Watch this interview: Evan Lysacek talks to Bob Costas.
Yevgeny Plushenko is also an Olympic champion, a gold medalist in 2006. But when it comes to being a class act, he is a complete loser.
From the Washington Post:
U.S. figure skater Evan Lysacek just wanted to enjoy the Olympic gold medal he never expected -- but always wanted -- hours after his upset victory over Russian Evgeni Plushenko in the Olympic men's figure skating competition Thursday.
Instead, Lysacek spent Friday enduring attacks on the legitimacy of his title from Russians and others upset both with his tactical approach and the judges' decision to give him a narrow victory over the 2006 gold medal winner.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent Plushenko, who claimed the silver medal, a telegram telling him his "silver was as good as gold" and he "performed the most accomplished program on the Vancouver ice." Russian commentators decried the result, and two-time Olympic silver medal winner Elvis Stojko said in a column for Yahoo that Lysacek's skate wasn't "Olympic champion material" and "the judges made a mockery" of the event by rewarding Lysacek.
The debate centered solely around the fact Plushenko executed a quadruple jump and Lysacek did not. Bronze medal winner Daisuke Takahashi tried one, but fell attempting it and fell out of contention for the gold.
Lysacek contends that his nearly perfect program featuring eight triple jumps and complex spins, footwork and transitions topped Plushenko's more-wobbly effort with the quad and seven triples.
Plushenko fueled the controversy by wagging his index fingers in the air when he finished Thursday, then complaining about the judges' decision to put him 1.31 points behind Lysacek.
"You can't be considered a true men's champion without a quad," Plushenko told Russian state television, according to Reuters.
That's absolutely ridiculous.
If landing a quad was all that mattered, then Lysacek would never have been able to earn enough points to beat Plushenko.
That jump is just one element.
Plushenko is really being a poor sport.
..."Nobody likes to lose," Lysacek said. "Plushenko is a great guy, a great skater. I've admired him for years. I thought he did an outstanding job . . . For him to discredit the field, though, that's not right. It's probably the strongest men's field there's ever been, and I was honored to be" in the field.
Added Lysacek: "I guess I was a little disappointed that someone who is my role model would take a hit at me in what is probably one of the most special moments of my life."
...Asked what he would like to do now that he has won a gold medal -- meet the president? go to Disney World? -- Lysacek offered an uncustomary response.
"This last year, I've been really selfish preparing for this Olympics," he said. "I'd like to work with [charities] a lot more, to spend some time, some real time. I guess that's one goal."
What a great guy!
I feel awful for Lysacek.
He wins the gold and he has to put up with this whining from Plushenko?
Plushenko is acting like a child.
And then there's Putin. Putin!
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin climbed into the controversy surrounding Yevgeny Plushenko's surprise defeat in the Olympics figure skating by claiming on Friday that he should have been awarded gold.
..."I would like to sincerely congratulate you on the wonderful Olympic performance -- your silver is worth gold," Putin said in a telegram addressed to the skater.
"You were able to overcome all the obstacles in your brave comeback and performed the most accomplished program on the Vancouver ice."
"All Russian figure skating fans admire your brilliance, true fighting spirit, courage and the will to win. Well done!"
I think it's great for Putin to speak highly of Plushenko's accomplishments.
It's not cool for Putin to trash Lysacek in the process.
I call on Obama to get involved. He shouldn't slam Plushenko, but he should commend Lysacek for his brilliant performance and grace both on and off the ice. Obama should talk to Putin about this controversy.
That, of course, would never happen. If Obama called up Putin, he'd probably end up apologizing for Lysacek's victory. Obama would probably even apologize for Team USA pulling off that stunning upset victory in ice hockey against the USSR at Lake Placid in 1980. Then Obama might apologize for the implosion of the Soviet Union and the U.S. winning the Cold War.
On second thought, I think it's best if Obama doesn't get involved.
Bottom line: Plushenko is badly tarnishing his image as an Olympian and as a human being.
Lysacek, on the other hand, personifies the spirit of the Olympics, pushing himself and working to achieve greatness in his sport. And, more importantly, competing with dignity and conducting himself with such class. He's everything Plushenko is not.
Not cool, Plushenko. Not cool.
The Russian scampered cheekily across the top podium, pulled cheesy faces and gave a thumbs-up to the cameras, was a diva-like 10 minutes late for the news conference and gave a lengthy lecture on how figure skating needs to change.
..."Obviously, Evan needs the medal more than me, maybe because I've got one already," said Plushenko, who took off his medal when he left the ice after the victory lap long before Lysacek and bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi made their exits.
Plushenko, the Russian coaches and choreographers blew it. If they would have focused more about improving some to the other elements of his skating, lets say “spinning on the ice” or “transition elements” before his jumps, they might not have had to transition into the SPINNING that it should be all about the quad and WHINING about losing. Everyone already knows he can do the quad, old news do something different. Lysacek pounded Plushenko on the ice, fair and square.
ReplyDeleteTo focus all attention on the quad….what a stupid basis for a logical conversation. They sound like sore losers, like politicians who simply refuse to address the facts and reality of the situation by continuing to push their spoiled brat, lame duck agenda.
WAKE UP! I do think the scoring system has been translated into Russian hasn’t it? Can’t they read and process the information into training? This is a knock on their skating organization, not necessarily their athletes because they just fail to accept the new scoring system.
You lost fair and square. In fact, based on the side-by-side comparison of the two programs on TV, the margin of Lysacek’s victory should have been even larger. The judges gave Plushenko the same component scores as Lysacek, come on, what were they watching? They must have turned their heads after his jumps. I could have skated like he did in between the jumps. Plushenko was “given” higher scores than he deserved because of who he is, not because he earned them ….. and he still couldn’t win.
Don’t they teach math in Russia? Don’t they know how to strategize within a known system to be able to put together at least a competitive program on paper. Yes, they probably do, but they just did not have the skater in Plushenko to be able to pull it off on the ice. I guess they thought the hip gyrations counted as scoring elements in the new system. How arrogant to think that on such a public stage that the judges and the system would bow to those type of antics. They ignored the writing on the wall and just tried push their agenda both before the competition and now embarrassingly after they lost.
The Russians knew going in that under the new system Lysacek was the better skater and yet Plushenko did nothing to improve himself under new system and he lost, he has no one to blame except himself. He is to one dimensional, and no amount of spinning about the quad will change that.
Who cares HOW you get it done if it is done within recognized scoring system of the sport. Would the World Series Champions be any less of champions if they won a 7 game series without hitting a home run and the other team hit 10? Is the guy that hits the most home runs usually the best all around player? Heck no. That is why they recognize the home run king separately from the most valuable player.
Just because you do ONE thing that someone else can do but chooses not to do and that other person is better than you on all other elements, including the other jumps, does not make you better than them. How about skating to win instead of skating to jump. Have Putin push the Olympics to start a skate jumping competition or get it into the XGAMES. Only the emotional, sore losers buy into the Russian Quad Spinning….do something about becoming a complete skater, not just a jumper and quit your whining.
Thought I was done, no not quite. If they continue to bitch, moan and complain, I am willing to spearhead a drive to raise money to get Evgeni “No Class” Plushenko a medal made out of “whine glass” recognizing him as the “QUAD KING and Biggest Whiner”….. because he certainly doesn’t hold a candle to the 2010 Olympic Champion in Men’s Figure Skating. Maybe we will have the scoring system printed in Russian on the lanyard.
GO Evan!!!! A true Olympic Champion and a class act!!!!!!
Right.
ReplyDeleteThe event is men's figure skating, not men's quad.
Footwork, transitions, spins - junior skaters do skate like so. Quad is not the subject, but quad+triple! Lambiel, Takahashi, Joubert - every serious skater understands this of course Americans do not ;)
ReplyDeletePlushenko was not perfect in FP as he was in SP. No one likes Evgeni and he gave this chance to judges unfortunately.
He could be a champion only when two heads above all, but for now he is only one head above.
Even famous coach Tarasova (she don't like Evgeni as he was a competitor for her Yagudin) told: it's men figure skating, for nowadays to be champion quad is a must.
And how can we compare 4+3 with 3+3, no components can cover this. Lambiels spins and components are much better than Lysacek but judges closes there eyes :)