Irina threw her bronze medal in the trash!
- Thread starter Taan
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Joesitz said:
Great posts, Joe and Vash. ITA. Irina is human. How many of us have thrown hissy fits that were a lot worse over a WHOLE LOT LESS.Vash01 said:
Also, let's see how many skaters we can think of who were b****es or SOBs until the media decided they were no longer being "rude and crude" but rather "a free spirit."
I met and talked with John Zimmerman at a reception for about 30 minutes when NOBODY in the whole figure skating crowd seemed to know who he was. He was a very gracious guy, among other aesthetically pleasing things.
But John Zimmerman, Ace Journalist? I don't think so. Let's just say he didn't acquit himself as the most educated or intelligent guy in the world. Not a diss--I'll take him anytime, anywhere, lol. But as the bottom line on whether or not Irina Slutskaya threw her bronze medal in the trash? I'm sorry. No.
As for Fumie, I like her. I love certain aspects of her skating; can't bear others. But IMO, no way did she deserve a medal at Torino. The medals aren't given to the athlete who would appreciate them most. Even if Irina did chuck her medal in the garbage, it was her medal to do with what she wished.
And lest we forget, does anybody want to count the number of posts prior to the GPF in which people said, "Just give Irina the OGM right now. What's the point of even competing for anything other than silver and gold?" If that's what US posters said, many of whom don't even like Irina, and with the resurgance of figure skating in Russia, Irina's health, her mother's health, ad infinitum, I don't think a single one of us can come anywhere close to understanding how she felt skating so strongly for months and having it gradually drift away in the months preceding the games. IMO, her vasculitis caught up with her. Sans great strides in treatment for autoimmune diseases such as hers, Irina's life is going to be a living hell. I'm as sure as I can be that she doesn't realize it yet and won't for years, but she had better "born that baby" soon.
To quote Sasha Cohen, the medal is only emblematic of the experience. Maybe this is an experience Irina didn't want to be reminded of when/if she tossed it. I don't know her, but I hope she'll put it in perspective sooner rather than later.
Either that or she can whine about it like Roz Sumners and Linda Fratianne have about their silver medals for about 20 and 30 years, relatively speaking.
Or else, she could take Debi Thomas's attitude, who said in an interview, "People don't even remember which medal I won. If they recognize me, they say, 'Oh! You won that Olympic figure skating gold medal!' I just say [laughing], 'Yeah, sure. That was me. Right!'" while holding an entirely different level of medal--her children.
John Zimmerman: I'll always be happy we had our conversation. But take some journalism and writing classes if you're going to be an "Olympics correspondent." I'll leave the key to my apartment in the usual place.
Rgirl
Yup...
I was definitely one of those posters. But I must say that during the Games, that feeling kind of went away a bit. I still thought that Irina would have SOME lead but was really surprised when it was so close at the end. Unfortunately for her though she just couldn't deliver at the end, and Shiz beat her.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
Rgirl said:
:yes:
All three of you are correct... If I were Irina, there is a good chance that I would've done more than throw the medal in the trash...
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2006
OMG. That is so......... weird.
She DIDN'T throw the medal in the trash---she threw it in her locker, and one of the Russian fed guys retrieved it from there for the medal ceremony. Sometimes these stories get blown out of all proportion.
At least Irina wasn't calling the judges names this time, or claiming she was robbed. Of course she was disappointed, but she knew only she, herself, was to blame. I don't think it mattered to her too much that Sasha got silver and she got bronze, as long as it wasn't gold, it wasn't what she wanted.
I'll bet Irina will have some long talks with her friend Michelle while they are on tour with COI this summer.
At least Irina wasn't calling the judges names this time, or claiming she was robbed. Of course she was disappointed, but she knew only she, herself, was to blame. I don't think it mattered to her too much that Sasha got silver and she got bronze, as long as it wasn't gold, it wasn't what she wanted.
I'll bet Irina will have some long talks with her friend Michelle while they are on tour with COI this summer.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
Well Irina did not deserve the gold that night, Shizuka was clearly the best skater that night. However I have no problem with her actions if she did this. First of all she was robbed of silver, if it wasnt for NBC and their influence both Slutskaya and Suguri would have beaten Cohen in the long program. She clearly deserved the silver overall since Suguri was too far back of her after the short. Secondly she could sense the judging panel was not really for her, she clearly would have had to do something incredable, along with others making mistakes(which happened)to win. When you have been the best skater in the World for 2 seasons, and you dont understand why you are clearly the underdog to the panel it can be frusterating and confusing to a champion like her. It is not her fault Russia won the first 3 golds and there is a backlash attitude for that.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
slutskayafan21 said:
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
slutskayafan21 said:
I somewhat agree with some of this. The judges seemed to be overly harsh toward Irina compared to how she was marked during the season. Her SP in the Oly was gorgeous. I was surprised that she was placed behind Sasha. Irina clearly needed the 3Z-2R for her combination jump. She needed to separate herself from the other two who did 3Z-2t. That was her first mistake and it gave the judges an opportunity to place her second in the SP. Fpr the LP she needed to plan to do her most difficult program and not just what everyone else was doing. It concerned me that she was not going for at least one 3-3 combination. Her jumps are her strength. She needed to utilize them to the max.
In the LP both of them made mistakes. Sasha had two falls (one was not counted as a fall, by definition, but just as bad) and a weak spin that followed before she got back on track. The judging panel did not favor Irina, for some unknown reason. May be because Russians had won 3 OGMs and the 4th Russian would have to skate the day lights out to win. Irina must have really felt that pressure, in addition to the usual pressure of the Olympics, and the pressure of being a world champion who had not been beaten in two seasons by any of the competitors in Torino.
In the second half of her program she knew that she had to do something BIG (she had already missed the 3lutz-2R combination; she did only the 3Z). She seemed to panic a little after she doubled a jump. I was shocked when she fell on the triple loop- her most reliable jump. That really took the wind out of her sail and it made a negative impression at the end. Sasha's problems were at the beginning, and she had a strong ending. IMO that's what placed her over Irina (I would have probably placed Irina higher, but it was very close). Irina wanted the OGM very badly and that was her downfall. The nerves got to her, IMO but as the reigning world champion she did not get the benefit of doubt. That was rather unusual. The backlash may have been there, but it did not help that Irina made a major mistake in her LP. Even if she had landed the triple loop and not doubled a jump, I don't think she could have beaten Shizuka's gorgeous performance. She, of all the skaters, needed the triple triple, and the kind of confidence she had in Moscow a year earlier.
Finally, i am not sure how much NBC had to do with the results. They certainly influence the viewers in the USA (they have carefully avoided showing the non-American gold medal winners), but I am not sure the judges are watching NBC.
Vash
Conspiracy theories are so:disapp:.
Irina has no program. I don't mean that as a negative really. Watch eariler performances and see that it's Irina's confidence that draw you into her programs. You can't see her hit the highlights in the music when she's not selling the program. Her confidence and command of her performace is why she score high pcs's early on and her lack of it is why she didn't at the Olympics.
Irina got worse as her performance went on but she was never on. Her elements were not as she has performed them in the past-except her flying spin perhaps.
Fumie, Irina and Joannie got weaker as their programs went on. Sasha didn't. She landed all but one of the jumps she didn't "fall" on after the 2 minute mark. That would have been taken to consideration even under 6.0.
Irina has no program. I don't mean that as a negative really. Watch eariler performances and see that it's Irina's confidence that draw you into her programs. You can't see her hit the highlights in the music when she's not selling the program. Her confidence and command of her performace is why she score high pcs's early on and her lack of it is why she didn't at the Olympics.
Irina got worse as her performance went on but she was never on. Her elements were not as she has performed them in the past-except her flying spin perhaps.
Fumie, Irina and Joannie got weaker as their programs went on. Sasha didn't. She landed all but one of the jumps she didn't "fall" on after the 2 minute mark. That would have been taken to consideration even under 6.0.
IDLERACER said:
Irina looks very sad behind that smiling, in my opinion. I would not say that she looks proud of her medal, she is just doing what the photographers are expecting from her. And she is showing her admirably tough character, as she managed that kind of smiling under those circumstances.
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Vash01 said:
Sasha was very lucky nobody else skated very well - but out of the skaters who did skate, Sasha was definitely 2nd best IMO. Irina has been overmarked in composition/artistry for years and her landings were very wild and always have been in the past but her grade of execution marks never seem to be lmuch ower than people who land jumps nicely. Irina could have easily been left off the podium not so much for Sasha so I think Irina should be greatful
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