ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Yevgeny Plushenko celebrates finally taking the gold medal in figure skating

Record ID: 331748

  • Title: ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Yevgeny Plushenko celebrates finally taking the gold medal in figure skating
  • Date: 18th February 2006
  • Summary: SEMI CLOSE UP: MAN HUGGING PLUSHENKO
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7JCPTE24C9OEW1CG4C8IHDJVU
  • Story Text: Yevgeny Plushenko finally laid his demons to rest on Thursday (February 16) with a gold-medal winning performance at the Winter Olympics.
    The most gifted skater of his generation, the Russian etched his name alongside the greats of the sport when he obliterated his rivals with an explosive free skate to climb to the top of the podium in Turin's Palavela rink.
    Described by many as nerveless, Plushenko showed that he had some doubts although they had not been evident as he took to the ice.
    "I want to say that I was not so worried about the men's short programme. Well of course I was slightly worried but not as much as today. Because today I understood that I had 10 points from my previous performances. And today I had to do everything, especially complex elements, and I understood that if I do that the gold medal would be mine," he said.
    For a man not used to being second best, he has been dogged for the last four years by the fact that he came second, and earned the silver medal, behind fellow Russian Alexei Yagudin at Salt Lake City.
    Plushenko had entered the 2002 Games as the defending world champion and co-favourite for the men's title. But he stumbled in the short programme and had to see Yagudin, his former training partner and later rival, take the gold.
    Their rivalry developed after a disgruntled Yagudin terminated his association with their common coach Alexei Mishin in 1998, complaining that Plushenko was receiving most of Mishin's attention.
    Plushenko has three world, five European and seven Russian titles to his name. He has been beaten by only two men in the past four years. So his desire to take the Olympic gold medal in 2006 has been fierce.
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