Complete article can be found at
http://www.goldenskate.com/2011/12/plushenko-returns-triumphant/
December 25, 2011 - by Anna Kondakova
Evgeni Plushenko’s second comeback to eligible figure skating turned out to be as triumphant as the first one at the 2012 Russian National Figure Skating Championships. The 2006 Olympic champion currently leads the field ahead of training mate Artur Gachinski and last year’s bronze medalist Zhan Bush.
Skating to music arranged by his long-time collaborator Edvin Marton, Plushenko did not appear to be a day older than he had been at this event two years ago. His strongest points remain the same: power, attack, and charisma to spare. Surprisingly, his weakest points were the jumps.
The 29-year-old failed to attach the second jump to his opening quad toe loop, and with no steps preceding it, the element received a negative Grade of Execution (GOE). He also was only able to improvise a triple-double combination later in the program. Still, the eight-time national champion currently leads the field with 88.24 (42.30/45.94) points on the strength of his program components score.
The panel did not quite agree on the numerical value: Plushenko earned a few 9.75s, but no 10s. In addition, someone on the panel gave him as low as 7.50 for transitions. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that his performance overall deserved the highest score of the night.
The skater himself remained grounded and critical of his performance.
No comments:
Post a Comment