NBCOlympics.Com: Plushenko rips Lysacek; Russia won’t challenge outcome
Plushenko has been so b*tchy about this that it’s actually pretty funny. First, he complained about his start time in the short program. Well… he got that late start time in the free skate and still managed to lose. If you compare his program to Lysacek, Lysacek wins in pretty much every way. He had artistry — Plushenko was robotic. Lysacek landed ALL his jumps cleanly. Plushenko — not so much.
I’d also prefer Lysacek as the gold medalist anyway — his graciousness and humility just adds to his medal while Plushenko’s unsportsmanlike conduct just detracts from his. Lysacek went in just wanting to skate his best — he didn’t go in with the attitude that he “deserved” a place on the podium. Plushenko, on the other hand, doesn’t “deserve” anything… other than maybe a swift kick in the pants.
Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to see any of the men’s figure skating (woo deadline!), but I saw Bob Costa’s interview tonight with Lysacek. It seemed to me that Costas was trying to get a rise out of him, to get him to say something nasty about Plushenko. And instead Lysacek was gracious and warm, and a bit embarrassed by all the attention. I’m glad he won, just based on his personality.