Russian opposition politician says 'Invalid' Plushenko brings 'shame' to Russia | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Russian opposition politician says 'Invalid' Plushenko brings 'shame' to Russia

Plisskin

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
That grimace in the warmup was not faked. However, after the Team event, he should have atleast pulled out to give Kovtun or Voronov a shot. It's not like he and his federation were ignorant about his serious back injury.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I do believe he was hurting. And for someone who has occasional bad backs, I can only imagine what it would be like to try to walk, skate or jump with one. But my issue is - I don't think he reinjured it in the warmups. The fact that he didn't jump in the early morning practice was pretty telling. I think he knew when he stepped off the ice after the team long program that he was done!!!

It's just too bad - even though I don't care for him - that a great skater like Plush has the end of his career besmirched in this way. The interview with Andrea Joyce after the team competition was arrogance personified. The interview with her after he withdrew was a whole different story......humbled, sad, dejected, etc.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
that's why comebacks are so discouraged. An illustrious career can now be marred by an instance.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
That grimace in the warmup was not faked. However, after the Team event, he should have atleast pulled out to give Kovtun or Voronov a shot. It's not like he and his federation were ignorant about his serious back injury.

I think the Russian Federation had already closed out that possibility by all the shenanigans that went on leading up to the Games. First, Plushenko himself announced (at Russian nationals) that he would just skate the team event and let Kovtun skate the individual. Then the ISU said no, you can't do that. Then the Russian Federation made a special appeal to the ISU/IOC for a "clarification" of the substitution rule (in other words, can we do it anyway?), but no dice. So it would have looked fishy if Plushenko had come off the ice after winning the team LP, said, "Oh my poor back, here's the required doctor's report to let me withdraw, where's Kovtun?"
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I've been a long time fan of Plushy. Now looking back his final stint at Sochi, I feel let down. His demeanor, his egotism. The final gold medal eked out of the team event won't add to my book on his glory.

He chickened out yesterday. I would have kept infinitely greater respect for him if he had skated at least the SP and given a dignified exiting bow to his fans, even if he had fallen three times.

He could have at least skated to the middle of the ice-rink and bowed to the audience.

Between spitting on the ice after missing the axel and just sodding off without much acknowledgement of anyone around him, his attitude was just awful.

I think the Russian Federation had already closed out that possibility by all the shenanigans that went on leading up to the Games. First, Plushenko himself announced (at Russian nationals) that he would just skate the team event and let Kovtun skate the individual. Then the ISU said no, you can't do that. Then the Russian Federation made a special appeal to the ISU/IOC for a "clarification" of the substitution rule (in other words, can we do it anyway?), but no dice. So it would have looked fishy if Plushenko had come off the ice after winning the team LP, said, "Oh my poor back, here's the required doctor's report to let me withdraw, where's Kovtun?"

And this is why Plushenko should not have been selected in the first place. Everybody predicted something like this was going to happen and he'd have to withdraw because of very serious issues with his back. And it did happen.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
He could have at least skated to the middle of the ice-rink and bowed to the audience.

Between spitting on the ice after missing the axel and just sodding off without much acknowledgement of anyone around him, his attitude was just awful.



And this is why Plushenko should not have been selected in the first place. Everybody predicted something like this was going to happen and he'd have to withdraw because of very serious issues with his back. And it did happen.

After he set the motion for gold in team! So all those people and you can just drop it! You didn't get your precious Kovtun or whoever because you hate Plushenko so much!
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
After he set the motion for gold in team! So all those people and you can just drop it! You didn't get your precious Kovtun or whoever because you hate Plushenko so much!

What I hate is rules not being clear and transparent and everybody not being given a level playing field. This was a mess from the beginning and it ended with a mess.

P.S. Russia was 10 points ahead of Canada. Even if Kovtun/Voronov had given two terrible performances, Russia would have still won the gold.
 

Plisskin

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
I think the Russian Federation had already closed out that possibility by all the shenanigans that went on leading up to the Games. First, Plushenko himself announced (at Russian nationals) that he would just skate the team event and let Kovtun skate the individual. Then the ISU said no, you can't do that. Then the Russian Federation made a special appeal to the ISU/IOC for a "clarification" of the substitution rule (in other words, can we do it anyway?), but no dice. So it would have looked fishy if Plushenko had come off the ice after winning the team LP, said, "Oh my poor back, here's the required doctor's report to let me withdraw, where's Kovtun?"
Hmm, if that was the case Kovtun/ Voronov should have went instead of him. I understand he loves the sport and it's hard to let go. But It's not like they needed Plushenko badly for the team event. Russia was guaranteed gold unless a disaster happened. 2010 Olympics should have been his last go, ending on a high note. Instead, he had to scratch an event (that only happens every 4 years) that 1 of his healthy countrymen could have done and possibly placed either a good top 10 finish or higher.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
He could have at least skated to the middle of the ice-rink and bowed to the audience.

Between spitting on the ice after missing the axel and just sodding off without much acknowledgement of anyone around him, his attitude was just awful.



And this is why Plushenko should not have been selected in the first place. Everybody predicted something like this was going to happen and he'd have to withdraw because of very serious issues with his back. And it did happen.

OK, I get that Plush criticism from all fronts. But he did go out there and take a final bow to which he received a (mostly) standing ovation.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
OK, I get that Plush criticism from all fronts. But he did go out there and take a final bow to which he received a (mostly) standing ovation.

All I remember is him taking this small bow when getting off the ice and being near the boards.
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Actually, with his 91 points and 268 points (already both inflated), he would have earned bronze at best.

If Plushenko competed I bet the judges would have killed Chan and Hanyu even more. They would have found a way if Plushenko went clean
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I wonder if Plush is sitting there now after how the SPs and LPs went going. "I could've doubled everything and made it..."
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
If Plushenko competed I bet the judges would have killed Chan and Hanyu even more. They would have found a way if Plushenko went clean

I doubt it. I severely doubt Plushenko even healthy could have landed 2 quads (as we saw, he didn't attempt 2 quads in the team FS) as well as two 3As... it had been over a decade (I think) since he ever successfully did 2 quads and 2 axels. Of course, people will spew the "If he were healthy" rhetoric ad nauseum, even with his FS from Russian Nationals. As the Olympics showed, he can give a good performance while injured, and a bad performance while supposedly healthy (as Russian Nationals showed).

I think it's absolutely disrespectful to call him an invalid and saying that he "brings shame". If anything, he's been a star in Russia and the world for figure skating, and even with screwing over Kovtun from an Olympic experience, that doesn't negate all that he's done.

FYI, Plushenko's clean SP was only 91 points, 6.5 back of Chan, and 10 points back of Hanyu. Hanyu and Chan each scored 178. So Plushenko would have had to do 2 quads and 2 axels to get 275 for silver (a FS of 184) and 281 for gold (a FS of 190 points). His personal best is 176. Maybe at his supreme best he could have beaten Chan, but not Hanyu, and he certainly hasn't ever skated a CoP level program with 2 clean quads and axels, and certainly wouldn't get Nationals-level inflation (i.e. 95 points even with all those doubles).
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
I doubt it. I severely doubt Plushenko even healthy could have landed 2 quads (as we saw, he didn't attempt 2 quads in the team FS) as well as two 3As... it had been over a decade (I think) since he ever successfully did 2 quads and 2 axels. Of course, people will spew the "If he were healthy" rhetoric ad nauseum, even with his FS from Russian Nationals. As the Olympics showed, he can give a good performance while injured, and a bad performance while supposedly healthy (as Russian Nationals showed).

I think it's absolutely disrespectful to call him an invalid and saying that he "brings shame". If anything, he's been a star in Russia and the world for figure skating, and even with screwing over Kovtun from an Olympic experience, that doesn't negate all that he's done.

FYI, Plushenko's clean SP was only 91 points, 6.5 back of Chan, and 10 points back of Hanyu. Hanyu and Chan each scored 178. So Plushenko would have had to do 2 quads and 2 axels to get 275 for silver (a FS of 184) and 281 for gold (a FS of 190 points). His personal best is 176. Maybe at his supreme best he could have beaten Chan, but not Hanyu, and he certainly hasn't ever skated a CoP level program with 2 clean quads and axels, and certainly wouldn't get Nationals-level inflation (i.e. 95 points even with all those doubles).

I know what the scores were. I wasn't the one calling him invalid or disgraceful either. Just saying that it was ironic he didn't compete because he couldn't win, but it turned out he might have had a shot after all.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I know what the scores were. I wasn't the one calling him invalid or disgraceful either. Just saying that it was ironic he didn't compete because he couldn't win, but it turned out he might have had a shot after all.

Oh, no I was referring to the OP about "invalid" and "brings shame", not anything you said.

I agree he might have had a shot, but people are delusional if they think he had much of a shot higher than bronze, even with help from the judges (who, mind you, would not have all propped him up -- note his Russian's FS earned 95 PCS and was far worse than his FS in the team event which got 86 PCS).
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I didn't expect this comment especially from you? What exactly did you want to see, a reality show?, miss universe bow out? Tears and screams? To a completely stunned audience that was shouting 1 min ago like crazy, he went to judges, stopped people from further cheering and bowed out, how fast does one want to disappear withdrawing in front of home crowd in Olympic Games?
btw I didn't give SO cause from the whole noise I didn't understand what's going on, and by the time I did it was too late.
 

Danibellerika

Medalist
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Plush was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He clearly also helped move ticket sales for the event as well which was a big reason to include him. He might be disappointed now, but I hope he recovers as well as he can. All of those putting him down haven't achieved what he has (same for Yags who you know is loving this; funny we didn't hear from him after Plush helped win team gold). I actually have to say that Putin has it right in this instance. I really think the ones complaining are a vocal few. Those who truly care about him (which aren't those people) understand and can still look back on his incredible legacy.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I never thought PLu would win gold but dear god, with his marks from team where his lp was messy he would have been bronze and I bet he would have skated with more heart and purpose andput on a ashow than all these healthy 20 year olds who looked like they didn't want to skate in olys
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
" ''Perform through the pain for the honor of the country,'' Igor Lebedev, a parliament member from the nationalist Liberal Democrats, said on Twitter."

Lovely. Well, we can't all have the pain tolerance of politicians. I mean, it would have been a piece of cake for Lebedev, no doubt - but we can't all be like him, now, can we?

Good for you, LRK. I don't think some people understand what disc problems involve. We're dealing with the central nervous system here. Plushy may not even have been able to control his legs. I'm not Plushy's greatest fan, but I admire him, ego and all, and feel fairly sure that he would have skated if his entire body had felt as if it were on fire. Pain alone wouldn't have stopped him. This was beyond what willpower, even his, could get done.
 
Top