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Website · by **Cooky** » 18 Feb 2010, 03:26

Also, I like Evgeni's stubble - I think it suits him better than being totally clean-shaven, haha.

by **AnyaNikolaievna** » 18 Feb 2010, 03:48

I agree wholeheartedly!

Here's the interview.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zhzvk1nzhmi

Website · by **Cooky** » 18 Feb 2010, 05:39

AnyaNikolaievna wrote:I agree wholeheartedly!

Here's the interview.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zhzvk1nzhmi

Haha, wow, I watched this. It was sillier than I was expecting... ominous chord, close up on hammer & sickle! Jaws music! Close ups under harsh lighting! No wonder some American viewers think Plushenko is out to kill when he's just skating for the fun of the game. What a ridiculous intro. Still, it had an amusement factor for those of us who know better, hahaha.

Thanks for the upload!

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 08:58

AnyaNikolaievna wrote:I wasn't sure where to put this, but if anyone else has seen the NBC (United States) coverage, are you as upset as I am over their comments and even the interview they showed before his skate? I'm really angry about it, but am I just overreacting? It just doesn't seem like he's getting the respect they gave him earlier in the year. :(

AnyaNikolaievna wrote:I agree wholeheartedly!

Here's the interview.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zhzvk1nzhmi

Yes, I see this... :hi_hi_hi:

,,, here is and other mirror for download: :mi_ga_et:

2010-02-16 NBC clip about Plushy return + warmup comments.avi:
(preview portrait about Plushy before SP)
www.mediafire.com/download.php?nnaxstktymj

Regarding this video, I do not know whether to be angry, cry or laugh :du_ma_et:

.... I can only imagine, what the "average" American could think about Plushy, after NBC "propaganda" about him, as a "dangerous, evil communist villain" ;;-)))

(I must admit - he is quite a handsome villain in this clip :plush33:

) .... after "Evil Plushy" :-)

you can hear and comments before SP, such as: "Yes, he has enemies among the skaters, but the judges is on his side" :kli_ny:

... if they are so afraid, that will Plushy "throw in the shade" their's precious Dick Button? ::yaz-yk:

You can look this video and here, and read what some Americans think about such "propaganda": :mi_ga_et:

http://tv.gawker.com/5474156/is-nbc-trying...-figure-skating

Is NBC Trying to Start Another Cold War Through Figure Skating?

During NBC's coverage of men's figure skating, the network ran a package about Russian favorite/destroyer of worlds Evgeni Plushenko. Plushenko (and Russia) were painted as a bleak, yet brooding force with haunting music and low-angle shots of the Kremlin. Why?

Is NBC trying to romanticize figure skating by telling us it's Rocky IV on ice? We're all for building up hype around an event to grab the attention of the casual viewer, but is Evgeni Plushenko really evil? The gigantic, unstoppable Russian heads west to rock the very foundation of Capitalism using a triple axel, double toe loop combination? And what will America serve up to defend itself from this unstoppable force? Johnny Weir—the immovable (and fabulous) object—of course.

The Russians, with their hooked noses, bowl-cut mullets and sheer power are no match for fox fur, lace, sequins and showmanship.

If Plushenko performs as well in the free skate tonight as he did in the short program last night, America could be in some serious trouble. Either that, or we applaud him for winning two consecutive gold medals. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, right?

... or here: :-)

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/20...ubular+(Tubular

Men get fabulous on the ice; Jacobellis falls down, goes boom

NBC would like you to believe this man is going to skate away your freedom. Or something.

... I couldn't catch his score, because NBC was too busy showing me footage of Karl from Die Hard. They're showing this big, scary Russian (and it is always a Russian) who took the gold in Torino. And they're showing him warm-up like he's the Ivan Drago of figure skating. (Sidebar: His name is Yevgeny Plushenko, which sounds just a little too much like Pamchenko, the namesake of the famous twist.)

If that's not enough, they also show this awesome package of him cruising around the gray streets of Russia (cut to hammer-sickle, check) as he tells the camera, "Many people don't like me, but I'm going to skate anyway. My enemies, they worry about me because I'm back and they afraid a little bit. It's great feelings, you know?" I mean, they might as well have just thrown in a line like "In Soviet Russia, figures skate you!" Where is Mary Carillo to teach us all about the significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall?....
.....
It's time for Plushenko and his sandy blond mullet. Seriously. It's like he was a leftover villain from an '80s action movie. The thing is? He's really, really good. he nails his quad into a triple, which just sounds impressive, whatever it may mean. I'm also a big fan of his Celine Dion faces while he performs. I'm just wondering if this guy was from Canada and not Russia, would they have made up this whole preposterous "evil" character? It's actually kind of embarrassing. Not cool, NBC. No duh, Plushenko rockets into first place with a 90.85.

Hey! It's Dick Button! And apparently he's skinned Grimace to get that lovely purple sweater. Button doesn't think Plushenko was very graceful and he's too flamboyant. He also struggles to call him an evil agent? Which is more than a little inappropriate and furthermore, he stammers and struggles to make the same observation I so eloquently made in the previous two paragraphs. That's why they pay me the big bucks to be a blogger. (No, they don't.)....

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 09:09

More

"Russian Ice emperor is back on his throne" :son-ce:

2010-02-17 Eurosport 2 News after SP + Plushy interview (British).avi:
www.mediafire.com/download.php?uivzt4zwomn

-----------------------------------------------------------

From this link: :mi_ga_et:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/asseti ... +interview

Plushy's interview for NBC before Oly - 23 minutes :son-ce:

... (with help from Orange and Korean's fan forum :plush39:

)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y2xo1mtt2yw
.. or mirrors:
http://bigmail26.mail.daum.net/Mail-bin ... QmNBLc_dej
http://bigmail26.mail.daum.net/Mail-bin ... zdoiN_y5x4

---------------------------------------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rkL_E3zIiA

... translation of Plushy....

The Russian figure skater has won the Olympic short program. While heads of our Olympic competed in ability to explain why at our sportsmen "the crocodile isn't caught and the coco" doesn't grow, Evgenie Pljushchenko put into practice the plans on world supremacy restoration in man's single driving. The hero of Turin-2006 in Vancouver-2010 have risen in applause also posters "the King has returned!". Interview: - It not seems to you strange, what sportsmen in which arsenal there is no threefold jump have typed about the same points, as you? - Have asked Eugene after hire.

- I can't discuss the decision of judges. But it seems to me that the future behind fourfold jumps. It seemed to me that during my absence man's figure skating has gone not that way. My returning will urge on children. Surrenders to me, they start to understand that without fourfold jump it is impossible to win, and we on the sly come back back in the future. ..

-------------------------------------------------------

Plushy on hockey players training ... shortly :mi_ga_et:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etsTmj0qufU

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 09:18

http://twitter.com/nrarmour
about 9 hours ago

# No messing around by Plushenko. Opens with a quad-triple-double combo.
# And there's a second quad by Plushy.

# It's quad squad day: Plushy, Takahashi, Weir and Lambiel all doing/trying them today

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 09:28

This texts look me that is from press conference after SP :mi_ga_et:

... It seems that Plushy's statement at the conference -that men must to jump quads ... caused "sharpenes relationships between East and West" ;;-)))

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/n..._medium=twitter
By Emmeline Moore, AFP Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Plushenko vows to prove he's a man among boys :-)

VANCOUVER - Evgeni Plushenko has vowed to prove he is the man among a field of triple-jumping boys when he defends his Olympic men's title on Thursday in the Pacific Coliseum.

The 27-year-old takes a slim lead on reigning world champion Evan Lysacek and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi into the free skating final after the short programme with just 0.60 separating the top three.

And after impressing with his jumping skills the veteran Russian goaded his rivals for not attempting the quadruple jump, and sticking to triple jumps which he was doing as an 11 year old.

"Without a quad it's not men's figure skating," said the three-time world champion.

I will do the quad in any case. I believe that the quad is the future of figure skating. The quad is necessary, that is my opinion. Some people might say that we should do other things, but in my opinion not doing the quad will be going backwards in time.

In the '80s, skaters did doubles, then we started doing triples, then triple Axels, then the quad. I think for the future we need the quad Salchow, quad flip, quad Lutz.

Of course we need transitions and steps - harder and harder.

But I did triples in 1994. All sports, if it's biathlon or speed skating have new times. I think we are stuck."

Plushenko will perform to a Tango routine in the free skate.

"I will conserve my energy for this. I thought that with each Olympics it would be easier to compete, but in fact it is different. I get more nervous."

Competing in his third Olympics, Plushenko already has a gold and silver medal, but the Russian, who returned after retiring for three years to defend his Olympic title, said that it had gotten harder.

"Yes, I have more titles, more experience and I'm older. But the guys want to beat me and I have to defend my position. It's always harder to hold on than to attack.

I am glad that I returned and can compete with these top athletes. It will be hard for me, but it is nice."

I am happy that we have such a great competition. This will give me even more adrenalin. This makes the spectators happy."

Lysacek, 24, has said he would not risk another serious injury doing a quad in his free skate to Sheherazade by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov.

"I've spent a lot of time working on every aspect of training," he said.

"I think if you asked a speed skater if one stroke was more important than the next, they would say no. So, for me, each stroke I take, each jump, each step, each spin is equally important.

"I used to really enjoy training the quad, and I thought it was really important to try it in every competition. But several times I fell. Then I broke my foot, and it became less fun and more scary."

But Takashashi said he would be attempting one in his routine to the soundtrack La Strada in his bid to land Japan's first men's podium finish.

"Since the Nagano Olympics, people have been trying to include the quad jump. I think it's necessary for competing in something like the Olympics.

"For me and for my success, I think it's important to work on the quad and it's important for the future of the sport."

---------------------------------------------------------

www.canada.com/sports/2010wintergam...7885/story.html
By Lyndon Little, Canwest Olympic TeamFebruary 17, 2010

Plushenko clear favourite with free skate on horizon

VANCOUVER — Tuesday, figure skating fans tasted the appetizers. Thursday brings about the full meal deal.

What short program leader Evgeni Plushenko of Russia calls “the big battle to come,” is the men’s four-and-a-half-minute free skate which will decide the gold, silver and bronze and with it bragging rights for the next four years.

The adage that you can’t win a gold medal in the short program, but you can lose it held true Tuesday when a couple of the pre-event favourites — France’s Brian Joubert (18th place) and Jeremy Abbott of the U.S. (15th) — took themselves out of the picture with sub-par performances. That leaves a group of about four medal hopefuls comprised of Japan’s Nobunari Oda, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, Johnny Weir of the U. S. and Toronto’s Patrick Chan — who are all within nine points of the leaders, but need to be near perfect to dream of cracking the podium.

Otherwise, the medals will be divvied up by virtual co-leaders Plushenko, Evan Lysacek of the U.S. and Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi, who are all less than a point apart.

“The gold medal is still a possibility,” insisted Lambiel, the 2005 and 2006 world champion, who just last month moved from fifth after the short to second overall at the European championships in Tallinn.

“Anything is possible.”

Lambiel likely wouldn’t have been making such a statement before the Code of Points scoring system was adopted in 2004. Back then, moving up more than three or four spots in one skate was rare indeed.

However, under the new COP — with every element rewarded with a set value — the ability to rack up points in a hurry is very much within the realm of the possible.

“I agree with Evgeni,” said Lysacek, the defending world champion. “The short program just sets us up for the main event.”

Plushenko’s ability to score points with his quad — he has two of them planned for Thursday’s performance — makes him the clear favourite for the gold.

The others will have to hope the Turin Games’ champion falters. That’s always possible because, as Plushenko admits, he did not begin Tuesday’s short program full of confidence.

“In the warm-up I couldn’t do the quad on two attempts,” said the Russian star. “And I did make a mistake on the first attempt at the Alex. That made me nervous. I didn’t know were my body was going.”

The six-time European champion, who retired shortly following his gold in Turin only to un-retire this season, is also keenly aware he has a chance to make more history.

Never one to hide his light under a bushel, Plushenko knows another medal of any kind will enable him to move into second place overall in terms of men’s Olympic figure skating medals. Currently, he has a silver from Salt Lake and gold from Turin. A third medal would place him behind only Sweden’s Gillis Grafstrom’s four — three gold and one silver — in Olympic competition acquired between 1920 and 1932.

“I thought with each Olympics it would be easier to compete,” said Plushenko. “But in fact, it is different. I get more nervous.”

--------------------------------------------

How others see the Plushy's "threat" about quads :-)

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver...=yhoo&type=lgns
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Feb 17, 2:48 am EST

Plushenko playing mind games

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – If gold medals were handed out for winning mind games, Evgeni Plushenko would already be headed to the Vancouver airport, ready to jump on a flight to Russia with another Olympic title stashed safely in his baggage.

After surging into the lead after the short program in the men’s figure-skating competition, Plushenko proceeded to turn up the heat on American rival Evan Lysacek with a series of barbed comments that will further fuel a heated showdown set for Thursday night.

Plushenko gleefully poked fun at Lysacek’s refusal to incorporate the quad jump – figure skating’s toughest and most exciting maneuver – into his program. Lysacek suffered a stress fracture in his foot attempting the move last year and will not try it in his long program.

“I believe the future of figure skating lies in the quad jumps,” said Plushenko, with the hint of a sneer dancing across his face. “We can discuss a lot whether it is good or not or whether it is good to focus on other things, but by doing so we are going backward in time.”

It’s not as if any Olympic battle between the U.S. and Russia needs any extra electricity, but Plushenko appeared determined to pick open some psychological wounds on Lysacek before the figure-skating version of a Cold War recommences on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum.

Their news conference shaped up as a verbal boxing match, which quickly turned into a one-sided smackdown reminiscent of Ivan Drago vs. Rocky Balboa in “Rocky IV” – without the fighting back....

By now, though, Plushenko was starting to warm to his theme and began to play to his audience like a musical conductor. The Russian was quick to pour scorn on Lysacek’s explanation, laughing and joking with reporters and scoring an undeniable psychological lift before eventually giggling to himself as he exited stage right.

“Of course we need transition and spins and steps, harder and harder,” he said. “But I don’t know, I was making triples in 1994. I know in speedskating they have timing [world records], it gets better. Biathlon, they have new timing. I think we stopped. Some people are going to say it is wrong. But that’s my point.”

--------------------------------------------------------

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_b...re-skating.html

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 09:33

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/n...turns+boss+back
Posted: Feb 17, By Alan Abrahamson

Plushenko returns: the boss is back :hi_hi_hi:

Defending champion Plushenko brilliant, but Lysacek keeps pace

VANCOUVER -- When Sochi was bidding for the 2014 Winter Games, the Russian authorities pulled out all the big guns. There, for instance, on the stage during Sochi's final presentation to the International Olympic Committee in 2007, was Vladimir Putin, then the Russian president, now its prime minister.

And there, too, was Yevgeny Plushenko, the 2006 Olympic men's figure skating champion. "Hello, Yevgeny!" purred Russian speedskating champion Svetlana Zhurova.

Hello, Yevgeny, indeed.

Meet the new boss in men's figure skating, ladies and gentlemen. It would appear he may well be the same as the old boss.

In a performance Tuesday night here at the Pacific Coliseum that within its first minute put him in position to earn a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, Plushenko -- who took three years off after Torino -- delivered an emphatic statement:

Beat me -- if you can.

To be sure, Plushenko is not a dead-bang lock for gold.
....

For his part, Plushenko created a stir from the moment he appeared on the ice, still rocking that blond mullet, and might he be the only superstar athlete in the world who can pull it off with genuine style?

Particularly when the mullet tops form-fitting black pants, a black shirt with silver spangles and black gloves?

Plushenko opened his short program with a quad toe-triple toe combo. It takes not only extraordinary physical skill but resolute mental toughness to open up with that combination.

Plushenko landed both.

Then came a triple axel.

Then a triple lutz.

All clean.

Within that first minute Plushenko had completed all his jumps. The rest was the footwork stuff the scoring system -- that is, the one implemented after the judging scandal at the Salt Lake Games -- demands.

When he was done skating, someone threw an oversized plush heart onto the ice. Plushenko, sauntering around the rink as if he owned the place, made a motion as if he was thrusting a sword back into its holster.

Hello, Yevgeny, and you are a very, very bad man -- meaning that of, course, in a very good way. Who else would be so nonchalant about executing that quad -triple combo?

"Well, of course," he said, "it's the main thing for the men today to do quadruples ... and I did," adding in a matter-of-fact tone as if this were the case for everyone, "I landed it clean."
....

Plushenko's score, 90.85, didn't quite match the best-ever short program number, 91.3, set by -- who else? -- Plushenko at the European champinships in January.

Some observers thought Plushenko's footwork was rather on the pedestrian side. He professed satisfaction. "I am happy with the scores," he said.

It's not that Plushenko can't lose. He could. But in Thursday night's free skate, it may well be the case that Plushenko loses if, and only if, he makes mistakes. That's an enviable position.

Further, a performance like the one Plushenko delivered Tuesday begs the obvious -- what could he possibly have in store Thursday, and how does he plan to trump what he did Tuesday?

Throw a second quad? "We'll see ... watch [Thursday]," he said.

Set a personal best? "We'll see. I am not thinking about medals. I am not thinking about points. I need to skate like I can skate."

Make history? "I think I am in history already," he said.

"He's a true champion," Weir said. "He's a great skater. He will be remembered for years and years and years," adding a moment later, "He just makes us all step our game up a bit."

One more thing, Yevgeny. Do you think the other skaters are afraid of you? Hello? "Ask them," he said.

--------------------------------------------------

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/winter_o...Fsports+(Sports)
BY Filip Bondy DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Wednesday, February 17th 2010, 4:00 AM

Evgeny Plushenko nails short program, emerges as favorite in men's figure skating at Olympics

Russia's Evgeny Plushenko raises bar in opening battle for men's short program supremacy Tuesday night. Dilkoff/Getty

VANCOUVER - If there were any question about who rules over men's figure skating at the Olympic Games, that debate was answered Tuesday night within 15 seconds of Evgeny Plushenko's short program.

The Russian effortlessly nailed a perfect quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination at the start of his short program, laying down the athletic standard for those who would come much later. That quad would be the difference between first and second place again, as Plushenko led Evan Lysacek - Mr. Triple Jump - by .55 points going into Thursday's free skate.

Plushenko's quad was soaring, his spins more than good enough, his footwork acceptable. After a triple axel, he even threw in a fancy kick for transitional purposes, hoping to quiet his critics a bit. All done, he kissed an imaginary sword and returned it to the scabbard.

"I'm going to take any result I get," insisted Plushenko, who earned a 90.85 for his short program. "I have a history. I already have gold and silver. I won Europeans. I skated not a bad season."

Plushenko, 27, may deny it, but he is out to make significant history here. He won a silver medal in Salt Lake, a gold in Turin and is now trying to become the first back-to-back Olympic men's champion since Dick Button in 1952 and 1956. You wouldn't know it, but Plushenko insisted yesterday he was jittery and aching before his routine.

"It's hard to skate in the Olympic Games," he said. "You see this rink, of course you're nervous. It was hard for me to skate today. My muscles were sore. I needed massage."...

---------------------------------------------------

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/otherspor...te-showman.html
By Ian Chadband, Chief Sports Correspondent, in Vancouver
Published: 7:00PM GMT 17 Feb 2010

Winter Olympics 2010: Showdown for Yvgeny Plushenko, skating's ultimate showman

His performance was as imperious on the ice as it was quite brilliantly Machiavellian away from the rink. Yevgeny Plushenko, one of the finest figure skaters in history, looked haughtily into the TV camera and, with studied skill, effectively declared that the world was watching a contest between a man and mere boys.

Leading man: Yvgeny Plushenko has laid down the gauntlet to his rivals

Welcome back to the "Perfect King" screamed the message on the Russian flag being waved in the Pacific Coliseum. An entire sport must have felt the same because the return of its master showman with the fantastic leaps and the fantastic ego is helping rekindle all the old-fashioned theatrics and political rows which once made skating such a compelling soap.

On Thursday night, after a bravura short programme earned him the narrowest of leads in what has become a three-man showdown, he will skate for history, seeking to become the first man since Dick Button in 1948 and 1952 to win back-to-back Olympic titles. The legendary American skater, still offering trenchant views on TV at 80, would not put it past a man he describes as possessing "enough chutzpah to fill the Grand Canyon".

It would be an astonishing achievement, considering that this Russian royal quit after winning Olympic gold in Turin, thinking that at 23 and with troublesome knees after three world titles, there were other mountains to climb.

But by last year, he was tired of paint-balling and bombing around at 150mph on his motorbike. So after deigning to let his subjects watch him getting married for a second time live on the internet – his 7ft giant boxing pal Nikolai Valuev was there as a guest, not a bouncer – he was persuaded by his new wife, Yana, to stop mooching around and to go and make history.

And back he has come at 27, astoundingly, winning his sixth European title with a world-record score, looking better than ever and adamant that he does not just want to restore Russia's skating greatness but making it sound as if he is fighting for the very soul of his sport. For skating's future, no less.

Perhaps that's why, after his rapturously received programme on Tuesday, he drew an imaginary sword from an imaginary sheath, kissed it and put it back.

His opponents had been warned; the king was ready for battle.

So, choose your weapons. Plushenko's is the quad jump, skating's most athletic, dazzling and, of course, risky leap. He makes it look simple and simply brilliant while his opponents increasingly shy away from using it all, either because it is too difficult or too hazardous.

Disgusted that the four-revolution spin has become such a lost art that, in his absence, the last two world championships have been won without the winner even needing to attempt one – "impossible," he booms - Plushenko is redrawing the skating landscape by effectively telling his opponents they cannot outscore him if they do not dare to dare with the quad.

On Tuesday, hilariously, he went a bit further. After being the only man in the programme to land a quad toe-loop – only three others even attempted one – he couldn't resist going on Canadian TV to note sniffily: "Of course, we need quadruples. That's the future of figure skating and, of course, without the quadruple, I'm sorry but it's not men." What a great taunt: if you don't do the quad, you're a big cissy, so come and have a go if you think you're hard enough. Ah, the macho world of skating...

Will his rivals be sucked into Plushenko's mind games, though? Not necessarily. American world champion Evan Lysacek and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi are just a fraction behind him without having attempted a quad. So Plushenko just plants more doubt in their minds by suggesting he could attempt two tonight.

He might need to. His weakness remains his lack of artistry and, just like the good old days of cold-war judging scandals under the old scoring system, his team think he is the victim of a North American plot to ensure an old leaping dinosaur is kept off the podium.

On the other hand, his critics reckon he has always benefited from over-inflated marks for presentation simply because of his reputation.

Former Olympic pairs champion Jamie Sale said recently: "I don't believe him when he skates. At the Olympics in Turin, he wasn't doing anything quality on the ice but by throwing his arms around, the judges were like 'Oh my God, he's amazing'." I'm not buying it. That's not skating."

It is easy to understand what she means. He skated to Rodrigo's beautiful Concierto de Aranjuez with all the understated subtlety he brings to his celebrated interpretation of Tom Jones's Sex Bomb in which he dons a muscle-man suit and strips to gold bikini bottoms.

If you want lyricism, forget it. It's the athleticism, showmanship and the dead-eyed certainty of his landings which still make Plushenko unmissable entertainment.

He is not unbeatable but is anyone man enough to do the job?

---------------------------------------------------------

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010win...3517/story.html
By Cam Cole, Canwest News Service, February 16, 2010

Olympic men's figure skating: Patrick Chan fails to press his point
Technical wizardry of Russia's Evgeni Plushenko rules the dayV

VANCOUVER - The debate will have to wait for another day. Maybe another year, or four.

On this day at the Pacific Coliseum, Patrick Chan failed to press his point.

The 19-year-old Canadian hope in the men's singles – who knew he had to count on his total skating to overcome the technical wizardry of Russia's Evgeni Plushenko – stepped out of his triple Axel, nearly fell on a footwork sequence and finished behind his music and over the two minutes, 50 seconds time limit. And that was way too many errors to figure in the race for gold.
....

When Plushenko skated, he looked bulletproof, nothing less. Within the first 40 seconds, he had racked up 32 points with a Quad-triple toe loop combination, a triple Axel and triple Lutz – a clean sweep of the toughest jumps in skating – and that's if he didn't do anything between the big tricks, and we're pretty sure the defending Olympic champion did.

His score of 90.85 was little more than a hair below the 91.30 he received at the European championships, which observers on this side of the pond assumed was just a case of home cooking. Evidently not.

But then came the flip side of the coin – Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, with hair by Edward Scissorhands, who launched his counter-offensive with a terrifically rounded but Quad-less program of jumps and art and musicality, and when his score came up, 90.25, the Plushenko camp must have known it was in for a fight.
....

Plushenko was pleased, and rightfully so. He even jousted pleasantly with the English-speaking media, but his only comment on the allegations that he is too focused on the big jumps and not on the overall skating skills was: “I don't care today about transitions or the scoring system. I did my clean program, and it's the Olympic Games.”

His camp did the lobbying for him.

“It's a shame to skate without the Quad at the Olympics, when skaters 10 years ago were doing them,” said his coach Alexei Mishin, reiterating his pre-emptive strike in the ideological battle between the artists and the technicians. “People say we don't need Quads, we just need clean-skated programs with triples. I say this is wrong. It will take the sport back to how it was before [Elvis] Stojko and [Alexei] Urmanov.”

“Evgeni believes in his heart that if the sport is going to push forward, it has to be with Quad jumps,” said Plushenko's agent, Ari Zakarian. “If there are no Quads, the sport is going backwards.”
....

“I was under great pressure because of the poor results of the Russian Federation, but it is the Olympics, and there is always pressure,” said Plushenko, and he might have been speaking for the young Canadian. “Anybody who says there isn't, I don't believe him.”

-----------------------------------------------

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010win...uver+Sun+-+News)
By Dan Barnes, Canwest Olympic Team; February 17, 2010

Russia's Evgeni Plushenko: Is it too early to crown him king?

With a stunning performance and the quad, Russia's Evgeni Plushenko will be hard to catch

Russia's Evgeny Plushenko performs in his figure skating men's short program at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2010.

Russia's Evgeny Plushenko performs in his figure skating men's short program at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2010.
Photograph by: Yuri Kadobnov, AFP/Getty Images

The Emperor is back, fully clothed save for the third Olympic medal that will soon be draped around his neck.

The only mystery is its colour, and a betting man would surely go with gold.

Russian superstar Evgeni Plushenko is better than ever, reeling off a stunning quad in combination to open an awe-inspiring short program Tuesday at Pacific Coliseum. He was worth all the hype and perhaps even the grossly inflated marks at the Rostelecom Cup and Russian nationals that fuelled his celebrated return from a three-year retirement to this Grand Prix season.

His Olympic-record score of 90.85, though not a season high, was just enough to lead the field of 24 men who qualified to skate Thursday's long program.

"The most important thing is to skate decently," Plushenko said. "I'm very pleased with my jumps today. I was able to keep my nerves under control."

And surely contributed to the nervousness of others, given that he skated so early and set the bar so high. Only American Evan Lysacek and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan skated clean and strong enough, though without quad, to nearly match it. And that's really all they could hope for, to be close.
...

Because Plushenko's slim lead is likely only to grow Thursday, with eight jumps on order and the Russian master planning two quads. He will not make it easy for anyone who isn't prepared to match him jump for jump over more than four minutes of battle. That's his game. His agenda.

"Without quadruples, I don't know, sorry, but it's not men. It's not men's figure skating," he said.

Plushenko's program-opening mastery of the quad toe, triple toe combination scored a whopping 14.8 points. His triple Axel was worth a perfect 10. He skated 10th only because retirement sapped his world ranking points, and his total made a mockery of the first half of the event, leaving him 15 points clear of the field until his closer rivals showed up.

"It's third Olympic Games for me and I skated not bad. I agree with points today," he said. "It's never to be easy. If somebody going to say, today I'm not nervous or I skate easy, I'm not tired -- that's not right. I'm not going to believe him. All the time it's hard and of course for me it's hard because I did not skate [during retirement]."

He still skates like nobody else in the world, with the jumping power ingrained in him over more than a decade by coach Alexei Mishin. Retirement diminished none of his jump height and majesty. Sure, he skips the fancy footwork in between, and that gives hope to the men without quads. If they're clean, they're close, but that's as much a risk as tackling the quad and failing.
....

"He just makes us all step our game up a bit," Weir said. "I don't think there is anything unjust with his scores."

They are proof that he has lost none of his regal bearing in retirement and in fact gained some perspective.

"I will take any result," Plushenko said, somehow summoning modesty. "You know I have silver medal, I have gold medal and if I am third here or second or fifth, I will take the result. I just enjoy it. Of course I am nervous today. It's Olympic Games and every time at Olympic Games it's hard to skate, it's hard to compete."

But it's also thrilling for a man who knows he can win every single competition. Domination on a grand scale can lead to complacency, and perhaps that's why he retired. Well, that or the Russian rock star life he wanted to exploit for all it was worth. The guy certainly didn't come back for the money.

"It's not about being rich," said his agent Ari Zakarian. "He's a wealthy guy. Whatever he wants he has it. He has fame, family, close friends. He has a lot of respect in the nation of Russia. For him it means just proving to himself and doing what he likes to do."

He also may feel a need to do it now. There is pressure on him to heat up this tepid start to Russia's Olympics, a meek opening that included Monday's shocking, history-making podium shutout in pairs skating.

"Russia is not doing that well at the Olympics,'' Zakarian said. "He knows the whole nation is watching. He skates for his wife, for his country, his coach, his choreographer."

And for himself.

"This is his place, he's like a fish in water," Zakarian said. "Throw a fish into water, the fish feels himself. Comfortable."

Comfortable, in his new clothes, just like his old clothes.

by **cekoni** » 18 Feb 2010, 09:36

www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/sports/olympics/18skate.html
By JULIET MACUR Published: February 17, 2010

On Plushenko’s Heels, and Standing Strong

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — On the eve of the men’s free skate, one that promises to be one of the closest, most exciting in Olympic history, the top six skaters practiced together Wednesday.

Each was dressed from head to toe in black. Each wore a steely look, running through his long program. But Russia’s Yevgeny Plushenko, the defending Olympic champion known for his cool confidence, was the only one to stop for an extended time to survey the competition.

“He has one major advantage over everyone — and that’s the Olympic gold medal,” said the American Evan Lysacek, the reigning world champion who is in second place. “He has power mentally because he has what we all want. And so I think it’s going to take some mighty fine skating to get that power away from him.”

Plushenko, 27, is trying to become the first man since Dick Button in 1952 to repeat as Olympic champion. But there are several men with a legitimate chance to stop him.

The top three skaters are nearly tied. Lysacek is 0.55 of a point behind Plushenko. Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi, is in third, just 0.6 of a point back.

The difference may come down to which skaters perform cleanly — and which try the quadruple jump, the risky move that involves four full revolutions in the air. The last time an Olympic champion won without a quad was 1994, and Plushenko says any skater who does not try it is setting the sport back.

Plushenko landed his quad during the short program, but neither Lysacek nor Takahashi tried one. If landed cleanly, that jump garners more points than any other single jump the men’s skaters are doing right now.

In the free skate, both Plushenko and Takahashi say they will incorporate the move. Even Johnny Weir, the American who is in sixth place, said he might try the quad, too.

“Without quadruples, I don’t know, sorry, but it’s not men,” Plushenko said after his short program. “It’s not men’s figure skating.”....

.... Even without the quad, he ended up on Plushenko’s tail. Lysacek’s coach, Frank Carroll, said Lysacek could still shine as bright as the others Thursday.

“It doesn’t seem to me like the quad made all that much difference,” Carroll said of the short program. “My boy made a mistake in one of his spins and got a level three. If he got a level four, he would have won the short. It’s a matter of apples and oranges. What do you think is more important? The spins, the footwork, the steps, the skating skills? Or whether you think jumping is the forte. I think that’s what it boils down to here.”

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http://michaelweiss.org/vancouver.htm
Michael Weiss

Day 5 Men’s Short program

Okay….so did I nail it on my prediction about Joubert! Told ya he was looking good, wink wink;-)….so I was way off on that one? Everyone tries to predict through practices…Goes to show ya, practice means absolute NOTHING! I kid u not….didn’t see him miss a quad in practice since he’s been here.

Which leads me to track record, and history….Joubert (Fra) has a history of crumbling at the biggest moments. And that also leads me to Plushenko (Rus) and Evan (USA)….Evan’s history is pretty good when it counts, so I see him skating another well-prepared, well-trained Long program. As far as Plush, he has a history of pretty much nailing everything when he has to! The more pressure, the better he skates….and if history repeats itself, he’s gonna come out p***ed off that everyone is so close after the short, and bring it like they’ve never seen in the long.

Here’s where it gets interesting…in the Long prgm, points are factored by 2 for components, which means this: Evan & Daisuke (Jpn) are gonna say….Plush, you do your Quads will give you 5 points there, but where we got you in the short was components (artistic) about a 2 and change point advantage. So, in the Long our 2 and change advantage, now factored by 2 is really close to 5 pts. Well now we are even! You got Plush – u got yur 5 pts jumping, we got our 5 pts on artistry…..we are in a dead heat…Let’s do it!!

Now this is all under the GIGANTIC assumption that they all skate clean! Well, we know how that assumption works – case in point Mr. Joubert?

So, Daisuke…loved his short, love his skating. Here’s what I think his strategy is for the long….he feels he has Plush on the Component mark (artistic), so if he does the quad (like Plush)…he can win. So, he’s swinging for the fences. But if Dais misses it, he could find himself in 5th or 6th. That’s an all or nothing strategy. (btw, has had a pretty low % of success on the quad this week – like 10%). If Dais wants a medal, he should skate clean with no Quad, and assure himself on the podium…and hope Plush and Evan screw up, to win.

Now Evan is gonna be steady eddie. He is by far the hardest worker. Love his quote, “I learned if someone is better than you, you have to work twice as hard.” He will not try the quad, skate clean and hope his component (artistic) marks can make up the difference on Plush’s technical (jumping) mark. This was the case in the short program, where he gave Plush the technical mark with the Quad, and took it right back by beating him in components.

One analogy I have used for how to win in this system is…..there are 2 ways to win in this system. Like a football drive, you can make 5 and 10 yrd runs and passes to put together a 10 play drive and score 6 pts…..or….you can go for the play-action bomb and score big in 1 play. The result is the same….a TD and 6 pts on the board. You just got there two different ways.

Plushenko is the bomb, with the quad for the TD….and Evan/Dais are the chip away with 5 different component (artistic) marks, and they still get the TD.

Where it gets fun is….what if Plush goes for 2 Bombs in the Long program? Is there enough time for the others to put together two 10-play drives?

We’ll see?

That leads me to the dark horses…

Oda (Jpn) has been on fire this year, and I see him skating great again tomorrow. If Dais tries the quad and misses, guess who’s waiting to take advantage? Mr. Japan #2?
Lambiel (Sui) also has not one, but TWO Quads!....and some huge Component Marks. He’s been pretty sporatic all week, and what he did in the short is about what I expected. Judges love him.
Johnny Weir – what can I say? He skated really well, and he has been all week. I see him doing another solid program in the Long. Where he places depends a lot on what everyone else does.

Also a note for you judge knowledgeable fans out there….Evan and Dais got +2.20 GOE on their ftwrk too! And caught Plush on his famous “I don’t have any transitions”. Plush got a 6.8 on Transitions, while Dais had a 7.5 and Evan a 7.95! There combos also narrowed the gap on big GOE +’s.

Skate for GOLD…here we come!