Skate Canada

How sweet it is! Evgeni wins Trophee Lalique

November 15, 2003

Evgeni Plushenko won his first Trophee Lalique competition he has entered and continued to be almost unbeatable the past two years.

Evgeni hasn’t lost a Grand Prix competition in two years and has won the World Championship the past two years. He is the No. 1 ranked skater in the world by ISU ratings.

Evgeni, 21, overpowered the field at Trophee Lalique by winning with a 37 point advantage over silver medalist Kevin Van Der Perren from Belgium.

Evgeni quickly set the stage for his powerful program with his trademark quadruple-triple-double jump. He never slowed as he captured his second Grand Prix win of the season. He won at Skate Canada two weeks ago.

"I am fine with my skating, I am happy," Evgeni said. So overwhelming was Evgeni’s free skate he landed two triple Axels, one in combination with a double toeloop, and four more triples. "I finally did two triple Axels and the quad-triple-double combination. I didn’t skate so well at Skate Canada."Evgeni was bothered with a sore knee and was battling a cold during Skate Canada.

With the new scoring system, Evgeni is being rewarded handsomely for his strong combination spins and intricate footwork. He skated to "Tribute to Vaclav Nizhinski", which is dedicated to the famous Russian ballet dancer.