Remarkable Demonstrations of Mental Strength

[gmyers]

I'd say Plushenko showed remarkable mental strength for most of his very long career. Love him or hate him, he has a tough mind.

100% true! So many clean performances and dramatic rebounds when he made errors like in slc sp.

COR I/Z 2014. S/K and Zueva PR machine in full swing. As per Zueva, "At COC they achieved their maximum, well done. They did the best that they could do." The media onslaught was gynormous. Then I/Z made Zueva eat crow first during practices (the pictures of her face looking at I/Z were priceless) and then to deliver that phenomenal performance right after S/K. This memory will remain with me for a long time.

Very true. Now I/z are going to worlds and s/k are a B team. They were supposed to be I/z not a universiade nebelhorn team cup of russia host pick hopefuls. They hope to be chosen for cup of Russia this year and nebelhorn and Finlandia. I/z are mentally strong.

Oksana baiul too. Having that collision skating on injections.

 

[Perdita]

I've already mentioned Mao and Yuzuru earlier, but Midori at 1991 Worlds just came to my mind. I didn't watch it in real time (It's the month and year I was born!) but it's the epic performance in which she kept on delivering after crashing into cameras over the board. And IIRC before that performanace, she had had a surgery a month ago and had collided with another skater during 6 min practice cutting her boot or something. After crashing into cameras, she bounced back (literally) and performed as if nothing happened. Incredible.

 

[Buttercup]

What Joannie Rochette was able to do in Vancouver is astounding. I don't think anything else can come close to skating in a sport that demands precision, focus and performance skills and to knock it out of the park while dealing with what she did.

In terms of skating under pressure in less tragic circumstances:
- Yuna Kim in Vancouver. The amount of pressure on her was off the charts and she was flawless.
- Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison returning to competition the month after their awful accident at 2007 4CC
- Sarah Meier at 2011 Euros, last to skate on home ice in her final event after a career riddled with injuries. Wow.
- In 2007, Brian Joubert came into Worlds undefeated on the season, a month removed from a foot injury, and with a history of either screwing up or just missing out, and he totally delivered. He looked so relieved skating off the ice after the LP.

Plushenko gets a career achievement award.

 

[LittleLotte29]

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo in 2003 Worlds, epic! One of the greatest performances of all time

YES.

I also totally agree on Sarah Meier and Joannie Rochette. They both were so moving. And maybe it doesn't fit here utterly, but I would say that one of the most Remarkable Demonstrations of Mental Strength was the performance of Team Unique at 2013 Synchronized Skating Championships. 4th after SP, last to go, with a one in the million chance to get gold and prove that they are the best Finnish team - and the best team in the world. And their reaction afterwards... so nice to watch :agree:

 

[iceberg]

Mao doing two triple axels, with one in combination, in the long program of Vancouver right after hearing all that loud applause and world record score for Yuna. Historic in its own right. That whole Olympics was just a remarkable time for figure skating, so many special performances.

I will never ever forget this. How her triple axel instantly became shadowed just like that after the crowd went wild on Yuna's LP. To think she successfully landed 2 consecutively. But how this achievement was perceived was very unworthy and undeserving.

Yuna on the other hand is a no stranger to mental toughness. She always has that mind of steel.

 

[plushyfan]

I'd say Plushenko showed remarkable mental strength for most of his very long career. Love him or hate him, he has a tough mind.

Plushenko showed remarkable mental strength in his very long career. The best competitor... without " love him or hate him"......

 

[LittleLotte29]

Yes, Mao, Yuna and Plushy are all wonderful, great skater with great mental strength.
I want to mention Volosozhar and Trankov's free skating in Nice, at 2012 World's Championships. After SP disaster they returned to shape and showed one of their greatest performances ever

 

[Sandpiper]

I think Machida at 2014 Worlds also showed an incredible amount of mental strength. Skating at his first (and only ) World championships, at home, he delivers a clean SP... and then proceeds to shake off the pressure and deliver a clean LP too.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Plushenko showed remarkable mental strength in his very long career. The best competitor... without " love him or hate him"......

To be that consistent must take tons of mental toughness. His choreo hasn't exactly been the best but his jumping consistency - which lets all admit is the hardest aspect of figure skating - was remarkably strong. You wonder if he ever even feels pressure because he's always showed confidence and it's almost a shock in the rare instances he didn't deliver. Ironically he's made silly mental errors on his easy elements that he doubles (kinda like Chan and his 2A), but who cares when you can reel off quads and 3As with such reliability.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Oh and of course Rochette... Particularly that SP. I never cry at sports moments but that one was a tear jerker.

Also kudos to Radford at 4CC when Duhamel broke his nose at the beginning of their short-program and they still skated so well.

 

[karne]

Plushenko has a will of iron. It's incredible. You get the impression that the stadium could collapse around him and he would still turn in a clean performance, unfazed.

There's no other skater ever like it.

 

[kinoriH]

Yes, Mao, Yuna and Plushy are all wonderful, great skater with great mental strength.
I want to mention Volosozhar and Trankov's free skating in Nice, at 2012 World's Championships. After SP disaster they returned to shape and showed one of their greatest performances ever

not only that. Their LP in sochi was quite something considering the pressure they were under.
I can also note their LP from Worlds 2011 when nobody actually knew what to expect from them yet they delivered a fantastic routine in from of a home crowd.
These two are one of the mentally toughest couples.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

this..

back to back clean performances after back to back clean performances in vancouver olympics.. she never crumbled.. last skater.. for OGM.. never crumbled.. with the whole judging and the stingy atmosphere never crumbled..

if you want to demonstrate mental strength in the biggest event i'll put yuna at the top because of the pressure that she will always carry..

I agree. 4 clean, tremendously powerful programs on Olympic ice. Unbelievable mental strength.
( and as the commentators said before her Vancouver LP, that Yuna wrote in her book of poems, that if she falls, her entire country may turn their backs to her, which is nuts but that just is an example of the pressure she was under)
As for her Sochi programs, to skate so clean when the Russian audience was downright rude and obnoxious with their cheering and jeering throughout all the skating events.

I also agree with others that Moa's LP was spectacular.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

How about Michelle Kwan in 2003 worlds?
It seemed all her critics were writing her off after 2002 Olympics. She skated her LP & blew the roof off the building.

 

[Sandpiper]

How about Michelle Kwan in 2003 worlds?
It seemed all her critics were writing her off after 2002 Olympics. She skated her LP & blew the roof off the building.

2004 Worlds LP as well, when a streaker interrupted her before she could skate. She still delivered a near-clean performance.

And people ask why the US hasn't produced a champion like her since... it's all between the ears.

 

[cruzceleste]

And people ask why the US hasn't produced a champion like her since... it's all between the ears.

This, I think that US have had and has great young skaters but for some reason they don´t develope good competitors nerves and often lose in the moment of true.

I think Evan Lysacek and Ashley (most of the time) are the skaters from US than are better at handle the nerves.

 

[yhmafan]

Mao’s Sochi LP by far the best.

Without doubt most of top skaters are mentally tough that is why they are there and I do agree with most of you guys.

Since every sport needs strong contenders who are pushing their sports to higher levels without fearing to fail.
I would rather praise their challenger spirits and the kind of athletes like Plushenko, Hanyu and Midori Ito so on….
(not to mention if they had not done difficult jumps such as 3A, quad in competitions, they could have done clean more. but clean is not everything)

 

[uhh]

Speaking of humiliation- Elena actually knew before the WC that Nikita plans to leave her but she still went to worlds with him.
Talk about mental strength.

She actually did it twice - it got less coverage, but before the FD at worlds in 2012 journalists started reporting on his tryout with Khokhlova & saying that he was leaving. But both years she went out and skated her part perfectly.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

2004 Worlds LP as well, when a streaker interrupted her before she could skate. She still delivered a near-clean performance.

And people ask why the US hasn't produced a champion like her since... it's all between the ears.

Yes, that is another good example, talk about throwing off your concentration! That was so weird. That whole worlds was surreal for Michelle,the streaker and the dinging her for her for going over her time in the SP. it's almost as if they were trying to send her a message, (but that is another thread).
But yes, it takes some mental toughness to get over such a distraction so quickly and still go out and skate a near flawless LP, not a lot of skaters can do that.

 

[AsadaFanBoy]

Mao Asada's epic Sochi FS.

That free skate is timeless. I had an exam that day and had to watch it on dvr. Start to finish, it was timeless.