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"(His background) Very similar
to the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist, Victor Petrenko. This young man probably has a wonderful future as well." sports commentator,
1998 European Championships
"How long do you think it'll be before we see a quad
Axel?" 1998 European Championships
"I'm impressed with him at fifteen
years old, just think what else can happen in the next few years. A lot to be developed but already on his way." Judy Blumberg,
commentator 1998 European Championships
"Fifteen years of age, the skater for the future
for Russia." commentator 1998 European Championships
"Bronze medalist, at his first world
championship at the age of 15. Amazing." commentator Terry Ghannon 1998 Worlds Exhibitions
"He knows how to work a crowd, being only 15 years old!" commentator 1998 Worlds Exhibitions
"It may have been a Russian folk dance but I think I saw a little Chuck Berry here and there." commentator 1998
Worlds Exhibitions
"A master of the quad... and you have admire how he gets into the air
on jumps." commentator 1998 Goodwill Games
"Fifteen years old, and gaining a lot more than
experience here. He is fighting." commentator, 1998 Goodwill Games
"Here is a man, who
has caught the attention of a lot of people in the port of figure skating." commentator 1998 Goodwill Games
"Absolutely beautiful and he's actually wearing an athletic brace under
his costume, he's had sore back problems. You have to wonder if all these jumps are taking such a beating on these bodies
he's just 15 years old." commentator 1998 Goodwill Games
"When Mishin got him, he said he looked like a cheap chicken, very green
very blue no fat, but very ecological. And look at the results."
"Well he just put in another triple axel combination, definitely not a
chicken."
"Biellmann spin, he says even with a sore back he's going to put it in.
He actually fell out of that in the short program." commentator 1998 Goodwill Games
"And this is an endurance test and he's kept up the speed right to the
very end of this program. There's the Biellmann spin, not something you usually see from a male skater."
"Wow."
"What a men's competition we have going here tonight."
"Evgeny Plushenko, third after the short program let's
see where that performance does to him. Alexei Mishin said at first, he was a cheap chicken, but now, he is a world-class
athlete." commentator 1998 Goodwill Games
"Through his sport, he has earned
a certain amount of fame and fortune, but he's had to give up his teenage years to reach the podium." Peter Caruthers, 1999
Cup of Russia
"Now Evgeny Plushenko may make skating history right here. He has planned
the triple axel, triple toe, triple loop, all in combination but the cards have to be all in line for this to work. Here's
the first, the second, oh, he stopped at the triple toe but it doesn't matter, it was great!"
"Stil pretty good cards.
They weren't all in line but they weren't bad." -- commentators 1999 Cup of Russia
"You
have to like the attitude of the 17-yr old too. After talking to his coach, he's either going to hit a home run, or he's going
to hit the ice hard trying." commentator 1999 Cup of Russia
"He was so tilted in the air
on that, he saved that with brute strength. What awareness he has." commentator 1999 Cup f Russia
"Look
at him interpret the music while firing off these hard jumps." Commentator, 1999 Cup of Russia
"He's
a great athlete, he's a great dancer, he interprets the music!" commentator, 1999 Cup of Russia
"Remember that he intends to add another triple on the end of this, he will be so dangerous with the jumps when
he does that." commentator, 1999 Cup of Russia (note that is about the intended 3 axel-3 toe-3 loop
"He is the future of men's figure skating." commentator 1999 Cup of Russia
"He
just keeps adding more and more, excellent!"
"We saw him work on that in practice, but no one thought he would actually
try it in the competition." commentators after seeing Plushenko's 4-3-2 combination for the first time at 1999 NHK Trophy
"His technique is so pure, he just can't go wrong." commentator 1999 NHK Trophy
"What's very special about the way that he skates fromelement to element, is that he's able to accellerate with
maybe one or two pushes where other people will take maybe ten or fifteen strokes to get the same speed." commentator, 1999
NHK Trophy
"(about the crowd)They were politely clapping almost like they were at the opera,
and now they rush to the side of the rink." commentator, 1999 NHK Trophy
"He certainly
is charming, he's very comfortable in his skates and he knows what he's doing in every moment and he completely controls the
audience." commentator 1999 NHK Trophy
"He's got flare, he's got a
sense of humor, he loves playing with the audience, but look at this combination, now that is one heck of a combination!"
Dick Button, 1999 Grand Prix Final
"Now you can see the playfullness that he has.
The difficult moves should be out of the way." Dick Button 1999 Grand Prix Final
"He loves
milking the audience." Dick Button 1999 Grand Prix Final
(about Mishin) "He says, you must
train, you must be ready and prepared, and Plushenko is." commentator, 2000 Nations Cup
"The
awareness level is so keen that he's able to land it beautifully on one foot backwards. What an athlete!" commentator, 2000
Nations Cup
"Not only do you have to be a great jumper, but you also have to have impressive
footwork. He's doing that." commentator 2000 Nations Cup
"Not only is he a great jumper,
but he also has versatility in the spins." commentator 2000 Nations Cup
"What he has is
the Eye of the Tiger now, the blinders are on, and he's just going to get the job done." (2000 Cup of Russia)
"This is the Michael Jackson on ice." Daniel Weiss, 2001 World Championships
"That,
what you just saw, was amazing." Daniel Weiss, 2002 Art on Ice show in Germany
"Costume may be a little flashy but if I uh, know him, the performance
will be even more outrageous you probably won't even notice what he's wearing. Long standing tradition of Mishin's pupils
to wear something a little bit noticable." Scott Hamilton, 2002 Olympics
"Triple axel, beautiful." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"Ow, ow! That's gotta hurt, I don't know anyone else in the world that's
that flexible." Scott Hamilton upon seeing the Biellmann at Olympics 2002
"He's the only one that does the Biellman spin." commentator Olympics
2002
"Unbelievable cause he never misses in the short program and that's why
he's been such a champion." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"He looked really hungry in practice." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"Plushenko is on fire, he's just out to prove that it (his fall) was a
fluke here's the quad in the exact same place as the short program." (note this was warmup practice) Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"This one is formidable." commentator 2002 Olympics
"You want fire? You're about to get fire. This guy just flat out performs."
Scott Hamilton, just before Zhenya's Olympic long program
"His first three jumping passes are unbelievable.... The third of the
three jumping passes I was telling you about right here, triple axel into triple flip out of a half loop that is unbelievable
combination! Next another triple axel combination here, triple axel, no combination but still, the first four jumping passes
in this program, wow." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"He's doing everything he needs to do to win. He's done all the hard jumps
now he just has to sell the rest of the performance." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"The only man to do this! Ow!" Scott Hamilton Olympics
"And Plushenko will get a standing ovation!" commentator 2002 Olympics
"Tonight those jumping passes were absolutely awesome." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"Opening combo is just unbelievable, he does quad toe in the exact same
place as he missed it in the short program... Watch this, triple axel into half loop into triple flip that is just almost
impossible that's just sick and twisted right there. *laughs* That is the strength that you have to have the agility is just
phenomenal." Scott Hamilton 2002 Olympics
"What a guy! IVs, flu, looks like he dropped a good deal of weight and
he came out and he skated with a lot of energy and passion!" Scott Hamilton, 2002 Olympics
Evgeny Plushenko is probably one of the most dramatic and exciting skaters.
Hes wild in a way or another. Hes 19 years old. Hes the Olympic silver medalist and hes skating to an unusual piece we dont
hear very often in figure skating, and thats Carmen by Bizet. I mean, Katarina Witt, Debi Thomas and a few others have used
it, but this is an unusual one. Dick Button 2002 Campbell's Classic
I think he just loves playing these roles. Great sense of drama and flair
there...very exciting to watch always. Dick Button, 2002 Campbell's Classic (WOW, WHAT A COMPLIMENT!)
Wow! Look at that lean. That is truly amazing that he could stand up on that triple lutz leaning
like that. But hes got cat-like ability to land on his feet. Peter Caruthers 2002 Campbell's Classic
"I like the way he catches that foot, beautiful style in that spin. Dick Button 2002 Campbell's Classic
I think his stamina is excellent. Peter Caruthers 2002 Campbell's Classic
Footwork section. Quick changes of positions. Its hard to do; your body doesnt want to move like
that at the end of the program. He does it well. Peter Caruthers, 2002 Campbell's Classic
Well, he had enthusiasm and energy.
And lots of flair. I think he realizes it was not his best work.
He knows for sure. He had a big fall at the beginning of the program. But the sign of a truly great
athlete is one that can pull himself together after something like that.
Hes quite a skater. Hes got a lot of flair; great sense of drama. Ive always enjoyed watching him,
and I think that sometimes it gets a little obvious and its fun to see. commentators Peter Caruthers and Dick Button 2002
Campbell's Classic
IWithout Alexei Yagudin around) he is without question the best skater in the world. (Nations Cup Short Program, 2002)
Mechanically, he is so sound on these jumps. (2002 Nations Cup short program)
Look how he just takes that triple Lutz out of those steps with ease! ('02 Nations Cup Short Program)
It's great to see such an extraordinary athlete be so artistically balanced. ('02 Nations Cup SP)
Good spins, good jumps, the total package. ('02 Nations Cup SP)
And that just sealed it for Plushenko. He is masterful on the jumps and he had a lot of dramatic flair in this short program
to hold him up in first place, just brilliant. ('02 Nations Cup sp)
Well it is a different world these days, and we certainly second the thoughts of Evgeni Plushenko. ('02 Nations Cup Long
Program)
When you can pick that apart, you know you're at a certain level that not many skaters are at. ('02 Nations Cup Long Program)
Not to oversimplify it, Peter, but you have to believe that the way he was brought up, going on his own at the age of 11,
the tough times that he experienced, has a lot to do with his makeup now, his motivation now, and his drive.
I think it's all about mental toughness with Evgeni Plushenko. ('03 Cup of Russia, Long Program)
(about his footwork) Wow, look at the intensity! It's not a quad but it has the same kind of intensity! ('03 Cup of Russia,
Long Program)
It breaks up the continuity of the program, but how much will it hurt him, Dick?
Well it wasn't really a breakup, it was a good fall, I mean it was the best kind of fall to have if you have to have a
fall.
Could that alone cost him the title?
*pause* Not in my book.
2004 World Championships, Terry Gannon and Dick Button
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