Yagudin couldn't believe he won!
That's certainly true for me. I'd totally forgotten the circumstances, all I really remember from 2000 Worlds is the gala, which had some fun performances (also, I think there was a dog on the ice at some point). I didn't get to see any of the 2000-1 season having lost Eurosport for a year, so the next time I saw Yagudin skate it was at 2002 Euros, with his Winter SP which was clearly not a meltdown. 2002 Euros were excellentYagudin totally bombed his performance and left the door wide open for Plushenko, but then Plushy came out and did even worse.
This was the championship about which Yagudin later said, that's OK, no one will remember how bad I skated, they will just remember who won.
. 
And Yagudin's remark after he won over Sasha Abt and all agreed he should not have, was that 'my name (Yagudin) will be on the list of gold medals at Euros, and that is all that matters.' or something to that effect.Yeah, that was a heartbreaker for Plushenko fans. Evgeny could have become the youngest men's champion ever.
Yagudin totally bombed his performance and left the door wide open for Plushenko, but then Plushy came out and did even worse.
This was the championship about which Yagudun later said, that's OK, no one will remmeber how bad I skated, they will just remember who won.
I thought Abt was amazing at 2002 Euros; one more reason why that year was great. I loved his SP, it was just beautiful - the music worked, the choreography was very good and it really suited his style of skating. I actually remember the SPs from that event better than the LPs.
The one thing to remember is that this was 6.0, which was more reputation based than what we have now (not that the problem has been fixed by any means). Abt was the no. 3 Russian, and as such his chances of placing ahead of Yagudin and Plushenko were small, barring a true meltdown by those guys. Also, at SLC, Abt didn't perform his SP as well as he did at Euros. Of the jumps, only the combination looked really good, the other jump landings were not very clean or controlled. The step sequences, however, were gorgeous. I don't care if some of it was two-footed - that's how you use upper body movement without the arm-flailing and tripping over the skates choreo. Current skaters, watch and learn.
(even without arm flailing
)
I think he was an unlucky skater, all this injuries and maybe he was born on wrong decade, what if his eligible years were now?
Elanna, the interview was here i think translated, he had said his regrets that he doesnt have a gold medal apart from nationals, he didnt refer to euros or any other competition, it was me who referred to euros 2002 because I thought this was the time he was close to a gold medal, in Salt Lake he didnt miss the Gold so I think he didnt have that competition in mind when speaking about a gold that eluded his collection.
I loved Abt, he was in my top five men
And, Seniorita, about the 2000WC results in the mens, I personally think they were just great! Yag was a real Cavaradossi, wasn`t he? Just imaging: Yag-Cavaradossi was preparing himself to the death execution after terrible tortures he had only just suffered, how he could jump perfectly??!-he was DYING! And,right after that, came out somebody and started jumping merrily on the trembling feebly body!... I so loved the 2000 WC podium: Yag, Stojko Weiss! And NO Plushenko!!!
of course, of course..I meant his loss to Plushenko in the SP of course!
yes the results, they were just right and great, it was plush's total fault the meltdown, i didnt say the opposite
it is nice to have good memories, it must have been hard the years before and after 2000I so loved the 2000 WC podium: NO Plushenko!!!
I am sure that is not how Alexei wanted to win and I am sure that he thought Sasha Abt should have won but Alexei was not handing out the medals.
