep posting comments without even watching the video in full.

I agree gandy, this was a night I'll never forget. M&D were so rousing and emotional and beautiful...they should have won. Everybody knew it except the lame judges who wanted it to be GG. Nothing against them as they were very special too. But not as passionate. M&D brought tears to my eyes it was so beautiful.. the only other time that happened was Oksana's SP (black swan) and in the exhibition. (white; Swan Lake) What a special time for skating... I miss those days.. saw the tour..AMAZING!

I love both pairs, but MD just had that passion behind them on this night. Their performance was unbelievable. They should have won.

@lastsundaydrive 'There was a lot of cross-overs from element to element." if not cross overs then what do you want them to do? FLY?' Have you heard of transitions??

Piccolopiero, I totally back up with you on this matter. Such things are unacceptable. Whoever has hacked Libralady's account must watch this video once again to remember that "Our honor is our honesty" (Sergey Grinkov)

I agree. M & D should have won that night. Sergei made too many mistakes.

PART I This 'comparison' is very one-sided and biased. First, the SP - G&G had a big mistake in spins. M&D clean. In LP - again, sbs unsynchronized (and there is so much raving about their perfect unison), wobble and unsynchro in jump sequence. Singled salchow. No triple side by side jump. M&D mistakes: slight wobble on step sequence (recovered very well by him, in character of the music), his 'stops' at the throw jumps, and I am not sure about the two-foot landing on 2A.

Well it's obvious who YOU favor (are obsessed with..!). Yes there are a lot of technicalities that G&G did very well and they were elegant and fine. But the passion and beauty was on the side of M&D and everybody knew it in the stands. People whether judges or NOT, can't be easily fooled or moved to ovation. M&D were the best pairs skaters ever, as they truly tell a story every time they are on the ice, and they MOVE people...to chills, to tears. It is way beyond skating w them; it is art.

I found this an odd video. Because it argued for Gold for M and D yet it seemd to focus on their weakness and more on photos of G and G.

Do One!!!!

@lastsundaydrive 'Also ice-katers are always flexible but all those awkward kicks and leg-lifts just show case ugly crotch. ' Yes, it happens that when skaters try to contort their bodies, it often results in an ugly position. Yet, this is not the case of Nathalia. She was very flexible, yet she always managed to hit a beautiful position. 'Not to mention M&D's pair spin where he put his leg over her.. ' Just paraphrasing you: what did you want him to do? FLY?

Wow, you really think it only happen in 2002. It been going on way longer than that. They only got caught in 2002.

@artlife1010 i agree whit you!

PART III Additionally M&D had original moves that often stem from Natalia’s flexibility and Arthur’s creativity and personality. And synchronization! Wow, that was perfect unison! Finally, the least important part (since it is a matter of taste) G&G program, although pretty and elegant, was lacking personality and character. There was a lot of cross-overs from element to element. All in all, M&D were clear winners that night.

mi dispiace ma non mi piace il gioco del confronto e trovo ki ha caricato il video di parte. G&G sono sempre splendidi e raffinati, leggeri e delicati ma li ho sempre trovati ripetitivi M&D hanno sperimentato si sono cimentati con grandi novità e alle olimpiadi la loro potenza e drammaticità, il loro sincronismo merita di essere premiato, men3 ho trovato giusta la loro vittoria agli europei dove sono stati paradisiaci, in questa gara meritavano il terzo posto

I’m not even going to dignify this BS with an answer.

I've long been saying they were robbed. It wasn't the only robbing either. Mens, women & dance crowned the wrong Champs too. Stoitko, Kerrigan & Torvel and Dean all should've won as well. How did G&G win the short with a major mistake on the side by side spin? How did Grishuk & Platov win with so many rule bends like so much time apart during the routine while Torvel & Dean were amazing in their free dance. How did Usova & Zhulin beat them? Their free dance was bizarre and boring. How did Elvis lose after his brilliant skate only singling a triple axel but he did it anyways insteadof the quad and Alexei messed up on his triple flip landing? I know because Russians were favored by judges. How did Oksana win with two foot landings and preschool choreography? While Nancy did double her flip her triple triple was amazing and her lutz at the end was stunning. People say she was robotic. I think she was elegant and graceful. If there was no Oksana with the story of triumph over adversity of being orphaned to winning worlds & olympics they'd probably still have robbed Nancy. Nancy had a more compelling story too coming back from a vicious attack. None of these results helped my already disappointed outlook with Boitano falling out of his triple axel. Something unheard of for him. M&D were so robbed. Their program was dramatic, passionate, full of difficulty, very beautiful, fast and perfect.

I definitely thought that Mishkutenok & Dmitriev deserved the gold that year. But then, for some reason, I often think the silver skate is the better one.

M/D. No competition if you ask me.

Seriously.

Although I agree with gordeeva and grinkov winning 100%, this video is extremely biased, and I mean extremely. You’re making it seem like Arthur and Natalia didn’t even deserve to be on the podium. An evaluation is about showing the strengths and weaknesses of BOTH subjects being compared, and then reaching a final stance. What you’ve done is shown the strengths of one team, and then ONLY the weaknesses of the other without highlighting anything good about them. Like I said, I completely agree gordeeva and grinkov winning, both their programs despite mistakes were winning material with quality above the other teams, but this is just too biased for me. Although it had a lot of informative parts, it just showcased your complete favouritism for G&G, which would be ok if you were doing a “why I love gordeeva and grinkov video” but not for an evaluation on who should have won, both teams deserve an equal opportunity to be showcased and scrutinised

great video. i too believe that G&G deserved to win the gold 100%. and on another note, based on this "I-ibralady1010" vs "libralady1010," this g&g m&d fight is getting out of control. I may not agree with the original libralady1010 about m&d, but I-ibralady1010 has gone overboard with this fake posts. not cool at all.

M&D had zero grace.

No G-G deserved to win, not by a lot but enough space. Whomever is on here thinking Brasseur-Eisler should have won...that's laughable, I'd argue Shishkova-Naumov could have been third - and that was a 5-4 decision.

I didn't watch couple's skates because I felt they were not as professional as single skaters and I watched single ladies and men when they had men perform.

I mean God forbid someone so much as leaves a comment on this video (which points out a lot of stuff that happens to be true) that shows that they favor G&G or felt they deserved gold. Some troll will mark it as spam... probably the same loser logging in under 6 different youtube names.

@lastsundaydrive '"program was lacking personality and character" Obviously you've not done your research.' Research?? Do I need to do a research to find a program interesting/captivating? I wrote that it is a matter of taste, I do not understand your angry tone about my opinion.

Wow I tried to post and it got lost...annoying!!! I said that I am sure you're right about most of what you say. And I can appreciate the beauty and the oneness of G&G. Your tributes to Sergei are touching and heartfelt and well deserved. I still believe that M&D took skating to another level artistically because they could actually make me CRY from the sheer beauty and passion..! Dmitriev was indeed the standout in a sense but M w her flexibility and beauty, held her own.

Гордеева спичка, и с чего только Гриньков перенапрягся и умер?