Texts about Plushy at the Olympics, ... analysis, predictions, etc ...

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp...0&vkey=ice_news
By Amy Rosewater, special to icenetwork.com

Men's event shaping up to be a nailbiter in Vancouver
Experts say field is wide open for Olympic gold



While Evgeni Plushenko is a heavy favorite to win the men's gold, the elite, highly capable field is wide open heading into Vancouver. (Getty Images)

(02/05/2010) - Brian Orser has two words to say about his prediction for the men's figure skating event in Vancouver: Wide open.

"I wouldn't put anyone on the podium guaranteed for sure,'' Orser said. "There's no real shoo-in.''

The last time the Winter Games were held in Canada, back in 1988 in Calgary, there were two clear-cut contenders for the gold medal: Orser and Brian Boitano. Indeed the "Battle of the Brians'' lived up to the hype and Boitano edged Orser for the Olympic title.
But that was 22 years ago, and plenty has changed in figure skating. Back then, the 6.0 judging system was in place and favorites frequently would hold their positions in the standings even with stumbles. Now, with the advent of a much more complex and unforgiving system, positions change as fast as hosts of late-night television.

Just last week at the Four Continents Championships in Korea, Adam Rippon vaulted from seventh place in the short program to first.
And at the Olympics, and no one knows this better than Orser, anything can happen.

That said, there are a number of frontrunners in this medal race. The most intriguing is Russia's Evgeni Plushenko, who returned to competitive skating this season after a three-year hiatus. He won the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino and when he returned to competition at the Cup of Russia in October, it didn't look as if he took a day off let alone a few years.

His first jump at that event? A quad toe-triple toe combination. He won the long program as well and then cruised to a record eighth Russian national title in late December. Then last month in Estonia, he claimed his sixth European title. The layoff and a bothersome knee haven't seemed to cause him much problem.

"Things have gone according to plan but the most important thing is the Olympics," Plushenko told reporters in Estonia.

American champion Jeremy Abbott admitted he wasn't too excited when he heard Plushenko was back on the competitive ice.
"When I first heard he was coming back, I wasn't elated,'' Abbott said. "He's always a little intimidating.''

After Plushenko's 2009-10 debut at Cup of Russia, the 'oohing' and 'aahing' has calmed down a bit.
"Now he's kind of become another competitor,'' Abbott said. "I don't hold him out on a pedestal.''

Plushenko's scores have been high, some argue too high, yet he hasn't escaped criticism from those who say he needs to improve his spins, step sequences and overall choreography. All of those elements are much more scrutinized than they ever were in the past.

"I am impressed he's been able to come back and I'm sure it was not easy for him,'' Orser said. "But the further he gets away from Russia, the closer the scores get to where they should be.''

Plushenko might not get much farther from Russia after these Games. In a news conference late last month he told reporters he was mulling over the decision on whether he would continue competing through the 2014 Winter Games, which, conveniently, will be held in Sochi.

Also in the medal mix in Vancouver is another comeback kid from Torino, Stéphane Lambiel, the two-time world champion from Switzerland and France's Brian Joubert, who earned a bronze medal at Europeans despite undergoing foot surgery in December.

Lambiel captured world crowns in 2005 and 2006 but fell to third place in 2007. He decided to make an Olympic-year comeback but couldn't compete until the European Championships last month with an injured abductor muscle. Lambiel proved he could still compete with the best by producing a silver-medal performance at Europeans. However, he finished 16.85 points behind Plushenko.

"There are about six guys who can all contend for a medal,'' Orser said. "But, if I had to pick a favorite, I would say it's Lambiel. I've seen him skate closely this summer because he did a lot of training in Toronto and I think he's the poster child for this system. He has great spins and transitions and, he has a quad.''

Joubert, meanwhile, has been erratic. He was fourth at the Grand Prix in Paris and then won the NHK Trophy.

Then, of course, is Patrick Chan, who enters these Games with the hopes of the host nation of Canada riding on his skates. Chan has struggled this season, missing Cup of Russia with a calf injury, placing sixth at Skate Canada and then splitting with his coach of the past few years, Don Laws, in the days leading up to Canadian nationals.
Yet last month, Chan had little problem placing first at nationals and securing a spot on the Olympic team.

Jeffrey Buttle, a Canadian world champion who earned a bronze medal in Torino, had an opportunity to talk to Chan the day after Canadian nationals. Buttle is aware of the huge pressures weighing on Chan and said he even notices kids at the rink using Patrick Chan water bottles they've picked up at a nearby McDonald's.
"His face is everywhere in Canada and it's great exposure,'' Buttle said. "He just needs to make sure he finds a balance. He should be selfish.''

A Toronto-based choreographer these days, Buttle enjoys watching Chan's smoothness on the ice. Chan, who lands quads in practices, said he sticking with triple Axels for the Olympics. Buttle was able to win a world title without attempting a quad in 2008. American Evan Lysacek followed that lead in 2009. So, there's no reason for Buttle to believe his compatriot can't win without a quad.
"If it becomes a close call and Patrick skates well, I think Patrick has enough quality to his skating to win,'' Buttle said. "His in-between skating and connecting steps are just so difficult. There is substance between his jumps.''

But wait.

We haven't even delved into the American contingent or Japan's dynamic duo of Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda. And, oh yeah, there's Tomas Verner, of the Czech Republic, who is on the outside looking in (with a quad).

The United States has three viable medal contenders with Lysacek entering as the reigning world champion, Abbott coming off two commanding performances at the recent U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash., and Johnny Weir, the 2008 world bronze medalist.

Of the three, Abbott by far looked the strongest at nationals. He left his decade-long training base and coach in Colorado Springs, Colo., to work with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen in Detroit, and some wondered how the change would impact his skating. His programs at the U.S. Championships answered those questions.

"I think I started my season too early last year,'' Abbott said. "There was too much to handle at the end of the season.''

Last season, he made quite an impression by winning the Grand Prix Final. He followed up that performance by winning his first national title but it wasn't exactly his strongest showing. Then he placed 11th at worlds.
This season, he was fifth at the NHK Trophy but followed up with a victory at Skate Canada. He was fourth at the Grand Prix Final and then was masterful at nationals. He plans on attempting a quad, saying the risky element "puts me in the top echelon of skaters.''

As the reigning world champion, Lysacek comes in with a No. 1 on his back but history has not been too kind to world champs at the Olympics. The last reigning men's world champion to win the Olympic figure skating gold medal was Scott Hamilton, who was a three-time world champion entering the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo.
Lysacek is looking for the gold medal, of course, but a spot on the podium would literally be a step up for him. He placed fourth at the Olympics in Torino. After a disappointing 10th-place showing in the short program there, he can only wonder what might have been.

Weir, too, competed in Torino and placed fifth. After winning three consecutive national titles from 2004 through 2006, he has not placed better than second at nationals since. Still, he was strong enough to earn a bronze at the Grand Prix Final. Lately, however, there has been more media attention focused on the fox fur on his costume and his reality TV show than there has been on his skating.

Japan should also field a strong Olympic team with national champion Takahashi, Oda and Takahiko Kozuka. Takahashi tore ligaments in his right knee in 2008 but returned to the ice in April 2009. He was strong enough to qualify for the Grand Prix Final and even won the short program, but he fell to fifth overall after the free skate.

Oda, meanwhile, won both Grand Prix events he entered (in China and France) and was runner-up at the Grand Prix Final. Yet he was second to Takahashi at nationals. Kozuka, whose father, Tsuguhiko, competed in the 1968 Olympic Games, also will represent Japan in Vancouver.

Verner, meanwhile, was fourth at the world championships but has pretty much dropped out of the medal podium since. He was sixth at the Grand Prix Final and was 10th at the European Championships.

Still, in this era of this sport, no one can ever truly be ruled out.

"I think it's going to be one of the most exciting events with all the guys coming back,'' said Scott Davis, who competed for the U.S. at the 1994 Olympics when many top skaters returned to the Olympic ice after time off from competition.
The Olympics is a different beast,'' added Davis, who will be in Vancouver coaching Canada's Vaughn Chipeur. "It's not always who's expected to win, wins.''

This year, more than ever, that is probably the safest bet.

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Cracki...0974/story.html
By Cam Cole, Vancouver - February 6, 2010

Cracking the skating code

Canadians are racking up the points, but judges can still manipulate new scoring system


The Canadian figure skating pairs team (right) of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded gold medals in 2002 along with the Russian figure skating pair of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze to resolve a judging controversy caused by a French judge who took marks away from the Canadians' near-flawless performance.
Photograph by: Getty Images, Vancouver Sun

Say what you like about the relative merits of figure skating's old 6.0-based scoring system compared to its supposedly tamper-proof replacement, the Code of Points (COP).

The good news -or, depending on your indignation threshold, the bad news -is that even the modern system, the International Skating Union's forced response to the attempted robbery of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier at the 2002 Winter Olympics, can't legislate judges' personal tastes out of the equation.

And controversy, therefore, will always be a part -arguably a vital part -of figure skating's fabric.

"What other sport is like ours?" Canada's 2008 world men's champion Jeff Buttle asked the other day, without a trace of irony.

"It's a subjective sport. There will always be that uncontrollable factor, and I certainly wouldn't want to take the creative side of skating out. As a skater, you just learn to cope with it however you can. In any judged sport, or any sport with a referee, there is going to be human error."

The controversies, now, just tend to be a little more muted -and much less obvious -than the ones that plagued ice-dancing for years and finally erupted in scandal at Salt Lake City involving the now-infamous French judge, the Canadian pairs team, their Russian rivals, and in the end, gold medals all around.

But even a system as strictly points-based and complex as the COP -one that has allowed gifted "total" skaters like Buttle and his Canadian successor, Patrick Chan, to thrive by building high scores on footwork and transitions and overall skating skills despite lacking quadruple jumps -leaves room for judgment calls.

And though Canadians initially benefited from the new system more than any other nation's skaters, it might have been a temporary condition. The world has caught on, fast.

"I think first of all, we happened to have skaters, at that point in time, who fit the mould really, really well. That was, perhaps, a bit of a fluke, frankly," says Skate Canada's CEO, William Thompson, a former skater, judge and international technical expert.

In Buttle and Chan, in Joannie Rochette, in ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and pairs skaters Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, Canada had strong, fast, artistically-skilled competitors who were able to exploit the opportunities afforded by the new scoring system to ring up points like pinball machines all over the ice surface.

All but Buttle -who retired a year ago and is acting as a sort of big brother to Canada's Olympic skaters before joining the Stars On Ice tours of Asia and Canada later this spring -are heading into these games with hopes for medals, some stronger than others. Canada has never before had threats in all four disciplines in an Olympic year.

The irony, said Thompson, is that "if you look back historically, Canadians have been more known for technical jumpforwards than artistic jumpforwards."

From Donald Jackson to Vern Taylor to Brian Orser to Kurt Browning to Elvis Stojko, many of the major advancements in multiple-rotation jumps were pioneered by Canadians.

"But one of the other things that happened was, we as a country believed this <cop> system was going to be in place -so we got the analysis people in place quickly," said Thompson.

"We were fortunate with how well-educated our federation made us about the system," said Buttle, who went from 15th under the old system at the 2003 world championships to a silver medal in 2005, the first year the new format was used at the worlds. "We sat down right from the beginning of that first season and talked about what we needed to be focusing on to maximize our scores."

The COP system, probably to its detriment, is difficult to explain in a few sentences. Everyone understood 6.0, even if they didn't have a clue how the judge arrived at the mark.

At the core of the new code is a technical panel which assigns specific point levels for each element in a skater's program. Judges merely have to add or deduct points from the basic mark for the skater's grade of execution of each element. The computer does the rest.

"One of the biggest challenges judging under the old system," said Thompson, who did, "was if you had a skater who did some elements well and some poorly -maybe land a quad but cheat a triple Axel or some other jumps -you weren't sure what to do with it. Now, because <elements> have a precise amount assigned to them, at the end of the day, the mark is not compromised the way

One of the biggest challenges judging under the old system was if you had a skater who did some elements well and some poorly -maybe land a quad but cheat a triple Axel or some other jumps -you weren't sure what to do with it.

William Thompson Skate Canada CEO

it was under the old system, where you were trying to come up with one mark that encompassed all of it.

"In the old days, really what did the mark mean? It was a guess. Now, you either do it or you don't. The beauty of it is that it's not overburdening the judges with accounting. You just watch it come, you stick in how well they did it, and move on to the next element. And forget about it. You don't have to compare one person to the next. Just mark each <element>, and keep on rolling. And you don't do the math yourself, as a judge. The computer does it."

In theory, yes.

But many observers at last year's worlds in Los Angeles were mystified when Chan, the then 18-year-old phenom whose footwork, transitions and overall skating skills may be unmatched by anyone he'll face at the Olympics, was outpointed in those areas in both the short and long programs by Frenchman Brian Joubert, the former world champion, an accomplished jumper but not gifted with great feet.

"In all honesty, I don't see how that was possible," said Buttle, who defeated a bitter Joubert to win his world title in Sweden two years ago, and was third to Joubert's sixth at the Turin Olympics. "Joubert may be a better jumper in the sense that he can do the quad, but ... people who don't even watch skating could easily see the difference in quality between Patrick and Brian.

"I hope, I really do hope, that the component scores <in Vancouver> are based on the quality of their components, their ability as a skater, not whether they did the quad."

Asked if he could explain the L.A. component scores -basically, the old presentation mark -Thompson said:

"Well, no, I don't think I could. But it's still more a matter of education than it is someone deliberately trying to manipulate," said the Skate Canada boss. "The process of learning to judge presentation is more challenging.

"The other part you have to keep in mind is, there are cultural differences -what is good in one culture may not be good in another. We look at it through a North American bias, but let's not kid ourselves -that is still a type of bias. So we might look at it and say that's a European or a Russian bias, but I think for a long time we've been a little bit holier-than-thou in thinking we don't have one. Everyone else does, but we don't?

"It's never as simple as 'that's clearly wrong.' Maybe it's only clearly wrong according to us."

The Vancouver Olympics will be one more test of a judging system that survived the 2006 Games in Turin relatively unscathed, but emotions are always higher, and so are the number of conspiracy theories, when those five interlocking rings are at centre ice.

From the panel of 12 judges, the computer randomly selects nine whose scores will count. Of those nine scores, the highest and lowest are thrown out, and the remaining seven are averaged. Judges never know whether their scores will count, and the ISU protects their identities by not connecting specific marks with the judges who awarded them.

The computer knows, though, and data are stored and can be used to discipline judges whose marking is consistently out of line. Still, if it's done subtly, the system can still be manipulated.

Skate Canada's high performance director, Mike Slipchuk, who skated alongside Kurt Browning under the old judging, is a big fan of the changes, though. The proof that it's working, he says, is the volatility in the makeup of the podiums -evidence, in his estimation, that performance and not reputation is deciding championships.

"It's opening up the sport," said Slipchuk. "In the five or six years since we've had this system, we've had how many different world champions? The podium can change in the blink of an eye, year over year, and skaters go in knowing that they can, in a sense, control their destiny." (he are so "naive" - why not say, that this happened because it was not Plushy? )

In the five world championships held since the old 6.0 system was mothballed, the 20 titles have been won by 17 different entries.

"Vancouver is going to be a clear indication of that," Slipchuk said. "There's not very many categories going in where you're thinking: there's three people that have a lock on a medal. There's so much up-and-down, I know I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what the top five in men would be.

"There's got to be 10 guys <who could win>, and our guy is in the middle of that pack. It would be great to see them all skate as well as they could, so you could really see where everyone factors in. "

Russia's Evgeni Plushenko, the Turin Olympic champion who has come out of retirement this year to restake his claim as the favourite, heads the list.

But despite the Russian's prodigious quadruple combination jumps and consistently high scores, Thompson says it's not a lock for any skater.

"Might he win? Yeah, he might. But he might not," said the Skate Canada boss. "Patrick's in that same bunch. He might win, but he's got to be firing at 100% and there's no room for error. That's the challenge -and really, do you want it any other way?

... really interested me, how many odds there Plushy, and how many Chan for victory : 70-30%?

.... quite unanimously
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www.examiner.com/x-20118-Figure-Ska...n-Championships
February 7, Figure Skating Examiner, Jackie Wong

Opining on the European Championships

A few thoughts on the European Championships last month as we move toward the Olympics this coming week.
....
The European men's podium could very well be the Olympic podium.
The three medalists at Europeans, Evgeni Plushenko, Stephane Lambiel, and Brian Joubert, could very well be at the top again in Vancouver. But interestingly enough, the men's field will be so deep at the Olympics that it is even possible that none of them end up on the podium. It will likely take two clean performances to just win a medal for the men.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/olym...stories_section
By Ron Judd

12 Olympians to watch from around the world

Here are 12 of the hottest stories from around the world for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Here's a look at a dozen of the world's hottest athletes beyond the U.S. team competing at the Winter Olympics.
....

Evgeni Plushenko, Russia, figure skating

When we last saw him in Turin four years ago, Plushenko didn't just compete in men's figure skating, he owned the event. The gap between Plushenko and everyone else was so broad that the competition, from the moment the Russian finished his perfect short program, was all about the race for second. A perfectionist on the ice, the three-time world and six-time European champion largely walked away from the sport after Turin. But he returned with a flourish this fall, and appears to have lost little of his flair in a calculated buildup to the Vancouver Games. If he's healthy, the 27-year-old will be a gold-medal favorite despite serious competition from Evan Lysacek, the reigning World Champion from America, and home-nation favorite Patrick Chan of Canada.

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www.examiner.com/x-33967-Olympics-E...ing-Predictions
February 1, Olympics Examiner, Jeremy Freeborn

Figure Skating predictions

Predicting figure skating was a lot easier fifteen years ago-- especially in the sport of ice dancing, where you could accurately predict the top six before the Olympics ever began.

Now that the sport has cleaned up its act significantly, positional battles are less clear, and for the viewer, it is more enjoyable to watch. If a figure skater makes a mistake, he or she will be penalized in the new system-- as they should be.

One thing that hasn't changed, is the dramatic battles that will occur for the top of the podium.

In the men's competition, Evgeny Plushenko of Russia is back after taking a two year break in 2007-08.The Olympic champion returned to train last March, and hasn't missed a beat after winning the European Figure Skating Championships in Estonia.

Plushenko will battle World Champion Evan Lysacek from the United States for gold.

I like Plushenko because Lysacek struggled with a triple axel and failed to win the U.S. Nationals in Spokane. He comes to the Olympics without momentum, and that is huge when trying to knock off a legend in the sport.....

RECAP--

Men's-- GOLD-- Evgeni Plushenko-- Russia, SILVER-- Evan Lysacek-- United States, BRONZE-- Brian Joubert-- France

Women's--GOLD--Yu Na Kim-- South Korea, SILVER--Miki Ando-- Japan, BRONZE-- Joannie Rochette-- Canada

Pairs-- GOLD-- Xue Shen, Hongbo Zhao-- China, SILVER--Aliona Savchenko, Robin Szolkowy--Germany, BRONZE--Qing Pang, Jian Tong-- China

Ice Dance--GOLD--Meryl Davis, Charlie White-- United States, SILVER--Oksana Domnina, Maxim Shabalin--Russia, BRONZE-- Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir-- Canada.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/olym...nsfigure07.html
By Nancy Armour
The Associated Press

Olympic men's champion Evgeni Plushenko making figure-skating comeback

Olympic men's champion Evgeni Plushenko is returning after a three-year absence in hopes of becoming the first man to win back-to-back gold medals since Dick Button in 1952.


Russia's Evgeni Plushenko comes back strong after a three-year layoff.
IVAN SEKRETAREV / AP

There are big dreams for some older folks, too.

Olympic men's champion Evgeni Plushenko is returning after a three-year absence in hopes of becoming the first man to win back-to-back gold medals since Dick Button in 1952. Joining him on the comeback tour is Turin silver medalist Stephane Lambiel.

Though Plushenko did ice shows during his retirement, he didn't return to hard training until the spring. Yet he established himself as the man to beat — again — with a dazzling performance at the European championships. His free skate wasn't anything special, but his short program was majestic.

Plushenko earned a world-record 91.30 points, topping the mark he'd set for the short program at the Turin Games.

"To put it simply, I count this as the return of the sporting feeling," Plushenko said afterward.

Plushenko will face stiff competition. In what could be a first, the men's field will feature four world champions: Plushenko, Lambiel, Brian Joubert and American Evan Lysacek.

Plushenko, Lambiel and Joubert went 1-2-3 at Europeans, while Lysacek backed up last year's win in Los Angeles with the title at the Grand Prix final, giving the Americans their best hope for gold since Boitano in '88.

Lysacek didn't have his best performances at the U.S. championships, finishing second. But no one should take that as an indication of what he's capable of in Vancouver.

"The last time around, I was so excited to be a member of the U.S. team and that was my focus," said Lysacek, who was fourth in Turin despite a severe case of the flu. "I went into the Olympics excited about being in the Olympic Village, walking in the Opening Ceremony, getting the clothing and being with the other athletes. It was the thrill of a lifetime.

"This time, I'm looking forward to one moment only, and that's when they open the door and let me on the ice because that's what I've worked for these last four years."...

Plushenko will face stiff competition. In what could be a first, the men's field will feature four world champions: Plushenko, Lambiel, Brian Joubert and American Evan Lysacek.

Figure skating

Women to watch
Kim Yu-na: Anything less than a gold will be a surprise
Mao Asada: Former world champ is longtime rival of Kim
Rachel Flatt: Talented 17-year-old may be U.S.'s best hope

Men to watch
Evgeni Plushenko: Looking to be first repeat winner in 58 years
Evan Lysaceck: American is defending world champion
Stephane Lambiel: Swiss star took the silver medal in Turin

When to watch
Men: Short program Feb. 16; Free skate Feb. 18.
Ladies: Short program Feb. 23. Free skate Feb. 25.

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http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/05022010/58/...re-skating.html
Reuters - Fri, 05 Feb 20:03:00 2010

Winter Olympics - Factbox: Figure skating


Evgeni Plushenko of Russia reacts after performing during the Men?s Free Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Cup of Russia in Moscow

Factbox on figure skating ahead of the February 12-28 Vancouver Winter Olympics:

HISTORY

As an indoor sport, figure skating was initially part of the Summer Olympics and was added to the programme for the 1908 Games. It moved to the Winter Games in 1924, in Chamonix.

The International Skating Union was formed in 1892 and six years later held its first official event.

The singles and pairs events have been part of every Winter Olympic programme. Ice dancing was added at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.

EVENTS

Thirty men and 30 women compete in the singles events, 20 couples in the pairs and 24 in the ice dance. Only skaters who turned 15 before July 1 2009 can compete.

The singles consist of a short programme, which has eight required elements and is worth 33.3 percent of the final score, and a free skate. The top 24 from the short programme advance to the free skate, or long programme.

The short programme can last a maximum of two minutes 50 seconds and the required elements - designated spins, jumps and combinations - can be performed in any order.

The free skate lasts between 3:50 and 4:10 for the women and between 4:20 and 4:40 for the men and must contain specified minimums of jumps, combinations, steps and spins.

In pairs, two competitors skate side-by-side in unison and perform several combined elements such as lifts. The competition comprises a short programme, with eight required elements, and a longer free skate lasting between 4:20 and 4:40.

Ice dancing, skated in couples, consists of a compulsory dance, an original dance and a free dance.

The ISU designates the rhythm and tempo of the original dance and couples select their own music to fit them. For the free dance, they can choose any music and create their own steps and style.

The judging system has been overhauled since a scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics when French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne confessed to, then denied, scoring the pairs contest according to her federation president's dictum. The French federation president, Didier Gailhaguet, was banned for three years and later resigned. Under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, officials awarded duplicate gold medals to Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Sale who had originally been placed second.

2006 CHAMPIONS

Men's singles: Yevgeny Plushenko (Russia)
Women's singles: Shizuka Arakawa (Japan)
Pairs: Tatiana Totmianina/Maxim Marinin (Russia)
Ice dancing: Tatiana Navka/Roman Kostomarov (Russia)

2009 WORLD CHAMPIONS

Men's singles: Evan Lysacek (U.S)
Women's singles: Kim Yuna (South Korea)
Pairs: Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (Germany)
Ice dancing: Oksana Domnina/Maxim Shabalin (Russia)

VENUE:

Pacific Coliseum: Built in 1968 at the site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the indoor arena at Hastings Park will have a capacity of 14,200. The arena is usually the home of the Vancouver Giants, who play in the Western Hockey League.

WATCH OUT FOR...

Yevgeny Plushenko: Four years on from capping a remarkable career with gold in Turin, the showman is back in town for another stab at Olympic success. The Russian has thrust himself back into the spotlight with very little top-flight competition practice as he has spent most of the past four years performing in skating exhibitions. The pretenders to his throne are already shaking in their skates.

Kim Yuna and Mao Asada: Born 20 days apart, South Korea's Kim and Japan's Asada have been rivals from almost the moment they first strapped on their skates and are expected to provide the ultimate showdown in Vancouver.

While world champion Kim has been in dazzling form, Asada barely made the cut for the Olympics and might end up ruing the age eligibility rules which denied her a chance to compete four years ago when she had set the world stage alight with her jaw-dropping jumps. But in the nick of time she returned to form by winning the Four Continents.

Follow the Winter Olympics 24/7 on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin 521) and Eurosport HD (Sky 412) British Eurosport channels are streamed online via the Eurosport Player.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20100208/375/...us-says-sk.html
Mon, Feb 8 09:47 AM

Don't compare new crop to us, says skater Witt

Katarina Witt's wobbly steps on the ice rink on Sunday were a far cry from the artistry that took her to two Olympic golds and the athleticism she said had transformed her sport in the 22 years since her last victory.

The 44-year-old German, who inspired a generation of skaters when she won back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1988, donned her blades at a public rink in Vancouver before answering questions about this year's medal hopefuls.

Changes to the scoring system after a judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games have prompted skaters to attempt more complex jump combinations with South Korean women's favourite Kim Yuna regularly performing difficult triple-triples.

"It's incredible how athletic-wise it has improved but I think you should never compare what was 10 years ago and what's now," Witt, who wore jeans rather than the daring outfits she was renowned for when she was reunited with Canada's 1988 silver medallist Elizabeth Manley for a skate-around on Sunday.

"We never compared ourselves to the 60s. There is always development in the sport. Big admiration from my side for physically what they are going through."

Men have been putting more quadruple jumps in their routines, including Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko who is aiming to become the first man in more than half a century to defend his Olympic title.

As the last female skater to achieve the feat, Witt knows what it takes and was sure he was made of strong enough stuff.

"I don't think he needs any advice. He's a great competitor. He's just skated great in Tallinn at the Europeans," she said.

"He's a tough competitor and knows exactly what to do. When he goes out there he's focussed."

She declined to be drawn on who would win the women's title, saying it was too close to call.

"I'm very careful ... The Olympics has its own feeling somehow. Something all of a sudden happens."

www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_14361779
By John Henderson, The Denver Post 02/09/2010

Henderson: Check out these must-see Olympic sights

I'm leaving for Vancouver this morning, and it feels odd going to the Winter Olympics to escape the snow.

While the IOC and VANOC and Shaun White fret over weather more suitable for ducks than snowboarders, I can't wait to see what the largest, warmest Winter Olympics city has to offer.

And packed with my passport, U.S. Figure Skating media book and halfpipe translation guide, I have my Vancouver Olympics bucket list:

• Lie, cheat and steal to get into Friday's opening ceremony. For the first time, it will be indoors. For the first time, I won't later have to thaw my feet in the Olympic torch.....

• Go to the Russia House. The Casa d'Italia has nice wine, USA House has nice contacts, but the Russia House has nice everything. In Turin, it was the party capital of the Olympics. Russia's headquarters is proof that the old bear has cheered up.

• Have a shot of vodka with Evgeni Plushenko. I had dinner with the defending figure skating gold medalist in Russia last year. There are few greater guys I've met in sports and few who enjoy a good time more...



--------------------------------------------

www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/...shenko?page=0,0
By Mark Starr - GlobalPost, February 9, 2010

Russian figure skater makes comeback for country
Evgeni Plushenko rises from retirement to maintain Russia's reputation at the top of men's skating.



BOSTON — During the second half of the 20th century, figure skating had an unambiguous power divide. America revered the men’s and ladies’ events and produced a string of Olympic kings and queens, while the Soviet Union — honoring the collective over the individual — put a primacy on pairs and ice dancing and had a stranglehold on those gold medals.

But as the Soviet Union and its sports empire crumpled, some extraordinary skating talent began to eschew partnership ties and drift into those less politically correct singles events. The Soviet Union had not won a single gold medal in Olympic ladies' or men’s until, in the 1990s, Viktor Petrenko, Alexei Urmanov and Ilia Kulik all won Olympic men’s golds in succession.

Those triumphs launched what was the golden era in figure skating for Russian men. Two skaters who trained together in St. Petersburg as teens, Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko, would emerge as surpassing talents to dominate the sport for almost a decade. Between them they won seven consecutive world titles and two Olympic crowns.

Yagudin and Plushenko were not comrades in skates, nor friendly rivals off the ice. The tension played out in contrasting styles. On the ice, they were the proverbial fire and ice. Yagudin, older by a couple years, was the Russian man of action, given to macho posturing. His performances were passionate, replete with big gestures, broad emotions and powerful strides and jumps. Yagudin’s aesthetics leaned to the populist; he skated to themes from movies — “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Gladiator” and “The Man In the Iron Mask” — that cast him in grand, heroic roles.

Plushenko, pale-complected with a helmet of long, thin, wheat-colored hair, didn’t look like he’d ever stepped outside the rink let alone battled the forces of evil. He was arty — balletic and, at times whimsical — and often appeared emotionally distant. He had a taste for the abstruse, almost as if he were French. Still, his lines were unparalleled, at least outside the Bolshoi, and his physical power always came as a surprise. His biggest jumps, including quads, appeared effortless; not a single hair slid out of place as he floated above the ice.

After Yagudin, at 18, won the first of his three successive world championships, he left Russia to train in the United States. And though Yagudin still trained with a Russian coach, there was some contention about whose skating was more authentically Russian and who truly reflected their nation’s soul.

In 2001, the year before the Salt Lake City Olympics, 18-year-old Plushenko wrested the world title away from Yagudin, who appeared to be in less than tip-top condition. As a result, Plushenko arrived in Salt Lake City as the favorite. The judges, at least those from the old Eastern bloc nations, seemed to prefer his refined, classical stylings to Yagudin’s manly struttings.

Competing as the Olympic favorite is not necessarily an enviable position in figure skating. No reigning men’s world champion has won the Olympic gold since Scott Hamilton back in 1984. In the first moments of his short program, Plushenko botched his ambitious quad-triple combination and, at night’s end, found himself in an unfamiliar place — fourth.

Fourth place was not necessarily fatal — a week later Sarah Hughes would rise from there in a stunning upset to win the ladies gold — but it required a decidedly sub-par effort by the leader. And Yagudin was not cooperating. He pulled off the rare feat of delivering his greatest performance ever on the biggest stage. In one spellbinding step sequence, he strode the length of the ice — thin Prince Andrew’s made charge at Austerlitz in “War and Peace” — to lift the audience to its feet. His scores were the highest ever awarded in a men’s or ladies' competition for an Olympic free skate.

Plushenko skated well, but had to settle for silver. With his legacy secure, Yagudin retired, leaving Plushenko with no real competition. Still, he schooled himself on that 2002 Olympic loss and made artistic changes that reflected the lessons. His performances became more accessible — Plushenko seemed less aloof on the ice — and the themes of his skating routines no longer felt like an academic test. At the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, he performed his free skate to music from “The Godfather,” leaving little to interpretation. (Hungarian composer Edvin Marton adapted the score especially for Plushenko’s performance.)

The artistic touches were lovely, but just frosting on the cake. With a new scoring system in place that rewarded technical virtuosity, no skater could compete with his array of jumps, spins and steps and Plushenko breezed to the gold medal.

With all those big leaps having taken a toll on his body, particularly his knees, Plushenko announced his retirement and skated off into the Russian sunset. But only a year later, he watched uneasily as the Russian team was completely shut out of the medals at the world championships. Concerned, he said, that a glorious skating tradition was being squandered, Plushenko set his sights on a 2010 Olympics comeback, aiming to become the first man since Dick Button in 1952 to successfully defend his Olympic figure-skating title.

For two more years, though, Plushenko only performed in exhibitions and it wasn’t until this season that he returned to the rigors of competition. At the European championships last month in Estonia, the 27-year-old looked like the long sabbatical had served him well. The Russian star set a men’s scoring record in the short program and, with an opening quad-triple combination in his free skate, assured the gold medal.

The flawless quadruple jump sent a clear message to his competition. In the post-Plushenko era, there has been no dominant male skater; there have been four different world champions in the past four years. With little room for error, top skaters began dialing back on risky jumps in hopes that a clean program would trump a flawed, ambitious one. The last two titlists, including America’s Evan Lysacek in 2009, won gold medals without attempting a quad — something Plushenko views as a regrettable and “incomprehensible” regression in the sport.

It seemed a clever psychological gambit to boost the pressure on the other hopefuls. Still, it is less likely to be the ambitions of his rivals than his own ability to summon that quad once again that will ultimately determine his Olympic fate. With a sixth European title now behind him, Plushenko envisions Vancouver shaping up rather well. As he assured fans in a Russian TV interview posted on his website, “Everything is going according to plan.”

Slide show - Inside Pacific Coliseum ... more pics:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryi...acific+coliseum





----------------------------------------------

www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/sports/olympics/11plushenko.html
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY, Published: February 10, 2010

Plushenko, the Quad King , Is Back for More

TALLINN, Estonia — Yet another gold medal was in his possession, and with a sly smile, Yevgeny Plushenko extended his right arm and let his hand tremble.

The hand represented his rivals at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“I’m going to take any result, but I think I did something already for figure skating, to come back and skate not bad and win,” he said after winning the European figure skating championship last month. “I know the other athletes, they understand right now they need something, and they start to shake right now, to shake a little bit.”

After retiring from elite competition in 2006, Plushenko restricted his skating to television programs, his exhibition tour and the 2008 Eurovision song contest, which he helped his friend Dima Bilan win for Russia.

Plushenko said that during those three years, he did not once attempt a quadruple jump, the element that had made him his sport’s dominant figure. But when Plushenko took to the ice here at the European championships, it was as if he had never been away as he opened with a clean quadruple toe loop-triple toe combination in the short program and in the free program.

The quad was back in earnest, and so was Plushenko, just in time to try to defend the Olympic title he won in Turin, Italy, in 2006.

“I respected him before, but I respect him even more now,” said Robin Wagner, the American coach who helped Sarah Hughes win the women’s Olympic title in 2002. “I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to come back at that level. It was already hard enough before the rule changes.”

For singles skaters, there are ample reminders, both distant and recent, of the challenge: from the men’s stars Brian Boitano, Kurt Browning and Viktor Petrenko, who all failed to win an Olympic medal in 1994, to Sasha Cohen, who failed to qualify for the United States Olympic team this year.

Even after multiple knee operations, Plushenko, 27, believes he is still in his physical prime, although he did not feel that way when he resumed serious training in June with his longtime coach, Aleksei Mishin, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

For the first three months, Plushenko said, it was unbelievable.

“It was too hard,” he said. “Wake up in the morning at 7, going to first practice, then off ice, then gym, then two hours’ break and then again practice on the ice and then again off ice, because I needed to lose 10 kilos.” (Ten kilograms is about 22 pounds.)

“My muscles felt like stones all the time, because everything was in pain,” he said. “When I wake up in the morning, I needed 30 minutes to be able to walk.”

He is trim and fit now, but there have been setbacks. He said he had twice had to have fluid drained from a cyst near his right Achilles’ tendon. He said he also had had painkilling injections in his left knee and planned to have minor meniscus surgery after the season. After practicing and landing some unprecedented jumps in training last year — including a quadruple toe-quadruple toe combination — he has scaled back his jumping in training.

“I had problems, so now I do maximum three quadruples in practice,” he said. “Land or not land, no more.”

But he says he is energized and content, and his wife of six months, Yana Rudkovskaya, agrees. “I understood that he really missed the life of a competitor,” Rudkovskaya said through an interpreter. “When he started competing again, there was a fire in his life. He is much happier.”

Plushenko’s first marriage, to Maria Ermak, ended in divorce after less than three years in 2008. He and Ermak have a 3-year-old son together. Plushenko met Rudkovskaya, a 35-year-old fashion entrepreneur and mother of two sons, through the music business. Rudkovskaya runs a chain of beauty salons in Russia, but she is also the producer for Bilan, one of the most popular singers in Russia.

Rudkovskaya, who was in Tallinn to watch Plushenko, was one of the forces behind his comeback.

“My wife brought me back to this sport,” Plushenko said. “She told me, ‘Yevgeny, before we were married, I know you have all titles and were Olympic champion and a silver medalist in the Olympics, but you know, now you can be two times Olympic champion.’

“And I was like: ‘Yana! Come on! It’s not possible, because I didn’t skate for three and a half years, and I had a lot of surgeries, and I’m 27 years old.’ ”

Plushenko made it clear that his comeback was not just for his new bride.

After watching Jeffrey Buttle and Evan Lysacek win the last two world championships without completing a quad, Plushenko was aware there was an opportunity, as well as a financial opportunity.

But his comeback was also about returning to what he does best after several years of driving fast cars and testing alternate professions, which included becoming a member of St. Petersburg’s parliament.

“I’m in the government, still in the government actually, but it’s something that’s not mine, you know?” he said. “I need some more adrenaline, need this great atmosphere like we have in competition. You come to the ice and you are alone, and everybody is watching you, and you need to perform. It’s hard, but it’s great.”

And to hear Plushenko tell it, anything beats politics.

“Dirty, dirty thing,” he said. “Show business is dirty, but politics is unbelievable. You can talk like this with the people, and they are going to turn and say behind your back: ‘Bam. Bam. Bam.’ Not good things. I saw this, and, of course, I hated it. We have in figure skating this situation, too, but in politics, it’s — wow.”

That last word also applied to his poised performance in Tallinn.

“I think in some areas of skating, he’s even better than in Turin,” said Mishin, Plushenko’s coach. “In Turin, he was more a boy. Now he’s more a man.”

Plushenko underscored his jumping prowess in the skate-and-giggle exhibition program here by completing two triple axels, a jump that the silver medalist, Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland, could not do in the regular competition.

Some analysts consider Plushenko a solid favorite for a gold medal in a deep men’s field that includes Lysacek, the reigning world champion; Daisuke Takahashi of Japan; and Patrick Chan of Canada. Plushenko has not done two quads in a program yet, but he insists that is part of his plan for Vancouver.

“I thought that Plushenko was strong, really strong, right here,” said the former French skating star Philippe Candeloro, pointing to his head.

But there is an alternative view to his gold medal prospects, one that says Plushenko’s artistic limitations could trip him up along with his relative weaknesses in some of the skills that are observed and scored more thoroughly in the contemporary scoring system.

Lambiel, despite a free program with two major errors, received higher scores for program components than Plushenko, who still seems hardwired to get manic when the time comes to get artistic, gesticulating as if less were definitely not more.

“There are better skaters than him, and they can have choreography that is better than him,” said the young Czech skater Michal Brezina, who finished fourth in Tallinn.

“But when he’s on the ice and he does every jump like this,” Brezina said, snapping his fingers metronomically, “then what can you say? Nobody can beat him, because if he’s doing two quads, one with the combination with the triple and then two triple axels, he has more points than anybody.”

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/n...source=rss&cid=
Feb 10, 11:45a ET | Updated: Feb 10, 11:52a ET

Plushenko faces biggest challenge in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (AFP) -- Comeback king Yevgeny Plushenko faces his biggest challenge as he bids to prove he still has what it takes against younger rivals on the ice in Vancouver next week.

The reigning men's figure skating champion, 27, has been lured out of retirement by the dream of a second Olympic title.

But the challengers will be lining up with at least seven men capable of taking the title in the Pacific Coliseum.

"Everyone is so strong, they are almost the same," admitted Plushenko, after claiming his sixth European title in Tallinn last month.

Four years ago Plushenko blew away the opposition to claim his first Olympic gold after silver in 2002.

The three-time world champion then retired because of knee problems.

But the lure of a second gold proved too much and he sealed his return in Tallinn after his leading rivals Stephane Lambiel and Brian Joubert both failed to give solid performances.

The Russian finished a massive 16.85 points ahead of former two-time world champion Lambiel with Joubert third.

But the skater from St Petersburg believes he can keep the title in Russian hands for the fifth consecutive Games, as his country look to lay the groundwork for the Sochi Games in four years time.

"I feel much better today, that is the difference," said Plushenko of the difference between four years ago.

"My wife insisted I come back. It's such a great feeling that maybe I was missing that."

But it remains to be seen how he can perform against the best including world champion Evan Lysacek and fellow American Jeremy Abbott, the reigning U.S. champion.

Lambiel, also returning from injury, wants to be the first Swiss Olympic figure skating champion, and turn his silver from Turin into gold.

Japan's Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda, Canada's Patrick Chan, Czech Tomas Verner and former world champion Joubert are also capable of a shot at the top of the podium.

Joubert warned that he was ready to "eat his rivals" after his disappointing third in the Europeans.

"I need to take knocks to put myself under pressure and react," said Joubert. "I've found my fighting spirit again."

Both Oda and Takahashi would love nothing more than to become the first Japanese man to claim an Olympic figure skating medal.

Oda has shown his form with two Grand Prix wins in Paris and China but finished second at the nationals behind Takahashi who returned after knee surgery which forced the 2007 world silver medalist to miss the 2008-2009 season.

World runner-up Chan, 19, returning following a calf injury, will also be competing in his first Olympics with the dream of a gold for the hosts, but without a quadruple jump his chances are reduced.

"The last two world championships were won without doing a quad. That is just not possible," said Plushenko. "I will be trying to do two quads."

The men's competition gets underway on February 16 with the short program, followed two days later by the free skating final.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0020803263.html
Wednesday, February 10, 2010

SPOTLIGHT ON men's long program

Russia's Plushenko looks to continue dominance in Olympic men's figure skating

After winning the Olympic title in 2006, Russian figure skating great Evgeni Plushenko retired to pursue other opportunities, but he grew increasingly concerned about Russia's fading place in the world of figure skating. After years of hinting that he might return, he rejoined his longtime coach Alexei Mishin last March and returned to competition last fall.

He has been nothing but dominant since. Plushenko, 27, won his first Grand Prix event in Germany then ran away with the Russian championships. He set a world record with his short program score at the European championships last month before easily securing that gold.

Now, he wants to do what no man has done since Dick Button in 1948 and 1952: win back-to-back Olympic gold medals. Plushenko has fit perfectly in what had been a long but diminishing tradition of strong Russian skaters, combining Kirov-like artistry with incredible athleticism. While U.S. men continue to struggle to produce quadruple jumps at big events, quads have long been in Plushenko's arsenal.

This U.S. team is surely the strongest in decades, with reigning world champion Evan Lysacek, 2008 world bronze medal winner Johnny Weir and 2009 International Skating Union Grand Prix champion Jeremy Abbott. None, however, has displayed the consistent excellence of Plushenko, who for years fought for the upper hand in his own nation with retired Russian star Alexei Yagudin. Plushenko has won three world titles and four Grand Prix finals.

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http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/other-sp...winter-olympics
Wednesday 10th February 2010 By Holly Hamilton, Sportsbeat

The top 25 international stars of the Winter Olympics

Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver WHILE Rudman and co are sure to do Blighty proud in the next few weeks, it's the competitors from colder climes likely to be stacking up the medals at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver....

Read on for a comprehensive guide on who's going to be topping the podiums in Canada

1. Evgeni Plushenko - Men's Figure Skating - Russia


PERFECT PLUSHENKO: Russia's Evgeni Plushenko made his return to figure skating in 2009 and has continued where he left off (Getty Images)

Defending champion Evgeni Plushenko has recaptured his past form just in time for Vancouver following his return to action at the end of 2009 after nearly four years away from the rink.

The 27-year-old had not competed internationally since capturing gold at the Turin Games in 2006 but made a winning comeback at the Rostelecom Cup in October.

The Russian, who also won silver on his Olympic debut at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, executed a near-perfect short programme and followed it up with more of the same in the free programme finishing streaks ahead of the field with 240.65 points.

Plushenko also has three world titles, six European crowns - including his sixth in Tallinn last month - and four Grand Prix Final titles to his name.

And at the tender age of 16, Plushenko was the youngest male skater to ever receive a perfect score of 6.0.

It's safe to say his rivals will not have been happy to see him glide so easily back to his winning ways.

... some say that the bookies is best in predictions....

http://bettingchoice.co.uk/2010-winter-oly...-forecast_19148
By A.J. Ryder on 9:05PM GMT 9 Feb 2010

2010 WINTER OLYMPICS BETTING FAVOURITES OFFICIAL FORECAST

There’s going to be plenty of hot betting action unfolding over the next few weeks in sunny Vancouver, Canada....
We’re going to be putting together a list of favourites for every single major sport we can find odds on. Remember that anything can happen at the Olympics, but if the odds are to be believed, these are your likely winners.
....

MEN’S FIGURE SKATING: Evgeni Plushenko big favourite at 1/2 with Evan Lysacek and Stephane Lambiel at 8/1.

WOMEN’S FIGURE SKATING: Yu-Na Kim set to dominate at 11/20. Joannie Rochette and Mao Asada at 6/1.

PAIRS FIGURE SKATING: Shen/Zhao at 23/20 with Savchenko/Szolkowy at 8/5......

---------------------------------

www.montrealgazette.com/sports/2010...2062/story.html
Edmonton Journal Feb. 9, 2010

Figure Skaters Look to Keep Medal Streak Alive
....

It is modest and respectable, the quintessential Canadian streak.

For seven consecutive Winter Olympics, figure skaters have come up with at least one medal, 10 in total since 1984. That’s exactly half of Canada’s historical haul in the sport. The streak’s standard bearers are legendary; Orser, Manley, Stojko, Buttle, Sale, Pelletier, Brasseur, Eisler, Wilson and McCall. No other winter pursuit, not even the celebrated game of hockey, has carried the flag with as much consistency and aplomb for Canada at the chilly Games.

It’s a point of pride for all 12 skaters competing here for Canada. And for some of them it’s more than that; it’s a responsibility.
......

One Games later, Jeffrey Buttle single-handedly kept the streak alive with a bronze born of a new judging system, massaging the Code of Points with precise footwork and transition to counter the quads missing from his programs.

Another Games hence, Own The Podium has pegged figure skating for three medals in Vancouver and that’s ambitious. Perhaps too much so, given the Asian power in the ladies division, U.S. strength in the men’s and the comebacks of Evgeni Plushenko and Stephane Lambiel. The podium looks like a smaller place than ever. But somebody has to step up. And some of them are ready to handle the burden.
....

Chan doesn’t really feel it either.
“This is a different Olympics. This is my Olympics. Of course a medal would be awesome and a gold medal would be even better. I don’t really think about that (responsibility) but at the same time I see we should have that mentality, to attack, let’s go for that gold medal or a medal.”
.....

David Pelletier:

"The men is interesting because of the people coming back; Plushenko, Lambiel, the Americans are very, very strong, especially (Jeremy) Abbott and (Evan) Lysacek.”

“Patrick Chan was a lot better (at nationals) than he was at Skate Canada. Definitely. But if you look at his long program, where does that place him in the big picture of the world? No triple-triple combination."

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/n...ing+what+expect
By Lee Ann Gschwind, NBC Olympics Feb 9, 1:10p ET

Figure skating: What to expect
Olympic medalists return, Asian powers take control


Russian Yevgeny Plushenko returns to defend his Torino gold.

As this Olympic season approached, a theme began to appear: comebacks. From injury, from pregnancy, and most notably from retirement - four medalists from the 2006 Torino Games returned this year to pursue another Olympics. Sash Cohen's comeback fell short, but Yevgeny Plushenko and Stephane Lambielare back for their third Games, while Shen Xueand Zhao Hongboare making a fourth trip. The celebrated Chinese pair has won three world titles and two Olympic bronze medals, but remains motivated by the opportunity to claim their country's first Olympic figure skating gold.

The presence of these veterans adds intrigue to what already promised to be a compelling figure skating competition in Vancouver. Below, a look at five key storylines to watch.

The King is back

If the most inspirational return is that of Shen and Zhao, the most intimidating is Plushenko's. With his convincing win at Cup of Russia in late October, the 2006 Olympic gold medalist sent a clear message to the men who've been taking titles in his three-and-a-half year competitive absence: to win gold in Vancouver, you're going to have to get through this three-time world champion. With his reliable quadruple jumps and equally unwavering confidence, Plushenko is poised to make all kinds of history - he would be the first man to win two straight golds in more than half a century, the second man ever to win more than two Olympic medals, and the sixth straight Olympic gold medalist from Russia/the former Soviet Union. In Vancouver, Plushenko will have to fend off a deep field of challengers, including two-time world champion Lambiel and 2007 world champion Brian Joubert, both of whom he defeated at the European Championships in January. In addition to these former world champs there is the reigning one, Evan Lysacek, who in 2009 ended a 13-year world title drought for the U.S. men, and the man he defeated for that title, host country hot shot Patrick Chan. Daisuke Takahasi, the 2007 world silver medalist, sat out all of last season with a knee injury, but returns to lead a talented trio of former world junior champions from Japan, most notably Nobunari Oda, who claimed two Grand Prix golds this Olympic season. And though he lacks a lengthy international resume, don't count out Jeremy Abbott, who won his second straight U.S. title last month with two performances that would certainly be medal-worthy if duplicated in Vancouver.....

Canada's contenders
At each of the last two World Championships, Canada has won three medals - more than any other country - and the host nation, long known for Olympic near misses, could claim that many again in Vancouver.....
Canada's singles skaters had a stellar 2008-09 season. Joannie Rochette and Patrick Chanwon two Grand Prix titles and a world silver medal each, proving their place among the world's best. This season they've been less convincing, but if Rochette can handle her nerves and skate up to her considerable ability, she should land on the podium. Chan's upside may be even greater, but the teenager's Olympic fate likely rests on the security of his jumps. 2008 world bronze medalists Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison have the potential to return Canada to the pairs podium, but after a sub-par 2008-09, they're stuck a rung below the world's top teams.

French redemption
Some called Brian Joubertbrash when, as a teenager, he began declaring his goal: to be Olympic champion. Now 25, the Frenchman has won a world title, three world silvers, a world bronze, and nine straight medals (including three gold) at the European Championships. But in two appearances, Joubert has yet to reach any step of the Olympic podium. A third chance will come in Vancouver, but he will have to rely on the quad to keep pace with more artistic skaters better suited to the current scoring system....

... rest of text: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/n...ing+what+expect

www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=36770
10.02.2010

Alexei Mishin: Before Olympics we worked on it, that Plushenko gets the "hard" third level for steps

Tomorrow, February 11, the main hope of team Russia in figure skating at the Games in Vancouver, 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko flies from St. Petersburg in Canada. His personal trainer, the legendary Alexei Mishin commented for "All Sport" training his skater after the European Championships in Tallinn....

"The last two weeks after Tallinn, we especially purified those flaws, which at the European Championships were visible to all. In addition, we also purified the elements, which seemed controversial for sports community. I mean, some step sequences of the third level. Actually, and the old step, corresponded to this level. We thought: Well, if this third level you think is not quite the "third", we will make for sure, that it be "hard" the third level. Now, no one can not to find fault in them.

Overall, we're just preparing the body and soul of Zhenya for the performance. That is: the body and soul. I will not speak in detail about that.
There were no serious health problems, which would be worth mentioning.
Two quads in long program? I especially do not want to comment this. And I think that I'll be right. This is our tactical ideas, talk about them now, you will agree, it is illogical.
Zhenya arrive in Vancouver on February 11, a short program will be the 16 th. Life will show, whether few days to adapt to North America enough, or not. It is obvious that in Vancouver, training will be very tense. Nothing more to say."

PLUSHY IN AIRPORT

video

http://olymp2010.rian.ru/olympvideo/20100211/208724216.html

OmG, I almost cried!!!! I can't believe it, the time has come!!! I love this Russian tracksuits , he looks wonderful!! Thank you so much for the video dimi! How can I download it???

And new haircut



Ok, I'm really going to die in the next days....

2010-02-11 Airport - Plushy departure from Russia (Ria novosti).flv:
www.mediafire.com/download.php?jtjugjyrnjo