Figure Skating: Pretenders line up to take Plushenko’s crown
Paris (AFP) – Defending champion Yevgeny Plushenko has been lured out of retirement by the dream of a second Olympic gold but the pretenders will be lining up to take the Russian’s crown in Vancouver.
In Turin four years ago Plushenko blew away the opposition to claim his first Olympic title after winning silver in 2002.
The 27-year-old retired after his Turin success following knee problems.
But the skater from St Petersburg is now back and bidding to keep the title in Russian hands for the fifth consecutive Games.
A gold would also see the three-time world champion surpass the exploits of his once great rival Alexei Yagudin who won gold ahead of him at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
If he were to win in Vancouver he would become just the third man to claim consecutive titles and first since Dick Button successfully defended his at the 1952 Oslo Games.
The maestro showed he still has the golden touch by capturing the Cup of Russia, the only Grand Prix event he competed in this season and his first international competition since 2006.
The real test for him however will be the European championships in Talinn, Estonia which start on Tuesday.
One thing is sure, the Russian can expect a battle from challengers including world champion Evan Lysacek and fellow American Jeremy Abbott, former two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland and France’s Brian Joubert.
Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda, Canada’s Patrick Chan and Czech Tomas Verner are also in the running.
A year after a thigh injury forced him to announce his retirement, Olympic silver-medallist Lambiel is back challenging in one final Games.
“The gold medal is possible,” said Lambiel, who will also be testing his form in his first major competition for nearly two years at the Europeans.
Lysacek placed fourth in Turin, but at the 2009 world championships in Los Angeles he skated a near perfect routine to win gold.
The American lost out to Oda in the Cup of China this season but hit back by stealing Oda’s thunder at the Grand Prix final in Tokyo with personal bests in the short programme, free skate and overall scorre.
Oda has shown his form with two Grand Prix wins in Paris and China but finished second at the Japanese nationals behind former world silver medallist Takahashi who has returned after knee surgery which forced the 2007 world silver medallist to miss the 2008-2009 season.
Both Oda and Takahashi would love nothing more than to become the first Japanese man to claim an Olympic figure skating medal.
World runner-up Chan, 19, returning following a calf injury, will also be competing in his first Olympic Games with the dream of a gold for the hosts.
Former world champion Joubert has the experience as he competes in his third Olympic Games but is also fighting back from a right foot injury.
The 25-year-old Frenchman placed just fourth at the Paris Grand Prix, but bounced back to win the NHK Trophy in Japan before injury struck.
Although the last two world championships have been won without a quadruple jump, it could prove the difference between gold and a podium finish in Vancouver where a changing of the guard is assured with older veterans up against younger stars hoping to make a big impression.
