Curious to see who your podium picks are considering how many talented men there are in the field. I could have added more men to the list, but I only had 10 slots to work with.
Evgeni Plushenko
Stephane Lambiel
Patrick Chan
Brian Joubert
Daisuke Takahashi
Nobunari Oda
Evan Lysacek
Takahiko Kozuka
Tomas Verner
Jeremy Abott
Curious to see who your podium picks are considering how many talented men there are in the field. I could have added more men to the list, but I only had 10 slots to work with.
Last edited by vmfan89; 09-15-2009 at 12:00 AM.
you should probably have added an other... we don't know who made the teams yet!
Where the hell is Weir?
I wanted to add Weir, as well as others, but like I said earlier, you can only put 10 slots maximum.
This is way too tough to call, much more so than the ladies.
I will say that the people I expect to see on the podium are not the ones I want to see, namely Joubert, Lysacek, and Chan. I will also add that Lambiel and Takahashi have legitimate shots at a medal, I think.
I would absolutely love for the podium to consist of any 3 from Lambiel, Abbott, Verner, Takahashi, Kozuka, and Ponsero.
For betting purposes, I would say the podium will consist of 3 from Joubert, Takahashi, Chan, and Lambiel. I really don't want to put Lysacek. Where's a big YAWN emoticon when you need it?
Last edited by museksk8r; 09-15-2009 at 03:02 PM.
The ones I think that will be on the podium and the ones I wish are totally different, poor Kozuka, nobody chose him so I voted for him...
I really like Kozuka too, but never say never he could win a medal. He's still young though, so even if he doesn't get it this time, he could get it next time around. I'm sure he'll end up on the world podium someday.Originally Posted by seniorita
Who do I think will be there- Plushenko, Joubert, and Takahashi (or possibly Lysacek). Who do I want- Weir, Lambiel, and Chan.
I voted for Plush, Joubert and Lambiel. However, I really doubt that the podium will be a 100% European one.
I really wish that the podium could have four spots. Too hard to choose.
I think Plushenko is a serious contender if he keeps his health. Joubert, no doult, is a gold medal contender. Takahashi is an all around skater. I think he will show his best at this Olympics which might be his last one. Lambiel is a star. I think he could win if he really wants to. Chan is a strong contender for the bronze with or without quad. Verner could steal the show if he could control his nerve. Lysacek is steadfast, but I don't think, nor do I want, him to be above these skaters. (Well, maybe not Verner because Lysacek has been in front of Verner all the time in recent years.) Oda is a long shot. Weir doesn't have a chance to be on the podium (sorry to all Weir fans), nor does Abbott.
So I chose: Joubert, Plushenko, and Takahashi.
If the podium had four spots, I would choose Joubert, Plushenko, Lambiel, and Takahashi.
All those talks are based on everything goes smooth as expected. If the unexpected things happened, who knows who will be on the podium? The last thing I want to see is a quadless Olympics gold medalist, no matter who he is.
Last edited by jennylovskt; 09-18-2009 at 03:38 PM.
I'm such a follower... my votes are: Joubert, Plushenko, and Takahashi - in this order.
Brian will either win it all or steal the show with something dramatic happening. Like a proposing to me from center ice following a perfect quad... ahh... a girl can dream...
I voted for Chan, Takahashi and Lysacek....
I'm not convinced that Plushenko's actually gonna make the Olympics. This might be my own lack of knowledge, but I don't know if his body will be able to withstand rigours of training COP programs to be (gold) medal worthy. Additionally, I question his drive here. With other comebacks, I see the athletes as trying to rewrite history a little bit and get that extra bit of Olympic glory (Cohen, S/Z). With Plushenko, there's nothing to rewrite - he's got two Olympics medals, several world medals... I just don't see why he's coming back (or more accurately, the reason I think he's coming back - to boost Russia's profile in skating at the Olympics - doesn't seem like it'd be a strong impeteus). Of course, truth be told, I don't know the full extent of his injuries.
Lambiel... similarly, I don't know if he can withstand the rigours of training to be COP medal ready.
So for the non-returnees, I went with Takahashi, Chan and Lysacek. Admittedly (at least with the first two) I was swayed by who I want to see and who I don't. But, from the rest of the candidates (and yeah, I think the top three will come from the above list).... Verner's a bit of a headcase and extremely unpredictable. I don't think I could ever predict him for a medal, but he's also talented enough to win. Kozuka and Oda are also great skaters, but with their chase for the elusive quad, they don't do as well on the PCS as they could. Also Oda has problems counting/muscle memory. Abbott is a bit too inconsistent as well, and always seems to peak earlier in the season.
So now it's four. Given that Joubert's been the most consistent skater this quadrennial in any discipline (and along with Belbin/Agosto, the most medalled COP skater ever), it's probably rather stupid to leave him off (especially when you consider that the people I've voted for only beat him by one medal when combined - a bronze). And it's especially stupid if you consider Takahashi's injury/surgery and we don't know how strong when he comes back. But the arguments (rationalizations) I have for those three sway me more.
Heart: Lambiel, Weir, Verner
Brain: Plushenko, Joubert, Chan
The mens is going to be the toughest one to predict, I think. Especially this ealy when we don't even know who's going yet (it's hard not to resist making a poll though, I know! I almost did myself!) My best guess, as of right now is:
1. Pleshenko (sigh - althought he is phenominal)
2. Joubert
3. Takahashi ???? (3rd could really go a whole bunch of different ways...)
I would like the podium to look like this (although it'll probably just remain in my dreams...):
1. Lysacek
2. Chan
3. Takahashi
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