Plushenko intends to restart career

[matmuh]

YOU were the one making it sound like Plushenko just waltzed in with no intention of competing. I was just returning the favour. Plushenko got huge amounts of criticism for not doing GPs or many comps in the lead up to Vancouver and Sochi, but you simply weren't allowed to voice any return criticism of Yuna.

sorry, as i said i didnt mean to sound like blaming, i was actually excited to see him to compete at sochi and was so sad when i heard he had to WD,and to me you sounded like you were blaming her for that, thats why i said she didnt take anyone else's spot, also i am not against criticizing the skaters but i think there should be a way without sounding PISSED all the time or when you want to defend your favourites it shouldnt be at expense of other skaters that you dont like

to not to be too off topic, as a fan i am happy to see him back as long as he is healthy , i hope everything turns out to be the way he wants

 

[Crossover]

did she take another skater's spot for the sochi ?? No. because of her Korea got 3 spots for both sochi and worlds, also if it wasnt for injury she was gonna compete at GPS at 2013-2014, i understand you being protective of skaters but you can do it without bashing others

i TOTALLY AGREE. It is absurd to drag somebody in a totally different position from Plushenko. :disapp:

 

[plushyta]

Russian Skating federation decided that Plushenko's better candidate to compete in the Sochi Olympics. Kovtun had his chance, but he blew it at the European Championships 2014, Worlds 2015, WTT 2015 ... even TAT said that he needed psychiatric help and that he lost her patience. If all now welcomed in Russia, Plushenko's possible return (as motivation for young and unstable Russian skaters) - I do not know why people here are so worried about that? Plushy is now healthier than he was at the Olympics (no more screws in the spine). Only remains the question of his physical fitness, because of his ages. If he want to try to overthrew another record, why here lack of "sporting spirit" in some people?

 

[solani]

It may be not it's fault, but can we call plushenko reliable with all his injuries coming back to back ? Maybe Kovtun at the Olympics would have been a disaster, but at least he would have skate and Russia would have been represented.

The real problem was that Russia only had one spot in the men's competition. I'm not from Russia, but I do believe that Russia only cares about medals in the figure skating men's competitions. I don't think that Plushenko would've medalled in the individual event anyway (well just maybe, ... we'll never know ), but neither would've Kovtun or Voronov. But at that moment he was still the best man that Russia had.

Plushenko has accomplished everything, he has nothing more to prove, and he's getting old. The new generation must be on the front of the scene, and leaving the others males behind, in Plushenko's shadow won't help them to progress

So you say that, if you're old you just have to step back? Even if you still very good and maybe better than most of your fellow competitors? Why? How old are you?
And Plushenko will help them progress, if they cannot beat him, they don't have a shot at any international medal. And if they beat him - good for them! Beating Plushenko must be every young russian male figure skater's dream.

 

[LRK]

Well, I've said most of this on the Plushy fan thread, but may as well put it here as well.

As compared to 2013, I think the outlook is better. That year, Plushy didn't resume ice training until June - and beginning with single jumps. Now, he's still "got" the quad. That's a big difference in his level of preparation. The question, of course, is how his body will hold up to the rigours of competitive training - only time will tell, but I feel far more sangine, and far less worried (an understatement for "scared to death", basically - uber as I am) than I have before.

Of course, I don't doubt that Plushy would want to do as many competitions as he could - after all, he loves it - but, again, we will just have to see what his body can tolerate. Also, how many shows will he be doing - and how will they interfere schedule-wise, and with the actual training? My personal hunch, is that the GP is just too early, but, I may be wrong about that of course - it's not like I never have been before.

@Psusanne - You've seen the press conference from 2054?

 

[Celine]

I've found it baffling that the same level of INCREDIBLE growth in depth that the ladies' side of this sport in Russia, did not similarly occur on the Men's side ...? The recent legacy of Men's champions is certainly just as credible (Yagudin, Plushenko, etc.) if not more so.

Thoughts on why the pool of talent on the Mens' side in Russia did not build as robustly into Sochi, and even now?

 

[Jammers]

I've found it baffling that the same level of INCREDIBLE growth in depth that the ladies' side of this sport in Russia, did not similarly occur on the Men's side ...? The recent legacy of Men's champions is certainly just as credible (Yagudin, Plushenko, etc.) if not more so.

Thoughts on why the pool of talent on the Mens' side in Russia did not build as robustly into Sochi, and even now?

Because Russia can't move on from Plushenko just like the US has been comparing all their top ladies since 2006 to Michelle Kwan though the US Ladies seemed to have moved past that finally.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

And if it wasn't for injury Plushenko was going to compete on the GP in 2013-2014. He wanted to do so.

And again, Plushenko didn't steal anyone's spot. Kovtun has proved himself unreliable, I don't blame the federation for wanting to go with the steady rock. It wasn't Plushenko's fault he was unable to do the individual event and was unable to let VORONOV, who deserved it more than Kovtun, skate the individual.

Yeah, he messed up at Euros, but up until that point, he had two GP silvers and a Russian championship which isn't less deserving than Voronov whose only strong competition that season was his Euros silver (his 9th at NHK wasn't exactly helping his stock).

I wouldn't say Plu "stole" the spot -- but he certainly didn't earn it. None of the other guys would have been privy to a special "closed doors test skate". Kovtun didn't get a second chance after his Euros mess-up, Voronov didn't get second consideration even though he outskated Plushenko in the Russian Nats FS (but was still 3rd in the FS thanks to Plu's 95 PCS), and won silver at Euros with an excellent score. Plushenko didn't compete at Euros or any significant competition that season leading up to the Olympics, and he bombed his FS at Russian nationals. To suggest his spot at Sochi was anything but special treatment is ridiculous. Plushenko's Sochi spot was significantly a product of his reputation - not to mention the huge boost in profitability if Plushenko skated at the Olympics, compared to unknowns like Kovtun/Voronov. I mean, we saw how the arena filed out when he withdrew in the individual competition as they'd just bought tickets to see him.

Thankfully he skated really well in the team event and contributed to the Russian gold (I don't think I could have stomached it if he had mediocre skates but a la Abbott still got a medal -- even in worst-case scenarios where he placed 7th in the team SP and 4th in the team FS with the worst skates ever, he still would have won team gold). But pulling out of the individual event was just eye-roll worthy -- yeah yeah, injury, etc... come on, it's clear that his intent was to claim the easy team medal/gold and then pull out of the individual competition -- he even said before the Olympics that he would compete in the easy-to-medal Team event and let another Russian compete in the much stiffer individual competition (how chivalrous of him!), until he was informed that he can't do that (whoops, cat out of the bag!). Anyone with half a brain knows he had no intention of pitting himself against the guys in the individual competition (although as it turned out, he could have had a shot at bronze), and his main goal was to claim the 99.9% guaranteed team medal. You think Plu would have competed in Sochi if Kovtun was the representative for the team event and he had to do the individual event?

I can almost guarantee that even if Kovtun had come 2nd at Euros, the Russian federation would have still sent Plushenko to Sochi -- or forced a "closed door skate off" between Kovtun and Plushenko where they gave 98 PCS to Plu regardless of how he skated, and 78 PCS to Kovtun, rigging it enough to ensure Plu would go. He was a cash cow and a face of the Olympics - Kovtun was a young newcomer and a nobody. I hope the Russian men gain enough prominence come 2018 that Plu's inevitable special treatment doesn't hold as much sway, and if he does go to 2018 Olympics it's because he earns it... not shows up at Russian Nats only to lose, not even compete at Euros, and then get a de facto spot. I guess the good thing about the 2018 Olympics not being in Russia is that the other Russian men will actually have a better chance of not being cast aside over somebody with the reputation and stardom.

 

[solani]

@Psusanne - You've seen the press conference from 2054?

Just now, you got me interested and so I googled it ... this is hilarious!

 

[Watermelondrea]

Yuna, if she came back wouldn't be criticized be cause first, she isn't 80 years old and second she isn't notorious for doing al this crap...plus the Olympics are in SK so why would she not wanna compete there? I am not 100% convinced she's retired.

 

[Jammers]

Yuna, if she came back wouldn't be criticized be cause first, she isn't 80 years old and second she isn't notorious for doing al this crap...plus the Olympics are in SK so why would she not wanna compete there? I am not 100% convinced she's retired.

Plus Yuna after winning her Gold medal in Vancouver still competed in a couple Worlds when she could have avoided them but Plushenko seems to like to pick and choose where he's going to compete which is mostly not against the top skaters.

 

[khlaw]

i understand you being protective of skaters but you can do it without bashing others

I second this.

I respect Plushenko's decision and I fully understood and respect some GS member / his fan's willingness to support him. But bashing other skater, who was in a very incomparable situation, to support one's favorite skater is very, very inappropriate.:disapp:

 

[Pika]

The real problem was that Russia only had one spot in the men's competition. I'm not from Russia, but I do believe that Russia only cares about medals in the figure skating men's competitions. I don't think that Plushenko would've medalled in the individual event anyway (well just maybe, ... we'll never know ), but neither would've Kovtun or Voronov. But at that moment he was still the best man that Russia had.

So you say that, if you're old you just have to step back? Even if you still very good and maybe better than most of your fellow competitors? Why? How old are you?
And Plushenko will help them progress, if they cannot beat him, they don't have a shot at any international medal. And if they beat him - good for them! Beating Plushenko must be every young russian male figure skater's dream.

Plushenko is still very good, but he's not flying miles above the field as he used to do. His body is showing his limits, and I don't think he has loads of things to bring for the evolution of the sport. Of course he has a mental strength and will, and the technique that can bring him medals, of course he's shown better qualities as a competitor than his fellows. But the Russian men have the same jumps, but issues with their nerves. I sincerely don't think that the Plushenko pressure can help that. He's an idol in his country, like no one can challenge him, this is very hard to handle for his contenders. They don't need more pressure, they feel it enough being from a big figure skating nation. And they don't need to be locked out from big events, which make a lot in building one skater's mindset. It's just my opinion.

 

[Taan]

WOW :shocked: I find this really amazing that he wants to come back at his age !!
And compete on the grand prix no less.

But the only question is how will he be judged?
Will he get an "e" on his flip?
Will he be marked correctly for "transitions"?
Or shall the judges look the other way?
How many quads will he attempt in his long program? 1? 2? 3?

Should be interesting!!:think:

 

[silverfoxes]

Plushenko is still very good, but he's not flying miles above the field as he used to do. His body is showing his limits, and I don't think he has loads of things to bring for the evolution of the sport. Of course he has a mental strength and will, and the technique that can bring him medals, of course he's shown better qualities as a competitor than his fellows. But the Russian men have the same jumps, but issues with their nerves. I sincerely don't think that the Plushenko pressure can help that. He's an idol in his country, like no one can challenge him, this is very hard to handle for his contenders. They don't need more pressure, they feel it enough being from a big figure skating nation. And they don't need to be locked out from big events, which make a lot in building one skater's mindset. It's just my opinion.

Sergei doesn't have issues with his nerves. I don't think Konstantin does either. I really don't know what to expect from Plushy now, but I definitely don't think he's some frightening spectre that makes every other Russian man quake in his boots. That's silly. They do have pressure, but it comes from the Fed and probably from the 10000 articles written about how they "failed" every time they don't bring home a medal.

 

[Sandpiper]

Thankfully he skated really well in the team event and contributed to the Russian gold (I don't think I could have stomached it if he had mediocre skates but a la Abbott still got a medal -- even in worst-case scenarios where he placed 7th in the team SP and 4th in the team FS with the worst skates ever, he still would have won team gold). But pulling out of the individual event was just eye-roll worthy -- yeah yeah, injury, etc... come on, it's clear that his intent was to claim the easy team medal/gold and then pull out of the individual competition -- he even said before the Olympics that he would compete in the easy-to-medal Team event and let another Russian compete in the much stiffer individual competition (how chivalrous of him!), until he was informed that he can't do that (whoops, cat out of the bag!). Anyone with half a brain knows he had no intention of pitting himself against the guys in the individual competition (although as it turned out, he could have had a shot at bronze), and his main goal was to claim the 99.9% guaranteed team medal. You think Plu would have competed in Sochi if Kovtun was the representative for the team event and he had to do the individual event?

Why the heck would he do that? He's allergic to more medals? "I just came second in the Team SP (beating Patrick Chan) and first in the Team LP, so now I skip off home?" Even competing and coming in tenth would've drawn less criticism than not competing. (Though I guess he just can't escape criticism no matter what he does...) If he could skate, I can think of no logical reason why he wouldn't have.

Btw, you can't say he would've gotten team gold if he bombed both segments. Simply because that creates a psychological toll on his teammates, and we would have no idea how they'd skate in that scenario. And anyway, why are you worrying about hypothetical scenarios where he bombed (when he didn't)?

 

[Pika]

Sergei doesn't have issues with his nerves. I don't think Konstantin does either. I really don't know what to expect from Plushy now, but I definitely don't think he's some frightening spectre that makes every other Russian man quake in his boots. That's silly. They do have pressure, but it comes from the Fed and probably from the 10000 articles written about how they "failed" every time they don't bring home a medal.

Pressure comes from an amount of things, of course from the Fed, articles etc. But the way Plushenko is praised, like an untouchable god don't help either.

 

[silverfoxes]

What a shame. I guess you'll miss the start of Artur's Liza-like comeback.

He'll be lucky if he even gets one GP assignment. And Artur's issues are very different from what Liza's were. I'm not saying he can't get better, as his countrymen Kostya & Sergei have proven it can certainly happen - but look how many years it took them.

 

[LRK]

Pressure comes from an amount of things, of course from the Fed, articles etc. But the way Plushenko is praised, like an untouchable god don't help either.

So, if Mao returns, the other Japanese ladies will just fall apart? I don't think so, but if you're consistent - shouldn't you?

 

[LRK]

Just now, you got me interested and so I googled it ... this is hilarious!

I thought you would enjoy it.

"It’s important to end your career in your peak form. Apart from that it’s important to make way for the young. However, I’m only 72 years old --- "