Worlds 2001 Maria Butyrskaya free skating long program

[demirus32]

Huh??? Its one thing to be a fan, but some of you guys are clearly not objective. "One of the few skaters that never telegraphed a jump"??? She is one of the stiffest and ungraceful skaters of all time. I'm not trying to be mean and I'm no fan of Sarah Hughes either..but she deserved 4th place behind Hughes. That was fair

[rickram1961]

Very Elegant and Lovely. I love this beautiful piece of music.  Ms. Butyrskaya was always a huge favorite of mine.

[nondescriptnyc]

I wonder if the Russian Federation had to trade Maria off, so as to hold Slutskaya up... There was some politics happening there because, though Kwan won, I feel as though Kwan, too, was underscored--compared to the generous scores given to Hughes and Nikodinov.

[zenitrulit2]

She really deserved a medal at this worlds!

[muscleboi4use]

5.3 technical merit? What was that judge watching?! This was an elegant, sophisticated, program full of graceful, tender moments.

[Hyoral]

I love this program and always liked her skating, but some of her fundamentals aren't as strong as Irina's. She is, however, the only skater of the top 5 here with a really true triple lutz that always took off on a deep outside edge

[mlc2005]

I can understand the placement, given where she was after the short, but what I CANT understand is how she got three 5.7's for presentation????? Even Peggy FLemming admitted that Maria had "the whole package" versus Irina who had the jumps. I always felt that Irina was kept up, whereas Maria had to fight for every damn placement. She had to be absolutely perfect (1999 worlds short and long, 2000 worlds short) in order to get any traction. Not fair.

[quirotmutolafan]

She was screwed over in the short. She should have been easily over Hughes atleast which would have given her the bronze overall. I probably would have had her 2nd in the long. She didnt have the technical content of Irina or Michelle, especialy with the doubled 2nd triple lutz. She also had some shaky landings. However Irina had some serious mistakes and not a great overall performance or program.

[grafgirl27]

If one ignores the ridiculous 5.6 her presentation scores ranged from 5.7 to 5.9, with an even range across all 3. That is a reasonable range. Michelle Kwan had an even mix of 5.8 and 5.9 for presentation and she was a bit more "on" than Maria this night with less shaky landings and tenativeness. It was also still higher than Irina's 2nd mark which was an even mix of 5.7s and 5.8s.

[mlc2005]

grafgirl: I agree with your assessment, actually, now that I look at the scores. I actually felt that Maria AND Kwan were undermarked here. I sort of chuckled when you wrote that Kwan was "a bit more on" than Maria. Kwan was perfection that night, without a single, even minute flaw. The 5.8's were clearly due to her first position order wise. I would have had artistic marks: Kwan: 5.9-6.0 (majority 6.0s) and Maria 5.8-5.9s (an even split).

[grafgirl27]

Those marks would have been fair for the quality of the performances but Michelle was skating before Irina who was favored to win this year and leading after the short so she was never going to get marks that didnt still leave room for Irina to possibly win. That is just the way things were under the 6.0 system which is one of the reasons for the new system.

[dbulcavage]

Watching this gets me so mad. I can't believe she placed only 4th after this long program!! This program was exquisite and her jumping was good! Ugh, this is around the time figure skating started to go downhill...

[nondescriptnyc]

I find this prgram captivating. It emphasizes her strengths/elegance while distracting our attention from her weaknesses (e.g., rigidity & inflexibility).

I miss Elena Tchaikovskaya programs... Is she teaching anyone right now?

[mlc2005]

She was one of the few jumpers who NEVER telegraphed a jump.

[barkingtree88]

Slutskaya was the one who should have been 4th, not Butyrskaya. Slutskaya also should have been 4th in 1998.

[trojanrob24]

One of the more underrated programs of of all that season! I have to admit I never liked Maria Butyrskaya... until now. Looking back, I realize how wondeful this program actually is for the ff. reasons:

1. maturity - there were so many nuances to this program, and her presentation was exquisite, second only to Kwan's

2. tech. difficulty - SIX triples! (3F, 3T_3S, 3Z, 3L, 2Z, 3L-2T(!!!), 2A) I've just realized how great Maria was with the loop jump!

3. consistency - she did not fall! SILVER!!!

[realchemistry]

Agree. I don't know why I didn't like her back in the day. But watching it now, I can see that she is a mature woman skater as opposed to many of the technically more adept girls who were around at the time.

[xlutskaya]

she deserved bronze

[nolaughingmatter]

Sarah Hughes?!?! Natural communication with the audience? Peggy couldn't pick a better skater as an example?

[mlc2005]

Was the last triple loop she did in combination really a triple... the commentator said it was, but it looked like a double to me.. Anyone have an opinion.

[warriorgr]

It was most definitely a triple!

[dbulcavage]

It was a triple..She just makes the triple loop look so easy that it looks like a double.

[mrlarryb818]

This is what is missing from the current scene in womens skating. Here is a woman, not a puberty delayed child. While never a great technical skater, she frequently managed to draw me into her performances.

[mlc2005]

I miss her a lot. She had an incredibly unique style. Very appealing. And she was really good too!

[waddleduckie1]

My gosh, her hair almost matches her dress!!!

[lovesunair]

i hate thesse commentators - Huges is nothing comparing to Maria!

I love this programm, i love the music, the costume and her combination 3 toe - 3 salchow was awesome!

[frostdiamond1]

I don't think that's true. Hughes had a much cleaner performance, landed a 3/3, and all her landings were much more secure. She had some flutzes, but her jumps were still way better. Also, Maria had lovely spins, but Sarah's were even better, particularly her layback, which was the best in the world along with Angela Nikodinov until Sasha Cohen recovered from her back injury.

[thesunny2007]

This is the quality of the skating and you can't possibly compare Maria'a to Hughes.Sarah Hughes was a child at the moment with undeveloped technique of the jumps - always cheated and underrotated,junior choreo and stiff edges ,her basic skating really lacking.Maria - the most elegant mature woman,the best flow and body lines - may be the only one who show LADIE's fig. sk.

[frostdiamond1]

I'd have to disagree. Sarah brought energy and joy to her skating; Maria had a softer quality, very pretty but less exciting. If there was a difference in refinement it was only because Maria had MUCH more experience than Sarah. I think her Don Quixote was very expressive, dynamic, and fit her so well. If anything her marks were to low for that performance.

Yes, Maria was older and looked more like a lady, but skating is dominated by teenagers, all very talented and graceful, though young.

[thesunny2007]

That's very sad - teenagers must compete with teenagers- there are different physical abilities ,like different weight groups in boxing.I would rather see Hughes Junior World Champion than worlds bronze medalist.And later at the age of 24 - after growing up and losing the jumps during that period ,getting more weight ,suffering from the injures ,recovering from ups and downs in the career - I would like to see her after that competing at Olympics and winning - if she would be able too.

[thesunny2007]

The quality of the skating - edges, knees,extentions,body and hand work,one-foot skating,"finishing" the moves. Those familiar with the nuances are excited a lot about Maria's quality of the skating.Sarah - yes,children are dinamic and expressive that's the way Slutskaya skated at the age of 16 and Kwan with joy,speed and no fear to lose a title. It stopped after they grown up and felt a pressure but they kept fighting. Sarah gave up competing after a first failure in 2003.

[muffycat26]

Maria's program had nowhere near the technical difficulty of any of Michelle, Irina, and Sarah. No 2nd triple lutz, no triple-triple combo attempt at any point (triple-triple sequence is easier). So she wasnt going to win the LP for sure. Even so she came 3rd in the LP, but did not medal since she bombed out in the earlier programs if I recall.

[thesunny2007]

Well, considering that Sarah and Michelle couldn't do lutz at all and Sarah's triple-triple combos are underrotated about a half turn and are actually 3/2 - it's very questionable who had the technical difficulty.

[j0han64]

i'm absolutly ok with you, we can't comparate MARIA and hugues..

[tetris566]

Jumps were shaky but really nice performance ! I love you !

[Nevelstraum]

I always thought she was so elegant on the ice. Her jumps were always sort of akward though...like she wasn't even sure if she'd land them.

[mckavitt]

This, like all the other videos of Maria Butyrskaya, reveals the skater's tremendous presence, artistic talent, and uncanny ability, which she shares with painter Georgia O'Keefe, to use all the space available.

[PRZECIEZJA]

swan on ice. the music came from russian tv series - seventeen moments of spring.

Maria was the best and the most pretty.

[mckavitt]

Couldn't agree more. When i think women's figure skating i think (and see!) Butyrskaya, surely the most beautiful and most expressive of all, before during and, i bet, after her time. Do you recall her sexiest Gala performance (what year was that?)? Fabulously insolentm like Carmen herself.

[alwaysthirsty]

that's true. She was woman competing with teenagers, and you can see it. Today there is no such a champions in that sport, and it's sad. I miss that times so much (sokolova, volkova, slutska, butyrska, kwan, rechnio, cohen).

[grafgirl27]

She was undermarked in the short program which robbed her of her deserved bronze medal.  She deservedly took 3rd place in the LP for this.

[xlutskaya]

i never saw her short. can you upload it?

[Egbert23]

wow, the russians are always bad losers!

she and irina were so pissy at those championships! irina thought she should've won...how, you made 2 errors. the 3sal 3 loop was underrotated by more than 1/4 and the obvious step out in the 3 lutz - 3loop

[BigA3372]

And Kwan's landing on the 3 flip in the short went easily forgotten, right? Or how about her Flutzes?

[BigA3372]

Sorry, meant the landing of the 3 lutz.

[OapostropheC]

But Kwan was penalized for that, just as Slute was penalized for her errors in the long program.

[xlutskaya]

shut up!

Irina did her combination pritty well. if you saw her take off and landing lines of 3 loop, she cheated less than 1/4! and includes 2toe after work. technically was better than kwan. but here butyrskaya has all reason. Sarah cheated all of her jumps, until th toe looool!

[frostdiamond1]

This was not a technically better performance than Michelle. She had a 3T/3T; Maria had a 3/h1/3 but a 3/3 is considered better. I'm not a Kwan fan, but she really was the star at '01 Worlds.

[frostdiamond1]

Sorry the should be 3/hloop/3.

[thesunny2007]

3toe/3toe is the easiest combo,slutskaya did the combo with lutz !Michelle program was probably even easier then Maria's - simple not really strong jumps,flutzes,the whole program skated on two foots.Maria truly deserved higher presentation mark

[frostdiamond1]

If you look again at these comments you'll notice I thought xslutskaya was referring to Maria's program when I read it the first time, but then realized I misunderstood. Michelle's program was far more difficult than Maria's, however, landing a GORGEOUS 3T/3T (though it was the easiest) and having her second 3Lutz as her last jump. Maria didn't even have the easiest 3/3, only a triple sequence. Slutskaya didn't compete her difficult 3/3s and so lost. Her performance altogether was rather sloppy.

[thesunny2007]

3t/3t - the second obviously underrotated as well as her last lutz which was actually flutz.There was nothing gordeous about Kwan's jumps - all really low ,cheated edges on lutzes, some underrotated.

[frostdiamond1]

If you look again at these comments you'll notice I thought xslutskaya was referring to Maria's program when I read it the first time, but then realized I misunderstood. Michelle's program was far more difficult than Maria's, however, landing a GORGEOUS 3T/3T (though it was the easiest) and having her second 3Lutz as her last jump. Maria didn't even have the easiest 3/3, only a triple sequence. Slutskaya didn't compete her difficult 3/3s and so lost. Her performance altogether was rather sloppy.

[frostdiamond1]

I'm not a big Michelle fan, but she had one of the best performances of her career at '01 Worlds and so deserved her title. Had Irina completed her 3Lutz/3Loop combination her technical difficulty would have been too great for her not to win, although her Don Quixote LP was nothing choreographically and artistically to The Black Swan, with her presentation generally being simply less strong compared to Michelle's.

[thesunny2007]

Irina did complete 3s/3l/2t(3loop underrotated)and 3z/3l/2t (3loop uderrotated and step out)- other 3 triples and 2 axel -perfect and she WON the technical marks.Kwan - 3t/3t - the second underrotated, both lutzes - flutz, the last- underrotated. The presentation made a difference putting Kwan first- the choreography of both was nothing special and there is no mark for the artistry if you haven't know it yet. However Irina had more one-foot work and better speed, Kwan had better lines.

[jprush]

I have watched Maria for many years and she just looks lovely on the ice! But I do see what you mean. I think that it really comes down to a matter of what she is wearing on her feet. Her skates always tend to look as if they are too loose around her ankles, almost as if there is not enough support for her. If you look at others boots they tend to be a bit more snug and more padding at the back of the boot. Just a thought!

[frostdiamond1]

Oh, I'm sorry I just read your comment again and saw you were referring to Irina when I thought it was Maria. You are correct then, although Michelle's program was cleaner than Irina's, though hers was more difficult.

[StewNWT]

Her placing at this worlds was up for dispute, but I think we can all agree she got horribly undermarked for her short program at the 2002 Olympics, took her completely out of the competition, unfairly.

[mlc2005]

I absolutely agree.

[verlucker]

I wasn't ever really a fan of Maria's skating. She always made me nervous watching her because of her shakiness on her landings. She would land so awkwardly and stiff legged. Always looked like she was landing on a peg leg.

[jorje286]

Do you have a link for the interview or a transcript of it please? I'd love to see that, and I'm definitely surprised.

Anyway, I love Maria. She was a true artist.

[jorje286]

Do you have a link for the interview or a transcript of it please? I'd love to see that, and I'm definitely surprised.

Anyway, I love Maria. She was a true artist.

[whitevinegar]

You could not be more right!

[AnnPatriceM17]

I like her music.

[muffycat26]

She did not do 7 triples or 2 triple lutzes like Kwan. She did not do 2 triple lutzes or a triple-triple like Irina, even if Irina had mistakes. She pitched way forward on many of her jump landings. It was still a very good performance, but she needed 2nd or 1st in the long to just win a bronze after her earlier programs. She was 3rd in this program, which wasnt enough, and I think that was correct.

[darkshade112]

second best performance of the night. Wuzrobbed.

[FrozenHermit]

I think she deserved a medal for this performace, it was much better than Slutskaya's.

[hydrocarbure1]

lovely performance, but there's always a tension and shakiness in her long programs. I guess she gets too nervous during competition.

[Surietto]

yes , and this make her more special , she is Surya  good friend aswell ;)

[alcoholicglitterati]

oh really, how do you know?

[ZeekerBolero]

That, not what. Typo.

[ZeekerBolero]

What outfit she's wearing so turns me on.

[AnnPatriceM17]

u are such a pervert. That dress looks slutty.