http://goldenskate.com/articles/2009/102709.shtmlOctober 27, 2009
Article by Tatiana Flade, Photo © Anna Kondakova
Evgeni Plushenko
Return of the KingAt the end of his free skating program at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Russia's Evgeni Plushenko first raised his index finger, then pointed on himself. 'Look at me, I'm back and I'm still the number one,' said this gesture.
Savoring the sweet taste of victory, the reigning Olympic Champion skated an extra round and pumped his fist before bowing to the judges and the cheering crowd at the Megasport Arena. These emotions were exactly what he had come back for.
"He didn't compete for three years, but as soon as I saw him, I knew that there was a true Olympic Champion on the ice," respectfully said Japan's Takahiko Kozuka, the distant silver medalist at Rostelecom Cup.
"Hats off," commented France's Brian Joubert in his usual straightforward manner, speaking on the phone from France where he had followed the event via internet. "Plushenko's return is good for the sport, the spectators and his competitors," he added.
"He will be hard to beat," offered Plushenko's long-time rival, 2002 Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin, who watched from the stands in Moscow.
Three and a half years after his last international competition, the Olympic Winter Games, the Russian proved that he is truly back. After his dynamic "Tango Amore" free skate (which included a quad-triple toeloop combination, two triple Axels and four other clean triples), it was almost forgotten that the 26-year-old had doubled the Lutz in the short program. It suddenly seemed like a minor negligence.
In spite of all the enthusiasm around him in Moscow, Plushenko remained calm and professional. "I am very pleased with my (free skating) performance. I made no mistakes in my jumps. I'm happy with my quad-triple combinations in these two days and there were good triple Axels," he noted.
"Obviously there is still a lot to do," he continued. "I have to work on my steps and spins. So we won't stop on what we achieved, but we will continue and go further and further. The big battles are still to come. The most important competitions are still ahead of me... these are the Russian Nationals, Europeans and the Olympic Games, of course."
Not many people had believed that Plushenko would really come back and be as competitive as he is. "I thank my supporters and my enemies," the skater said with a mischievous smile. "I'm actually following all these chats and forums and what people write on my website, even on the unofficial ones," he revealed. "I was surprised to read things such as 'It is not right that he is coming back and winning' or 'Well, he is coming to the Grand Prix now and he will finish second or third and then he'll stop.'"
Even some of his former friends with whom he competed against for a long time gave some negative comments. "It hurt," admitted Plushenko, "but I just wanted to prove to them and everyone that I still can skate and compete. So I'm thanking them for their critique. It was an extra motivation for me. And of course I want to thank the fans from all over the world."
The three-time World Champion showed the same qualities that brought him to the top before: consistency, strong technique, and presence on the ice. Although it may have looked easy, it was not. The pressure was huge.
"Of course I was nervous, very much so even," Plushenko admitted. "I had to skate first in the short program; I had no (ISU) ranking, zero points. It is my first serious competition and I have to do everything. Then I skated last in the free. I saw how the crowd applauded and cheered for Kozuka and I thought that he had landed everything in the program. I realized I could not afford a single mistake because each error can cost dearly. So there was nervousness, but I was able to overcome it. God and my protecting angel were with me, and I'm very glad about that."
His second wife, Jana Rudkovskaia, also seems to be a protecting angel for him. She attended the competition and cheered for him and he credits her for bringing him back into the sport. "I dedicate this victory to her," said Plushenko.
Now the athlete goes home to St. Petersburg to prepare for the upcoming events. He currently plans to compete at a domestic Cup of Russia event in Moscow at the end of November and at the Russian Nationals in December before going to the European Championships and Olympic Games. Coach Alexei Mishin is pleased with his student's progress.
"So far he has been skating better and better," said Mishin. "The life outside the sport has turned him into a more serious person and made him more complete as a performer. I won't say what we now especially will work on for our next competition as this would mean to talk about our weaknesses."
Plushenko himself revealed that he wants to include a triple Lutz-half loop-triple flip jump sequence into his free skating. "I did a triple Axel-half loop-triple flip combination before, and I have to do a jump sequence like this. Nobody else is doing it," he explained.
The athlete had to give up a lot for his quest for a third Olympic medal, but Plushenko doesn't regret it. At the same time he remains realistic. "I'm at 70 percent today. I'm not in top shape yet. I know my mistakes and my weakness, and I'm hard on myself and my coach and choreographer are hard on me. I won't stop. I will continue to work," he promised. "Obviously medaling at the Olympic Games is my goal, but first I have to get there. Anything can happen. Injuries can happen and I won't be able to compete."
Right now, however, it looks like one of the banners in the ice rink in Moscow summed it up pretty well: "The return of the king".
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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_b...oned-with-.htmlJennifer Kirk: Plushenko must be reckoned withWhen reigning Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko announced his plans to compete this season following a 3½-year hiatus from the competitive arena, most were initially skeptical about the success of his return. Would he be in competitive form? Was he going to be able to adapt to the various changes in the judging system? Would he regain his standing as the No. 1 male skater in the world?
Last weekend Plushenko answered those questions.
Winning his first and only Grand Prix event of the season, Plushenko kicked off his return to competitive skating with a bang. Skating a squeaky-clean long program and commanding the ice in Moscow, he picked up exactly where he left off in 2006. Not only did Plushenko take the gold, but he crushed the competition, winning by 25 points over Takahiko Kozuka of Japan.
What was most impressive about Plushenko’s skating in Moscow was his unwavering confidence. Though his victory dance after the completion of his long program could be perceived as cocky by some, this blend of cockiness and confidence proved to be the reigning Olympic champion’s winning ingredient. Plushenko seems incredibly committed to his quest of winning a second Olympic crown, and after two events of the Grand Prix series he’s the front-runner heading into the Games.
Although Plushenko may be leading the pack at this point, Olympic gold is by no means solely his for the taking. Even as clean as he was last week, the reality is Plushenko is still beatable. It seems as though the shock of how well he did has masked the apparent flaws in his skating, but these weaknesses have the potential to be the deciding factor in Vancouver.
Although Plushenko’s spins are faster than they were in 2006, they are still slow. The ending combination spin in his short program inched along, and he needs to work on adding more variety to his spins. Along with this, the choreography in both of his programs isn‘t as strong as it could be, and his programs have far too much two-footed skating. Plushenko’s hip rolling and rapid arm movements may be fun to watch, but I don‘t know how they‘ll stand up to Patrick Chan‘s edgework and artistry.
That said, Plushenko won fair and square in Moscow, and without a second Grand Prix event he has a lot of time to work on fixing his flaws. What will be telling is how Plushenko responds to his season opener, which then leads to more questions.
Will last weekend’s overwhelming victory lead him to fall off from his training, now that he has answered his critics and, I’m sure, some of his own doubts about his return? Or will this win motivate him to work harder, culminating in gold in Vancouver?
Perhaps the most important question surrounding Plushenko’s win is whether his performances will spook his closest competitors. I’m sure most of his competitors weren’t planning on having to contend with such a strong Plushenko. If I were reigning world champion Evan Lysacek, I’d use this weekend’s Cup of China to respond to Plushenko by not only winning the event but beating his score of 240.65.
Among all the questions, what we do know is that there is only one Olympic gold medal up for grabs, and the season is still young. Although Plushenko’s skating in Moscow was beyond expectations, we shouldn’t hand him Olympic gold just yet.
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...oryId=114136081Plushenko wins Grand Prix; Weir finishes 4thEvgeni Plushenko of Russia won gold at the Rostelecom Cup on Saturday after a soaring free skate in his first international event since becoming Olympic champion at the 2006 Turin Games....
Plushenko performed only one quad, limited by his old standards, but combined it with a triple toeloop to open his program with unquestionable brio....
The 26-year-old Plushenko chose tango music for his flirtatious and challenging stop-start moves in the step sequences, playing up the confidence he projects on the ice. But he wasn't inclined to let overconfidence undermine his discipline.
"I have to work on my spins, work on my steps," he said.
Plushenko, who's had chronic knee problems, returned to figure skating to help Russia turn around its plummeting fortunes in the sport.
Kozuka, whose own quad was downgraded after he stepped out of it, was pleased with his program but felt Plushenko's dominance early.
"The moment he took the ice, I knew there was a real champion in front of me," said the 20-year Kozuka, whose free program to an electric guitar concerto showed impressive speed and tight-sit spins....
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http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp...8&vkey=ice_newsIt's back to the future for Plushenko
Olympic champ says he's the one; Weir struggles with AxelEvgeni Plushenko's superb performance in Moscow made him an early favorite to take the gold at the 2010 Winter Games.(10/24/2009) - Hitting quads, burying rivals, toying with the crowd -- it's like he never said goodbye.
Evgeni Plushenko enchanted the judges and decimated the competition, taking home gold by more than 25 points.
The 27-year-old Russian capped his resounding comeback after nearly four years away from competition by racking up 240.20 points at the Rostelecom Cup.
Performing to a Tango specially composed by longtime collaborator Edvin Marton, Plushenko's program was deja vu all over again. He opened with a quadruple toe loop, triple toe combination and then executed back-to-back triple Axels, one in combination with a double toe.
After a strategic rest break and some flirting with the enthralled Moscow audience, he resumed jumping, hitting four more triples.
It wasn't perfect; the choreography lacked intricate transitions and Plushenko deleted a planned second quad. But when he held up one finger at the end of his performance, few doubted they were looking at the early favorite for gold in Vancouver....
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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_b...2009/10/pl.html23.10.2009.
Plushenko's back and there's gonna be trouble 1. Yes, he was overscored. Yes, his arm movements are distracting, annoying, useless. And for all that, after watching Evgeny Plushenko's comeback performance Friday at the Rostelcom Cup Grand Prix event in Moscow, I have no doubt the 2006 Olympic champion will be a medal contender in Vancouver. The guy tossed off a quad-triple combination and a triple axel with almost disdainful ease, looking like someone who had been doing them every day the last four years instead of someone who had not been in an Olympic-style event since the 2006 Winter Games. (I'm not counting the meaningless Russian Cup 10 days ago in Perm.)
2. No, Plushenko is not headed to Skate America. That's what U.S. Figure Skating publicist Scottie Bibb told me after I e-mailed her to ask about the rumors that began hitting figure skating message boards as soon as the Russian finished his short program. When a Skate America spot opened up recently after Takahito Mura of Japan withdrew, it was filled by Igor Macypura of Slovakia.
3. If Plushenko, who turns 27 on Nov. 3, can come back that strong after a three-season absence, why can't Sasha Cohen, who turns 25 Monday? (Yes, I am aware the Russian long has had the jumping consistency Cohen always has lacked.)...
... comment of some visitor: "Yes, he was overscored. Yes, his arm movements are distracting, annoying, useless."
So, to be clear, are you talking about current world champion Lysacek or Plushenko?
I'd think you've perfectly captured the essence of the former... ;)
Posted by: George | October 24, 2009 at 05:09 PM