Plushenko's health issues spring 2012 | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Plushenko's health issues spring 2012

DianaSelene

Medalist
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
I think multiple retirements and come backs are more common than people might think.

Not only Plushy but Lambiel also came back in 2010 Olympics. Remember Michael Jordan? He is equally or perhaps more legendary than Plushy; Jordan's comeback and pursuit of former glory died hard.

Among tennis players, Kim Clijsters, Justin Henin, Lindsey Davenport all mounted come-backs with various degree of successes. I've once heard from "legendary" John McEnroe that many athletes wouldn't know what to do after retirement. Those are highly competitive and driven people who pursued a single goal with intensity for sustained amount of time. Not many other live pursuits provide that level of intensity and gratification, I suppose, as least to those athletes.

Yes, but that does not take away Plushenko's status as legendary. Plus, you are talking about how athletes return in other sports. But what other figure skater in history has gotten a gold and two silvers and with gruesome injuries tries and tries to return yet again.
 

CARA

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 16, 2009
Country
United-States
Yes, but that does not take away Plushenko's status as legendary. Plus, you are talking about how athletes return in other sports. But what other figure skater in history has gotten a gold and two silvers and with gruesome injuries tries and tries to return yet again.

I would like to make myself clear: I mean no disrespect to Plushy; his achievement and iron will to come back in the face of overwhelming injuries are truly remarkable. I have no intention to take away his unique accomplishment.

Still, Kim Clijsters, for instance, won a grand slam (US Open), which probably was an equivalent of, or similar to, an Oly gold medal for pro tennsi player, at the time she retired. Kim then married and had a child. She then came back as an even more successful career (three more gland slam titles) woman!

As far as I know, Kim is the only come back player with even more successful career the second time around. And she did it as a working mother. I don't know about you, but Kim's feat to me is just as remarkable.

Also, Michael Jordan did a brief stint into minor baseball to honor his murderd father's wishes. His second and third come back (just like Plusy attempts to do) as an NBA player is more substantial.
 

DianaSelene

Medalist
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
I would like to make myself clear: I mean no disrespect to Plushy; his achievement and iron will to come back in the face of overwhelming injuries are truly remarkable. I have no intention to take away his unique accomplishment.

Still, Kim Clijsters, for instance, won a grand slam (US Open), which probably was an equivalent of, or similar to, an Oly gold medal for pro tennsi player, at the time she retired. Kim then married and had a child. She then came back as an even more successful career (three more gland slam titles) woman!

As far as I know, Kim is the only come back player with even more successful career the second time around. And she did it as a working mother. I don't know about you, but Kim's feat to me is just as remarkable.

Also, Michael Jordan did a brief stint into minor baseball to honor his murderd father's wishes. His second and third come back (just like Plusy attempts to do) as an NBA player is more substantial.

And I have nothing against Kim Clijsters or Michael Jordan. Each one is a great in his own field.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I wouldnt call Lambiel's comeback as coming back from retirement comeback, even if he announced retirement in between, cause he missed a season due to the injury, something Daisuke did also that same season. Nevertheless however you call it, it doesnt take away both comebacks and the oustanding results they had in 2009-2010 season.
There is no reason to compare athletes, each one has their own story to inspire. And how much inspiring was the comeback of Elena Berezhnaya after brain surgery..
There are less famous comeback stories than MJordan. Kyle Shewfelt in Gymnastics broke both his legs one year before 2008 Olympics but he came back. Mila Marinova had a break of 8-9 years before coing back to rythmic gymnastics again. My fav comeback of other sports is Dara Torres.

Wasnt there an american swimmer who said in Bejing that as he was competing and watched the bottom of the pool he realised that that was all he was doing in his life, lost concentration and lost the competition?

Do you think all these athletes are having meaningless lives outside their sport or nothing better to do? Thats like mere mortals thinking. I dont think I can enter and explain those people's mindset but I can admire them.
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
It doesn't matter the sport, competition is about winning, being the best you can be, and beating the other guy or girl that is your rival. Your glorious Olympic moment on the podium, or wherever. Plushenko's team may be setting us up a bit. "Evgeni the bionic skater will now have spinal surgery. Expect him to recover, as afterall, he expects to be on the podium in Sochi." People lie all the time in skating about their injuries to avoid a competiton, or not to let their real problems be known to competitors. Or to look heroic. Good PR. Look at Flatt re last years Worlds. Surprising for me that Flatt and her team did it that way.

Remember how people reverently spoke of Irina when she came back after such illness? Fluff peices really helped her with national audiences and maybe with judges. But someone with spinal injury for real in much pain would not risk living in hell (and it is hell I can assure you) for a bronze medal. Bronze medal. Why would he care about a bronze medal at this point? If Plush has significant injury and risks, we may well have his Euros as his last great skate. I personally was very disappointed to see Yags unable to compete after SLC and see him doing programs with SOI on with Kings with no great jumping. It was part of what made him the champion he was. Like watching Elvis without the jumps. Just no fun.

I pray for your Dad, Toni and wish him well.

One great skating comeback not mentioned Hong Bo Zhao after blowing his achilles tendon. It is amazing what he did. I would retire. Seriously, Patrick at this rate is already unbeatable. So a perfect Plush could get bronze. I don't expect Patrick to melt down in his second Olympics. I guess we will see how much longer and if Evgeni skates, and if he goes to Sochi for the glory. At his age and stage, it has to be one day at a time. Hanyu if healthy is the the spolier, I truly believe that. I just expect amazing skating from him, and he has killer instinct. Dai is already eclipsed, I feel.

As for thinking that this Olympics may have a judging scandal, I think it more likely than 2006, the Oly Torino, or the 2010 Oly in Canada, figureskating was under much scrutiny after Salt lake when evrryone knew about skategate. I think the placements were perfect in skating last two Olympics. Judges behaved well. The only result some might have debated in ladies were that Mirai skated lights out and deserved the bronze. But Joannie skated well enough to earn it, and how could they have placed her fourth? I never looked at the protocols, but one never yells wazrobbed when North America sat there sobbing. And a sophisticated home girl could make a couple errors and still easily place over a perfect newcomer in this system. If Mirai were our national Champion for a couple years and hd rep points, she might have placed third. Only a perfect Michelle Kwan with a CoP program could have taken the bronze from Joannie. So I think the skating judges have been perfect at the last two Olympics. I only expected Mao to score closer to Yuna, but I wasn't counting points or reading about CoP then.

It seems even ice dance has become so much better/more fairly judged by far. It was fixed for so long. I don't want to be cheeky but I expect some sort of problem with the judged sports and something controversial in skating, perhaps in 2014. I expected it in Bejing, and i wasn't "disappointed." Just call it a hunch. I hope I'm wrong, but I expect drama. Evgeni may be the source, or a female russian skater. I feel team Russia feels they can have two to three gold medals in figure skating alone. They sure are doing all they can to make it happen after their huge Vancouver disappointments.:cool:
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
One more tennis player I'd like to mention is Evonne Goolagong. I don't remember exactly how much time she spent off the court, but she won Wimbledon for the first time at the age of 19 and then didn't win Wimbledon again until she was thirty, after having a child. I think she was the only mother to win Wimbledon in the modern era--is she still? Quite a comeback, in any case. She was always one of my favorite players.

Like the other posters, I don't bring this up to detract from Plushy's reputation but because it's so interesting to think about all of these athletes who have beaten the odds. Seniorita, I agree that Dara Torres may have set the record for reviving a career. I think she's trying for this upcoming Olympics, too. What is she, 46 years old? You go, girl!
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Toni, I also wanted to say good luck for your dad's surgery, I forgot to say that getting caught up in this back surgery talk. Hopefully this is a case of Plushy's team bluffing and trying to build up a great comeback narrative for Sochi. I think with the home field advantage that Chan will have to out-jump Plushenko to beat him; the judges are not going to take Evgeny out on PCS, not in Russia.
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Toni, I also wanted to say good luck for your dad's surgery, I forgot to say that getting caught up in this back surgery talk. Hopefully this is a case of Plushy's team bluffing and trying to build up a great comeback narrative for Sochi. I think with the home field advantage that Chan will have to out-jump Plushenko to beat him; the judges are not going to take Evgeny out on PCS, not in Russia.
Patrick and Dai will have to get all their jumps ready. What an exciting Sochi! (Assuming Patrick and Dai still intend to skate in two years' time) :)
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
All because at sixteen he was stupid and didn't wear a seatbelt and he and his buddy went joyriding... and he played hard after that too... still does, except now his body has just said "NO MORE!"
Toni, when one is young, one often think one is invincible. Can't blame your dad. It is when age catches up that one mayl ponder in hindsight the folly of youth. Hope your dad recovers well and fast. You just have to keep reminding him that he's human and he has to take of himself in order to share quality time with you all/loved ones/family.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I know sports psychlogy and the mind games, but I wouldnt wish for anyone to have Irina's disease so that she cant get pitty marks from judges in her comeback. I m sure she didnt plan for it either.
And Plushenko's health issues were not sth new, especially his back and knee date since 2005. I dont know what they did to him at free Euros skate but a look at his Q round, his skate was a mess.
Anyway I saw today a Mishin interview but it dates before the surgery, and contrary to press article he looks very calm and not so worrying, so I guess it is not such a big injury as it was indicated. I post here part of translation.
http://www.sovsport.ru/gazeta/article-item/510678
Zhenya's health status is very good. We just want to get rid of the effects of old injuries. This is a prolonged return. Now everything is different, than it was before the Olympics in Vancouver. The second return of Plushenko is designed for several seasons. And to be he looked worthily during these seasons on the ice, the body should be a little repair. We had time for that, because Zhenya not participate this year on world championship. He has whole three months to recover. Next year, due to the team world championship, such a pause in his schedule will not be. Here we have used free time, to be - once again I emphasize - preventively eliminate his weak points, accumulated over many years. And how could it be otherwise, if a man for twenty years, jumping complex multi-turns jumps? It would be strange, if anything would not hurt him.

- Alexei Nikolaevich, however, coming two operations ...
- I'm not sure, that there will be two. For now, we are talking only about arthroscopy: Zhenya's meniscus is splited, and we will work carefully with the German surgeons. With hernia, we will be dealing after meniscal repair. It is possible that there will be no surgery, but we will treat him with conservative treatment. So I beg you not to escalate the situation: Plushenko's the spine will not be cut up, and the leg will not be cut off. I would be very grateful, if you could write just that.

- But you will agree that 5 painkillers injections, which "raised" Zhenya' in the free program at the European Championships in Sheffield, is not associated with the image of a healthy person.
- And how could it be otherwise, if the person, I repeat again, twenty years jumping complex multi-turns jumps? It does not add to his health. In Sheffield, Plushenko looked like a cucumber :)laugh:), and everybody saw it. Five painkillers injections - it just seems scary. In fact, his performance did not fall under the bar "at the risk of life." We knew exactly, that his meniscus will not be blocked. So I particularly and do not worried.
If I started worrying about what can happen, think about the bad things, it will be passed to Zhenya. If he have the same thoughts, he would inform me. And what would be gained from it? Nothing good. And so - I was calm. And Zhenya was calm.
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
LOL Seniorita. Your translation had me in stitches. I don't mean to be rude but I find these very very funny. " In Sheffield, Plushenko looked like a cucumber " :rofl:Can you explain why cucumber? I have heard of 'cool as cucumber' but sick as cucumber? or maybe they mean green as cucumber? I did try to imagine Plushy looking like cucumber. :laugh:
"Plushenko's the spine will not be cut up, and the leg will not be cut off". Honestly Seniorita, did they say really mean that? That's butchering.
You make my day.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
^ I m not offended, but google translation might be offended. :)
I dont know if the original text says something different. My russian are limited to My name is Seniorita, Where is the metro, I want to eat blinis, etc..

Yes cucumber was funny, I dont know what he meant, Mishin is always speaking metaphorically.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Toni, I hope everything goes well with your dad. It's interesting to realize that two activities have led to great advantages in medicine: war and sports. These days, doctors can do things that look almost like magic. Microsurgery and better diagnostic tools have led to such things as being able to operate on newborns with hearts the size of a walnut, and tissue repair in virtually every part of the body. There are still no guarantees, but some procedures have a better chance of success these days.
 

koatcue

Medalist
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Country
Russia
LOL Seniorita. Your translation had me in stitches. I don't mean to be rude but I find these very very funny. " In Sheffield, Plushenko looked like a cucumber[/B] " :rofl:Can you explain why cucumber? I have heard of 'cool as cucumber' but sick as cucumber? or maybe they mean green as cucumber? I did try to imagine Plushy looking like cucumber. :laugh:
"Plushenko's the spine will not be cut up, and the leg will not be cut off". Honestly Seniorita, did they say really mean that? That's butchering.
You make my day.


As it was already mentioned, Mishin utilizes many stylistic devices in his speech ^^ The comparison to cucumber means that he is "fresh",ready to compete...

And those sentences about his leg...he uses some everyday expressions,not slang but smth like that)) I hope I made sense =)
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Anyone knows if it was knee surgery or back surgery?
A knee one. After Euros he said that a knee surgery will take place on 23rd instead of 21st as it was originally planned. He twittered he has been sleeping all day after anesthesia. Earlier he mentioned that the final decision about a back surgery will be made later, after the examination. I assume after he will finally wake up :)! The Russian press reported that his wife Yana is going to Munich to him today.
 

Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
A knee one. After Euros he said that a knee surgery will take place on 23rd instead of 21st as it was originally planned. He twittered he has been sleeping all day after anesthesia. Earlier he mentioned that the final decision about a back surgery will be made later, after the examination. I assume after he will finally wake up :)! The Russian press reported that his wife Yana is going to Munich to him today.

Thanks so much for the info!!! Wish him all the best!!! Whatever the decision maybe, whether you could comeback or not, stay healthy, Evgeni!!!!!
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Plushenko - surgery and his destiny

I hope Plushenko does what Plushenko wants to do after recovering - hopefully 100%. I don't want the Russian Federation to make up his mind as to whether he tries for Sochi or not. I would prefer him not to peter out or fade out badly like Stoijko, Hughes, Butyrskaya or even Kwan or absolute worst - Fumie Suguri. He has a great competitive spirit - like him or not.

Some general comments. The poster who suggested WItt came back in 1994 for the sake of her parents. That's maybe what she says but it was pretty clear she liked the limelight. And I am not a fan of Patrick Chan especially some of his comments but he is a pretty good skater. I am not sure he is overscored so much. He is amazing when it comes to the skating skills and inbetweens. Besides Lambiel use to score amazingly well with mistakes too for similar performances though Patrick's skating skills are better than Lambiel and the underrated Jeffrey Buttle. I do admit I prefer the more dramatic and outwardly passionate performances of Takahashi but he is pretty good artistically. And as for "inflation" compared to Evan Lysacek or Carolina Kostner now I think the pcs could be questioned more with them. I have to say Evan has a style like Witt - flamboyant and all his own - they command attention and control the ice - not the other way around though technically Plushy was better.
 

yaya124

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
I am not saying his life is meaningless, but he is a skater who cannot seem to stay in retirement, Seniorita, would you dispute that? He is a skater, a champion, it is his life's work, and clearly, he does not find show skating or ANYTHING else so far fulfilling enough to let go.

Only Sochi ie Russia makes this even possible for him. Home country skaters often get points. And there might be cheating as there always is in the judged sports, a little help from this judge, from that ally? We look for fairness. If he can skate well enough, I'd love to see him get bronze which is the best he can hope for, especially with this news, and he will need help.

Why can he not retire happily after 3 Olympic medals, 3 WC's countless Gp, Euros, Russians? Clearly skating is EVERYTHING to him. Look at his actions, words after Vancouver. He felt quad should equal Gold medal (he's not alone of course.)

I know you and Nadine would take a bullett for this guy, but what did I say that is wrong? He still feels he must prove himself or he feels life without competition is flavorless. Look at what he is willing to do to his body to skate in Sochi? Who else has tried this -who would but Plushenko? Comp skating and winning is his passion. One way or another he will have to walk away from the ice for good someday. I like seeing him skate, but I wonder if there is another season after the surgeries.

To compete at homeland is probably once in a life time opportunity. That is the dream for every althete in the world. This is nothing to do with extra points from judges. Sure the host country will have some advantage, but that is not what athletes pursue. What they pursue is to reach the glory in front of their own people on their homeland. If Plushenko feels that he can still make it, why not? He expressed this wish even before his first comeback. This is nothing new but more serious now of course. PS: he said after the EC that after 2014 Olympics he will stop competing. He knows the limit, but not trying to skate at homeland Olympics that is simply not him.

Anyway, sincerely wish him could recover well from the surgeries, and be able to do what he likes the most-figure skating.
 
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