Few reports from "Absolute skating" site, not always so nice toward Plushy (they are fans of Lambiel and Joubert)
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Olympics 2014 - Sinead Kerr comments on the team event : http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.ph ... sineadkerr...
One of the things Olympics really bring out in every athlete is the feeling of competing for your country as well as yourself. That is something that was really brought to the forefront in the newly added Figure Skating Team Event.
I have to admit that at first I was a bit skeptical of this new format, but I found myself really drawn in from the start. The feeling of camaraderie within the qualified teams was there for all to see, with teammates cheering on their fellow countrymen right from the side of the boards in their allotted team seating areas.
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Plushenko was of course one of the big stories and I - along with the rest of the world - was curious to see how he would stand up against the new stars of the sport. I can imagine the feeling in the arena was electric when he stepped on the ice. It's hard to describe his impact to those who haven't seen him skate live but he is the king of charisma and commands attention more than any other skater.
When I skated on his tour I found him very charming and nice to everyone but always with that extra "something" that defines a true star. Personally I don't like a lot of things he does when he skates but I still find him amazing! Unfortunately I found his free skating performance a little underwhelming, especially after Jason Brown - who was my favourite of the night - and Kevin Reynolds.
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Olympics 2014 - David Richardson talks Teams:http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.ph ... richardsonHey Readers,
My name is David Richardson and I am a figure skater for Great Britain! I was the named reserve for the Men's Team Event for GB in Sochi. 'Absolute Skating' asked me to comment on the Vancouver Games in 2010 and have kindly asked me to report for Sochi 2014 as well.
The new Olympic Team Event was sure to bring excitement and it did not fail to deliver. Each team had something special to offer and it really brought about the 'Olympic Spirit' with all teams supporting their athletes and showing respect for the other countries too.....
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Russia
Russia really did display some fantastic skating in this team event. They have shown that they have strength and depth within Russian skating, without compromising quality. I could open the debate with: 'should some of the placements have been different'? 'Did the judges show favour to the home nation'? But why should I? The men's was won by a 31 year old, 4 time Olympian, the ladies' by a 15year old 'newbie', the pairs section was won by two separate partnerships and both dance couples selected earned vital points whilst matching the best in the World. A vast team mixed with young and old, experience and talent. They showed tremendous team spirit always laughing and joking in the kiss and cry and supportive to one another after their performances. Team Russia was clearly the winners and received their Gold medals deservedly!
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Olympics 2014 - John Kerr shares his thoughts and grants awards after men's short program:http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.ph ... p-johnkerrHi there Absolute skaters,
My name is John Kerr and I am a 2-time Olympian, a 2-time European bronze medalist, and a 7-time British Champion with my wonderful sister Sinead Kerr. I achieved all this in Ice Dancing, so you are probably wondering why then I am doing a review on the men’s short program? Search me but I will give it a go.
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Even when he doesn’t skate Evgeny Plyushchenko (since when did we start using a ‘y’ in his name?) still manages to be the event’s biggest talking point. There had been a lot of talk coming into the event that Evgeny would perform in the team event and then pull out of the individual event citing ‘injury’. It was clear from the warm up that he was having problems with his back and you could feel a certain inevitability that he was not going to be able to perform. Personally I feel like he should have bowed out after the team event, but when you are such a great competitor like him I can understand the impulse to be back out in front of a home crowd. Unfortunately all they got from him was a bow and a wave and you could just sense the air being sucked out of the building the instant he left the ice.
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Reports by simple FS fans...Absolute Olympic 2014 musings 2 - afterthoughts: http://www.absoluteskating.com/articles ... ughts.htmlOlga Beständigová
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One thing that I missed a lot at the Olympics was Evgeny Plushenko. He skated great in the Team Event, even with few mistakes in his free skate, and then couldn't skate in the main event. For me, he is Mr. Skater, champion, fighter with every single cell in his body. I admire everything he did in his career and I'm looking forward to seeing him at the Olympics 2018. :D I think and hope he can make it!!! :)
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Titanilla's Olympic Experience: http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.ph ... -titanilla.....
The shock: Evgeny Plushenko's withdrawal before the singles SP. He skated really well in the team event. Even though he has had so many surgeries and his preparation was not the smoothest, he once again showed his class and did what he had to do in the team event. I'm 100% sure he wanted to take part in the singles competition, too. His facial expression, or to be more precise the paleness of his face when he tried that triple Axel in the warm-up was horrible. It was obvious that he was in pain - incredible pain. I will never forget that strange quietness of the arena which was just about to explode, but instead of announcing their star (or tsar) the announcer said: Evgeny Plushenko has withdrawn from the competition due to medical reasons...
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PHOTOS
The Olympic Games 2014 - Ringing from Sochi:
http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.ph ... gfromsochi