- Joined
- Aug 23, 2003
Plushenko, to me, is undeniably the greatest male skater ever. His sheer technical wizardry in jumps, his speed and command, and of course, his longevity in a sport that has become increasingly unfriendly to long careers. No one else comes close to his dominance and consistency.
Plushenko coulda been a contender but it is his lack of memorable programs that keeps him out of my top 5. I blame Mishin for this. When Yags and Plushenko were both young and neither had won Worlds yet, I always thought Plushenko would be the better skater because he has very dancey feet, but he was never given decent programs to skate. Jumping passes in front of the judges tables are not programs.
In order to make my short list, a skater has to not only be technically superior, but also skate programs that I want to watch over and over again. Yagudin meets the test, as does Kurt. Chan and Takahashi are headed in that direction. Yagudin: Lawrence of Arabia, Nutrocker, Winter, Man in the Iron Mask, Gladiator. And that's in just four years in his senior career.