as far as i can remember, russian man win all the gold in single men figure skating
Men's Olympics figure skaters ready for 'toughest field ever'
"It's been said that this is the toughest field ever with four world champions," says American Evan Lysacek, the reigning world champ. The men's competition begins Tuesday with the short program. The free skate is Thursday.
"Every single medal contender can either be first or 15th," the USA's Johnny Weir says.
Leading the field is the skater Weir calls the sport's "rock star," Russian Evgeni Plushenko, trying to become the first man to repeat as Olympic champ since Dick Button 58 years ago.
Plushenko retired after the 2006 Games, then announced his return last spring and has since dominated every competition he's entered. Also making a comeback is Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel, a two-time world champion, after taking a year off because of injury. Rounding out the field of world champs is France's Brian Joubert. U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott and three-time U.S. champ Weir, Canada's Patrick Chan and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda hope to knock those world-beaters off the podium.
"There's any of eight, nine, 10 guys that could win," says Chan's coach, Lori Nichol, who also choreographed Lysacek's programs. "I think it will be a great competition. Often what you see in the men's competition, when one skates well, the next skates well and it just feeds on it; they keep one-upping each other. I love that about men's skating.
"I've never seen a men's event like this — ever. I love how different each of them are, and I think that makes it really interesting for the audience as well."
The most obvious demarcation line: Those who do the quad vs. those who eschew the quad. Plushenko and Joubert are expected to attempt the four-rotation jump with abandon. Lysacek isn't planning one because of a left foot injury. Chan, hoping to become Canada's first male figure skater to win gold, also will not do the high-risk, high-reward jump.
During practice, groups of skaters share the ice, which at times leads to quad gamesmanship. "They nail it in front of me or around me, but it's all about what you do the day of competition. It's totally normal intimidation," Chan says, adding, "It will be exciting to see what Plushenko has up his sleeve."
Under the points-based scoring system, skaters don't need to land a quad to win a title. The last two world champions, Canada's Jeffrey Buttle in 2008 and Lysacek, won without attempting a quad.
As a result, the eternal debate between athleticism and artistry rages on. Many do not like the complicated scoring system, but younger skaters such as Chan, 19, say it makes the sport fairer. "It's a great way to promote an all-around skater," Chan says. "We'll start seeing more skaters like me in future generations." Meaning skaters who do not concentrate solely on jumps at the expense of transitions between elements, footwork and the interpretation of the music.
The skater who wins gold probably will have all of the above. If Abbott's confidence holds up, it could be a well-rounded skater such as him. "He has the whole package," says his coach, Yuka Sato. "He's a great jumper, a great spinner, a wonderful skater, a wonderful performer in this system."
Weir, too, cannot be overlooked. "I definitely feel confident that I have those two amazing Olympic performances in me," he says.
Still, controversy has found him in Vancouver. After wearing fox fur on one of his costumes in the U.S. championships last month, Weir says he received criticism. He has switched costumes for his Olympic free skate and says he's staying in the Olympic Village instead of a hotel because he fears for his safety. U.S. figure skating spokeswoman Scottie Bibb says she is not aware of any threats against Weir being officially reported.
On Monday, Weir aid he might even try the quad: ?What do I have to lose?? said Weir, according to The Associated Press. ?I?m not a favorite for a medal here. If I feel like doing it, I will do it.?
Just as the athletes began to arrive for these Games, allegations of judging shenanigans emerged when a private e-mail from a U.S. judge was made public. At the heart of the e-mail were Plushenko's comments.
"If the judges want someone to place high, they can arrange it," Plushenko was quoted as saying. "Like (in the European championships) in Tallinn, (France's) Brian Joubert got more points for his transitions than me, although we did exactly the same transitions on the ice. In fact, we don't have any transitions because we focus on our jumps."
International judge Joe Inman, not working here, forwarded Plushenko's comments to friends, including some judges, writing: "I find this an interesting observation of his own skating and the judges' marking of his transitions." When this e-mail was made public, Didier Gailhaguet, the president of the French skating federation and a central figure in the Olympic judging scandal at the 2002 Games, told L'Equipe: "It just proves that the North American lobby is on its way."
Such comments set off "an international firestorm of accusations that there is a North American bias against European figure skaters in the men's event," as Toronto's Globe and Mail put it. Inman said the intent of the e-mail was misconstrued.
After a recent practice, Plushenko's coach, Alexei Mishin, said, "Skating should be decided on the ice, not the Internet."
How this brouhaha will affect competition is unclear. Will Plushenko be more closely scrutinized? Will there be a backlash toward Americans? Weir suggested as much, saying, "Am I going to be judged differently because of what some stupid American judge did?"
Even further, USA TODAY revealed that Plushenko's artistry was criticized in a series of judges' educational videos that critiqued his 2006 Olympic performance. Last summer, the Russian skating federation demanded the International Skating Union remove Plushenko from the videos, according to three people with knowledge of the videos.
With this backdrop, the much-anticipated men's event begins. Now comes the question: Will it be decided on the ice?
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Weir want to do QUAD? only if he like to have an icy butt. he should stick to triple triple. Let the russian do the quad.
