Russia wants to Bring Back Its Oly Winners | Golden Skate

Russia wants to Bring Back Its Oly Winners

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Piseev On Return of Yagudin, Totmianina & Marinin to eligible skating

Check out the above topic and read Piseev's comments. Rather than building up a new breed of skater he is considering the skaters from the days of glory.

Yagudin still has hip problems.

T&M to discuss with Vassiliev

Plushenko needs assurances of his terms for a comeback.

There is talent in Russia. He should work on them. They could make a promising show in Vancouver. JMO

Joe
 

Zuranthium

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
As much as I would love it, I hope Yagudin doesn't come back. I really doubt he can be in very top form ever again with the injuries he's had. Let us remember him at his height.

~Z
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Sounds like desperation on the part of the Russians to me. They know they are losing their dominance and would like to get it back. Bringing back yesterday's stars isn't going to fix the problem...or may fix it for a year or two. But they have to retire some time.

Recruit new talent, give them top training conditions. I know, easier said than done, but that's what needs to happen over there.
 

SolarisFyre

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 1, 2006
I totally agree with both of the above posts. There was a time when the current Russian team (whoever they were at the time) always had one eye over their shoulder because the new talent was there at their heels, ready to take over if they slip up. It would be nice to see that happen again.
 

Ximena

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
While it's true that the RF obviously wants them back, is not because of the RF that they are coming back. I mean if it that were the case, they would have asked N&K as well. They want to come back, and none of them (well with the exception of Yagudin) officially retired.

As far as I know the only that has said that he is coming back for sure is Evgeni. In a press conference from his "Ice Stradivari" tour two weeks ago, he said that he is coming back to amateur for sure and that he'll start training in Spain this August. What he did pointed out is that he can't promise to stay until Olys, that he will come back this season to see how he goes.

I read Tatiana said lately that they are not sure because while it's true they want to come back, they want to if they can come back as strong as they were ebfore which is why they have to talk with Oleg.

So it's not as much as the RFSF are going everything to make them come back, it's actually that they want to.
 

gio

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Why they don't valorize the talents they have? Work with Martinova, Ievleva, Lutai, Griazev, Voronov, Smirnov/Kawaguchi instead. They are the new talents.
Look at the US who valorize the young Zhang and Nagasu, or Canada with Virtue/Moir and Japan with Oda, Takeda and the young girl that came fourth at 4cc (don't remember the name now). This means looking to the future.
 
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Zanzibar

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 22, 2003
TT&MM = The return of Dull & Duller.

Can we run? LOL.

Agree, LOL. I like Max, but wish he had a different partner.

As far as Evgeni goes, I'll have a long interview with him in the next issue of IFS out in June. He was very candid that he had just made the decision last week to return, so it sounds like some of the conditions he was waiting for have occurred or have been promised. It really is not a return, as some have correctly pointed out, but rather a continuation of his career. All he did was simply take one year off, a probably wise move for a new Olympic champion who was very busy with new offers, a new baby, and a crumbling marriage.

Regarding Alexei, and this is just hypothetically speaking - he would never attempt a comeback without first getting his hip surgically fixed. He's the kind of guy who never plays a game he doesn't stand a realistic chance of winning.

If T&M come back, I would imagine they would dominate, at least for this season. Plushenko is a little heavier - needs to drop a few pounds - but if he's serious about this season, I'm sure he'll appear at the first event trained, in shape, and ready to challenge for gold.
 

Ximena

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I like Max better too. I watch FS in ESPN Latinamerica and the commentator likes Max better too :laugh: she goes off to say "I know most of you pay more attention to her but I think it's him who makes the big difference in this team".

Plushenko is a little heavier - needs to drop a few pounds - but if he's serious about this season, I'm sure he'll appear at the first event trained, in shape, and ready to challenge for gold.
I remmeber Evgeni said that after his surgery in 2005, because of the pain of the post surgery that lasted more than the doctors suggested it, he gained a lot of weight and couldn't lose it because he coulnd't even run. But when he went to Spain in August, suddenly the pain went away and he did the crazy way to lose weight but it did worked, which was he pretty much dressed himself as it was winter and run through Jaca every morning several miles. Now Jaca is in the mountain and around August temperatures goes as high as 25ºC (78ºF) that's not that hot but I guess considering his clothes, it worked. I imagine it's not the healthies way to lose weight, but apparently Plush managed to lose it quickly.
It also has to do with the lack of training, I mean I don't know how much he trains on his own now, but with Mishin he trains around 5 +/- hours a day.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
It's not just the personalities in bringing back the old guard. How will non-Russian fans and non-Russian judges consider these former gold medalists.

Joe
 

Hsuhs

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
I can see why Russia would want to bring back its Oly winners, I don't see how Russia can afford such a trick though. Figure skaters are greedy nowadays (not that I blame them or anything).
 

Zanzibar

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 22, 2003
It doesn't matter what Piseev is saying, it doesn't matter what journalists are saying, and it doesn't even matter what old quotes taken 6 weeks ago, LOL, from agents are saying. It matters what the athletes WANT to do...and what they CAN do.

Plushenko wants to, and can do, so he probably will do.

Tat and Max can do, but don't really want to do, so they're a maybe.

Others? All depends on what they CAN do.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland

Yagudin still has hip problems.

T&M to discuss with Vassiliev

Plushenko needs assurances of his terms for a comeback.

There is talent in Russia. He should work on them. They could make a promising show in Vancouver. JMO

Joe


I think that in men´s skating Russia desperately needs Plushenko to come back. Besides, as others have pointed out, he never went away, just took a year off. Yagudin went away and became a pro, I don´t see him as any option at all.

For Worlds 2008 Russia has only one slot, as far as I remember. Plushenko is needed to get Russia another slot for 2009 Worlds and 2010 Olympics... For 2008 Europeans there are two slots, so one of the new talent is able to participate. It was unfortunate that Alexander Uspenski was injured last season and was not able to participate in Europeans or Worlds. Based on Eislauffan´s report on recent "Stars of 2014" show at

http://www.figureskating-online.com/pageID_4597729.html

he is better now and told Eislauffan that " his 3A has become very consistent in practice and that he has been landing 4T and 4S".
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I watched the second tier skaters on youtube and many of them have great promise. I think one of them could be Oly material for a medal anyway.

If Plushenko skates this season and gets on the podium, then 3 places will be available for 2009. Too close for the 2nd tier skaters to have enough experience I think for the long run, Lutai should be given the chance to acquire more experience (after Tokyo). He's good and so are a few others.

Joe
 

Kelly22

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
What? Oh, that's just the cage I keep him in. Kidding!!!!!
Ha, ha, ha...you wish! GREAT photos!!! Love them all but my favorite of the latest group is the white shirt. Amazing collection, obviously taken with love...
 
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