WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2006 OLYMPICS
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3B
ming hat," said. g to with ."
Skater's personal best leads field gold medal in grasp
BY BARRY WILNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TURINO, Italy — Evgeni Plushenko's biggest fan Tuesday night was his closest competitor — U.S. champion Johnny Weir.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Weir marveled at the 90.66 points the Russian star put up in the Olympic men's short program. Plushenko's personal best gave him more than a 10-point lead over the three-time U.S. champ, a massive gap.
United States 2006 pairs figure skating champion John Baldwin holds up an American flag while Evan Lysseck of the United States prepares for his performance at the Men's Figure Skating short program at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turino, Italy, on Tuesday. Baldwin competed in the pairs final competition Monday, Feb. 13 but failed to win a medal.
Plushenko soared far beyond it and pretty much put the gold medal in his pocket, even if he wouldn't say so.
"It's a lot of pressure right now, guys, come on," Plushenko said. "Nothing happened. I just skated today perfect and did my job."
"It's wild. I didn't think anyone would get above 80.00," Weir said.
Plushenko, winner of three world titles, was Weir's pick for gold before the Olympics began and Weir still doesn't think there's much of a chance he'll lose in Thursday night's free skate.
"If he falls three times, maybe, just maybe someone can squeeze by." Weir said.
From the moment he stepped on the ice until the conclusion of his short program to Puccini's "Tosca," Plushenko never flashed even a hint of a smile. This was all business — and business was good for the 2002 Olympic silver medalist.
He nailed every element, from a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination to a solid triple axel to complex footwork into a triple lutz. Only when his final combination spin ended did he lighten up, going from intense concentration to a series of fist pumps. He seemed more relieved than excited.
"I am very happy I achieved a new personal best," said Plushenko, who admitted he was a "little bit sick" earlier this week. "I did it in the Olympic Games. It is very important to me. Everything was clean."
The recently married Plushenko clowned it up when his score was posted. He kissed his wedding ring and blew kisses into the camera for his wife, Maria.
A nice Valentine's Day present.
Weir got one, too — a personal-
best 80.00 score.
"It's over, it's done, it's Valentine's Day and I can go buy myself a rose and some chocolate," he said.
World champion Stephane Lambiel was third with 79.04 points.
When the event favorite posts that kind of number, particularly out of the second slot among 30 skaters, the chase can be futile.
"I'm going to fight." Lambiel said. "I have to check what's wrong for the free program."
As it was for Jeff Buttle, the 2005 world silver medalist trying to become Canada's first men's Olympic champion.
His playful routine to "Sing Sing Sing" was ruined by a fall on a triple axel. He finished sixth.
"Obviously, I've been getting more pressure than I am used to, but I should be able to handle that," he said. "More than anything, it was the pressure I put on myself."
"I'm not even going to think about a medal." he said.
Lambiel was the next top contender, skating to a new "Cirque du Soleil" program.
"I had an off night, not good to do it at the Olympics," Lysacek said. "Maybe because it was the Olympics I wanted to prepare that much more and it kind of backfired."
"It pays to show something new and refreshing," he said.
He eliminated any chance for first place with his opening element, cutting a triple axel into a double. It's a jump he tends to struggle with, but Lambiel didn't let it destroy his program.
It also pays to hit everything you trv.
His triple flip was shaky, though, as were some other spins, and he didn't hold position very well on his final spin.
Some excellent spins, including one where he touches his boot in mid-spin, and a quadtriple combination were enough for third, but barely within sight of Plushenko.
Lambiel won the world championships in great part because Plushenko had groin problems that eventually required surgery.
"I was supposed to do the triple, I was prepared for it," he said. "I don't know what happened. I opened too early."
"It's good, it definitely was not my best. I didn't feel my best and I was tripping all over at the end," he said. "I've been toted as America's next medal hope. As long as I go well, I can't see why not. I will definitely race for silver."
Teammates Evan Lysacek and Matt Savoie won't. Lysacek crashed on his opening triple axel, seemed to recover, but later cut a triple flip to a double, ensuring he would plummet in the standings. The 2005 world bronze medalist stood 10th, two spots in back of Savoie.
Weir finished fourth in that event, but on Tuesday his elegant portraitay of a swan featured perhaps the best triple axel of
"Maybe I sensed the wall coming up too close," Lysacek said. "Maybe I pulled up too soon."
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