Is Plushenko the best male skater who ever lived?

What is the criteria? Longevity? Number of titles? Impact on the sport? Scores? Elements? Artistry? He has everything...

#RaiSport2 Cinquanta: "#Plushenko deserves all our respect, he has given more to #figureskating than many other figureskaters put together". He said this in last month

In North America he is often diminished, but not elsewhere in the world. I'm brave to say he is the most well-known figure skater in history. More people know his name like Yuna's or Mao's etc, the media interest is bigger then with anyone else.

He is role model for many skaters, Hanyu said not once Plush is his hero, he started to skate because of him..Amodio also said this in yesterday. Han Yan also..
Verner, Lambiel, Weir, even Evan deeply respect him..

These are my considerations:

Number of titles: only major competitons: 1time Junior WCH(14 years), 10 times Russian Champ, 7 times Eu Champ, 3 times W Champ,1 time Olympic Ch, 2 times Olympic silver medalist, 4 times GPF gold medalist, other gold medals of GP, other medals of Eu, and WCh,he was 15 years old when he was 2. in senior EuCH and 3. in senior WCH.

Longevity: he won his first world bronze medal 1998, he was 15.

Dominance: I think it's unequivocal.

Impact on sport : I use Tomas Verner words: Last year he made his comeback by winning the Europeans’ in Sheffield… He is a skating legend. Evgeni is a great skater. He proved he really is a legend. He was a teenager when he started to win competitions, and year after year your are amazed by his consistency. He gave so much to figure skating. He is an incredible athlete.
another interview:. Personally, to me is difficult to find a better skater than Plushenko in the history of figure skating.
Daisuke in 2006:
"oh, my god,, there was a God,,",
I felt amazing aura,, he couldn't hide it" etc..

Impact on people: no doubt: "Plushenko has brilliant technique, overflowing grace and art, charisma and humour...and he is spectacular, amazing, incomparable, top quality... simply the best. It's difficult to find enough words to describe such a talent. oh, I forgot something? Yes! So powerful, yet so elegant, and just an utterly authoritative energy. He never fails to amaze. PLUSHENKO!"

" The God is exist-he is the proof"

Verner: And it's without mentioning of Evgeni Plushenko - probably the only one skater in the world, capable alone to filed full arena.


He has many fans in exotic countries..Mexico, Brasilia, Argentina, he has fans in India, Taiwan, in Arabic countries etc. and in Vatican! too she travelled to Pinzolo Plushy's training camp in last year.

Innovations : He landed the world first "Plushenko combination" 4-3-2 and 4-3-3, created beautiful and complex "Plushenko ring" spin. etc.

Artistry:
At the age of 16 Plush was the youngest skater to ever receive a perfect score of 6.0. He received a total of 75 6.0s before the new judging system was introduced, most of them are the artistry points.

Diversity: Bolero, Sex Bomb, Asissai, Nijinsky, Hafanana, St. Petersburg 300, Crazy Bird, Pasadena, Only You, Adagio, Tango and Flamenco, Godfather, Swan..need more?


This is a Canadian woman:
"I rest my point on jumps. I've seen literally thousands of hours of Plushenko skating over his career, and have done tons of biomechanical analyses of his and several skaters' jumps, spins, and footwork. Not only is he better than almost every other skater EVER in terms of his completeness in ALL aspects of skating, he's also eerily consistent. I think Plushenko does what's required of him, given the competition or performance standards. If you look at how he skated earlier in his career, he did what he did to maximize the 6.0 system. When we moved to IJS, he adjusted his performance to maximize THAT system (2006). And I've seen him in several ice shows where he rivaled John Curry in his artistry. An artistic athlete who can do whatever is required of him and still win gold (and hearts) is the champ!"

Dick Button's tweets yesterday:

Re: Plushenko. In my book, #PushDicksButton, I explain I only criticize skaters I think are really talented. (1/2) #Sochi2014

Plushenko has theater in his blood. That's why we watch and comment on him. (2/2) #PushDicksButton #Sochi2014 #figureskate

So ou really think he isn't the best because he is not perfect in spins? I don't know..

He is surely not, not even this competition here.
A good short program with some strange landing but good jump contents certainly doesn't make him the best.
Strange. After a 2nd place short program out of 10 competitors leaded to this question????

bigdeal said:

He is surely not, not even this competition here.
A good short program with some strange landing but good jump contents certainly doesn't make him the best.
Strange. After a 2nd place short program out of 10 competitors leaded to this question????

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Like some other champions Yagudin or Orser or Lysacek or Kulik or Stojko or Lambiel going to take first place yesterday in team short program. This shouldn't be in criteria because I'm very sure 20 years later Hanyu or Chan can't pass other younger skaters too.

Yes.

elif said:

Like some other champions Yagudin or Orser or Lysacek or Kulik or Stojko or Lambiel going to take first place yesterday in team short program. This shouldn't be in criteria because I'm very sure 20 years later Hanyu or Chan can't pass other younger skaters too.

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My "best ever" one's:
1.Curry
2.Yagudin
3.Cranston
4.Lambiel
5.Plushenko (nowdays officially Plyushchenko)-because of his longevity and competitivity, otherwise I prefer Kurt Browning in all the other criterias.

bigdeal said:

He is surely not, not even this competition here.
A good short program with some strange landing but good jump contents certainly doesn't make him the best.
Strange. After a 2nd place short program out of 10 competitors leaded to this question????

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bigdeal said:

My "best ever" one's:
1.Curry
2.Yagudin
3.Cranston
4.Lambiel
5.Plushenko (nowdays officially Plyushchenko)-because of his longevity and competitivity, otherwise I prefer Kurt Browning in all the other criterias.

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this is your personal list, of course.. everybody has a list.. and I'm sure for example Lambiel and Yagudin swap their place with Plushy on your list if they got his respects, results and admiration..

plushyfan said:

presentation?? http://www.kingonice.com/evgeni6-0.htm But Cinquanta said Plushy is the best skater in past II. WW era.

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Cinquanta? What does he know about figure?

Great/amazing competitor, but my greatest figure skaters would include Dick Button, Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Kurt Browning ...

HalfTriple said:

Cinquanta? What does he know about figure?

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nothing. but he is the ISU president and an IOC member. If he says something we can't ignore it..

He certainly is the most successful modern skater but when I think of individual performances that amazed me athletically and moved me emotionally. Skates that I'll watch over again, none are his. Kwan was the best at creating that magic for me, but Yagudin, Abbott, Lambiel, Buttle, and kozuka can too. Plushy never has for me

Yagudin is better

plushyfan said:

"oh, my god,, there was a God,,",
I felt amazing aura,, he couldn't hide it" etc..

" The God is exist-he is the proof"

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As others have said - he's the best competitor. Nothing phases him.

Best skater is too subjective.

Procrastinator said:

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Dai said this: "oh, my god,, there was a God,,",
I felt amazing aura,, he couldn't hide it" etc..


" The God is exist-he is the proof" this is a comment to this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEJXkfMYTX4

sorry if i was equivocal

louisa05 said:

I agree with assessment of him as the best jumper ever, but not best all around skater.

I was blown away by the height and ice coverage of his jumps when we saw him live from the second row at a COI tour in 2006. And he may have feline DNA because he seems to always land on his feet. I don't know of any other skater who can look so tilted or messed up in the air and still pull out a clean landing almost every time. His Vancouver free skate definitely showed off that ability. But nothing else about his skating has ever impressed me, not live or on television.

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In his peak about 10 years ago, Uncle Dick kept commenting on how insanely tilted his air positions were and how amazed he was that Plush could still land them. It was very rough on the ankles. Clearly, Plush had great edges that he didn't really maximize in his footwork sequences until COP required him to. Plush's ability to land jumps is more due to sheer grit and determination. He really abused himself physically as his frequent injuries show. His technique is excellent but it could have been more refined to the point that his jumps could have hurt his body less. He is probably the best competitor ever in figure skating. He's been landing quads for nearly 2 decades after many great skaters have come and gone. He really is the Michelle Kwan of Russia, a legend.

as I said I don't know who is the best skater..that's really too subjective. But the greates coaches are saying these opinions:

Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Arutunian "Plushenko is on a new level"
http://www.sport-express.ru/olympic14/figureskating/reviews/40863/
english translation on FSU
EV: What do you think of him?
RA: He is certainly no worse than he was in Vancouver or Torino. I would say it's a different quality. During the first two Olympics he was an ordinary athlete. I wouldn't call him a professional even though he won in Torino. Back then he was very consistent and could win even in a so so shape he was back then. Now it's a true professional.

EV: Was it different I don't think he would stay in figure skating for so long
RA: Exactly! He understands what is he doing and why. It's a rare in the sport. Though taking the current competition he might end up being far from the podium.

EV: I personally would love to see him competing in the personal event. Though agree, it's quite a risk.
RA: It's all about what does Pluschenko himself want. You saw how on the first day of the team event Jeremy Abbott was skating right after Pluschenko. He completely fell apart! For many skaters Pluschenko is a threat just by showing up in the competition. Perhaps it's a feeling he enjoys even more than the actual competition? If I were Pluschenko's coach I would ask him `What do you want?' and accept any decision.


Brian Orser:http://winter.sport-express.ru/figureskating/reviews/28399/

google translation:
Plushenko - supertalant . And the fact that he is still willing and able to compete with the younger guys , is admirable . What really surprised me in Zagreb - is his refusal to quadruple jump in the short program . Because Plushenko - unbeaten fighter. After what he did at the last European Championships in Sheffield, I became a fan of his . True . Remember thinking, OK, we have to admit he is a god figure skating, if he can fight like this. It was just amazing ! I did see him in training - so calm , even relaxed . But Plushenko knows exactly how to gather, when you go to the start. I know that he really wants to perform in Sochi, and I can only wish him to fully recover and get in shape . People like it , pushing all the other forward. This concerns my students . They look at him with wide eyes . Besides Plushenko - one of those people that surrounds special aura they create around themselves a special atmosphere. And it is impossible not to notice .

Is he the GOAT? Statistically, yeah. But personally, I prefer the Yagudins, Lambiels, Buttles, Takahashis, Hanyus, and Chans of the skating world. Plushenko's skating almost always leaves me cold. But won't deny his talent.

No that would be Dick Button he did the 1st triple jump,the 1st double axel 2 OLympic titles .

Plushenko is the best competitor and jumper for sure!

Curry, Cousins, Boitano, Browning, Petrenko, Wylie, Urmanov, Kulik, Yagudin, Lambiel, Buttle, Jahnke, Savoie, Takahashi, Chan, Kozuka, Abbott, Brown, & Firus are far better skaters though.