Plushenko Wins Fourth European Championship

So let me see -- if my memory about Plushy's record is correct, he is using calender year 2005 to go after fourths -- he has won 2 (4th GPF title; 4th Euro title) and is going for a third (4th World title)

Is anyone surprised at this result?

Joe

Only surprised at

Only surprised at Joubert's ability to fend off Lindeman and Lambiel.
Linny

Surprised at Lambiel's poor FS. He is among my favorite skaters, whereas I never liked Lindemann - his skating just doesn't do anything for me.

I was really thinking of the surprise for lst place. Did anyone doubt that would happen?

No doubt for me...

Like his style or not, Plush overall is such a leader of the pack, that I think he would have to have a disasterous skate to lose. To bad, because I sure love a tight competition. But you have to admire him.

I'm interested to see Joubert's program as it sounds much improved over previous renditions this season. And I also hope we get to see SOMETHING of Lambiel on the TV coverage (though I doubt it). I hope he can put a full LP together for world's. THAT will be interesting!

DG

Linny said:

Only surprised at Joubert's ability to fend off Lindeman and Lambiel.
Linny

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Whatever about Lambiel, Brian's program was much better than Lindeman's. They both have good technical content but as repressed as it is, Brian's presentation and interpretation is much better than Lindemanns IMO.
And Brian did not fend off Lambiel, Lambiel shot himself in the foot by trying to put in a second quad late in the program to try and push up his technical marks, because apparently the later in the program you put in a quad or a triple the higher the tariff. And unfortunately he popped it and allowed it to affect the rest of his jumps.
Granted IMO if Lambiel had skated clean then he would have been miles ahead of Brian and would have beaten him, and rightly so as overall he is the stronger artistic skater of the two by a large margin and he has more in his technical repertoire as far as spins, footwork etc go.

Joesitz said:

I was really thinking of the surprise for lst place. Did anyone doubt that would happen?

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Plushenko lost twice last year after he looked unbeatable until the GPF freak loss to Sandhu. I did not assume this year that he would win. He placed 2nd after the SP so there was the possibility that Joubert could actually win again.

Joesitz said:

I was really thinking of the surprise for lst place. Did anyone doubt that would happen?

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Before the event started I though that even if Joubert was close after the SP, Plush FS was going to make the big difference between the two of them. After Plush lost the SP (he lost 7 points for his combo!!!), since the difference was so small and considering how he did at GPF, I though this was going to be easy; and it wasn't the case. After the FS and reading the interviews he did, I think that he was really close to a meltdown, because it seems he got really nervous after losing the SP (he had not lose a SP since Olys!) because Evgeni said that he called his mom to calm him down and then Mishin said that what he did is that he (Mishin) brough the protocols of the SP and showed them to Evgeni and told him "they can't beat you!" (of course he mentions he showed him Andrei, Stefan and Stephane scores), So I think Brian came very close to beating Evgeni again.

So I did not had a doubt of Plush winning before Euros happened, but after the event was over, I'm very surprised he won, very happy but surprised and relieved. I'm not talking about the performance itself (because it was brilliant!! especially his face before the circular footwork as if saying "I'm winning it and there nothing is going to stop me!!) but as the previous to it, then again I should have imagine it since Evgeni is used to the pressure.

And yay 4GPF, 4 Euros and now going to 4 Worlds!