Best Bronze medal performance by a man in the Olympics

[Vash01]

Bronze medal performances are not always forgettable. There have been some pretty good ones in the Olympics. Which is the best in your opinion?

[caseyedwards]

Definitely Takahashi or Cadelero 1994. I think it's possible if both of them didn't fall they would have won the gold. Takahashi's quad would have to have been totally rotated and landed with good GOE which he didn't do all season but if you factor him losing by 10 and getting zero points for the quad attempt-he lost a whole jumping pass. It was also even with errors the best performance really.

[skateboy]

Tim Goebel was never my favorite skater, but that was one hell of a bronze medal performance.

[Zokko!]

I voted for Takahashi 2010, actually the almost only real memorable LP performance then ...

[Jaana]

Although Takahashi is one of my big favourites, I don´t think his lp performance at the Olympics was great. I definetely prefer

Candeloro from 1994 and 1998.

As far as I remember, also Petrenko in 1988 was really great.

[berthesghost]

Tim Goebel was never my favorite skater, but that was one hell of a bronze medal performance.

ITA

[kwanette]

ITA

Ditto.

[judgejudy27]

I would have to say Goebel in 2002. For all his flaws he landed 3 quads which is pretty amazing. Takahashi in 2010 is also a good choice, I think his errors were too harshly scored relative to his competitors that night btw. I cant believe some are saying Candelero. In 1994 Candelero was 5th in the LP (I think Takahashi was in 2010 but that just shows how retarded the judging was there) behind two skaters who werent even in the final flight. In 1998 he medaled due to Stojko's injury, Yagudin's illness, and Eldredge's meltdown.

[attyfan]

I have to go with Tim G. Dai has done too many really great performances for the Oly skate to be anything but tragic, but Tim's Oly performance was his best (at least up to that date), if not his best ever (while I think his 2003 Worlds skate was better, there may be others who disagree)

[DimaToe]

Why is Dai winning this? although his SP was fantastic in Vancouver, his LP was underwhelming and not near his best.

[Simone411]

I went with Timothy Goebel. Loved his program and he was the first skater to land a quad salchow in combination at the Olys.

[berthesghost]

Why is Dai winning this?

Because he's recent, still competing and a great skater even if not on that night, and more popular that Timothy who clearly had the skate of his life and possibly the best men's oly bronze medal skate of all time.

[t.mann]

Goebel.
His SP&LP all were impressive.
2002 Olympics Men podium gives a similar feeling to 2010 Olympics Ladies podium.
All three were great!

[Vash01]

Somewhat OT: The 2002 mens LP competition was one of the best, if you are looking at athleticism.

If you just look at the top 3,

They landed 2+2+3 = 7 quads, 3 of those in combination, and there were two types of quads.

There were very few mistakes made by these 3.

Yagudin had one minor mistake.

Plushenko had a step out at the end of his 4-3-3 combination, and I think he may have doubled a salchow (I will have to watch the tape again)

Goebel made zero mistakes.

That's pretty amazing.

I think Goebel is a very worthy choice for this poll

(although I picked Petrenko's 1988 LP which was a very complete performance by an 18 year old; his natural artistic ability and his technical ability really shone through).

[Jaana]

I cant believe some are saying Candelero. In 1994 Candelero was 5th in the LP (I think Takahashi was in 2010 but that just shows how retarded the judging was there) behind two skaters who werent even in the final flight. In 1998 he medaled due to Stojko's injury, Yagudin's illness, and Eldredge's meltdown.

Candeloro did not medal because of Stojko´s injury, he would have gotten the bronze anyway (whether Stojko and Kulik in different order), . And the meltdown of Eldredge, , hasn´t that happened in every Olympics where he was expected to medal?

[DickButtonFan]

I pick Candeloro's 1998 for the innovative footwork. That was a very memorable program even to non-skating fans.

[Rob]

It was between Tim and Viktor for me. I picked Tim because it was the skate of his life full of technical difficulty and joy. He wasn't my favorite skater, but he skated like he was trying to win gold or silver even though it wasn't going to happen. Viktor had a great skate too - a breakthrough skate.

Daisuke is my favorite skater on that list. But I feel like Daisuke had the potential for gold or silver, but he just hung onto bronze.

I also love Jeff, but I sort of feel he hung onto bronze too due to a bad SP by Lysacek and a bad LP by Weir. Of course, gold was already locked up so I didn't get the feeling that anyone else was really trying to skate for gold.

[briancoogaert]

I voted Candeloro 1998 because it was entertaining and almost perfect, and finished in 2nd in the LP. But it's definitely not my favorite program, nor my favorite skater, lol.

[kukkura]

I cant believe some are saying Candelero. In 1994 Candelero was 5th in the LP (I think Takahashi was in 2010 but that just shows how retarded the judging was there) behind two skaters who werent even in the final flight. In 1998 he medaled due to Stojko's injury, Yagudin's illness, and Eldredge's meltdown.

I think this refers to Urmanov's injury, not Stojko's? I picked Candeloro's 2nd bronze because it was so unexpected. He had finished 9th in his previous Worlds and only 5th in Europeans just a few weeks before. When the 97-98 season began there were at least five skaters that most felt were beyond his reach (Kulik, Stojko, Urmanov, Eldredge, Yagudin) and yet he got an Olympic medal with a skate that was worthy of it.

[Triple Butz]

Somewhat OT: The 2002 mens LP competition was one of the best, if you are looking at athleticism.

Yagudin had one minor mistake. The closest thing to a "mistake" was leaning forward on a triple flip.

Plushenko had a step out at the end of his 4-3-3 combination, and I think he may have doubled a salchow (I will have to watch the tape again)
Plushenko did double the sal.
Goebel made zero mistakes.
Not correct, he stepped out of his second 3A.
That's pretty amazing.
That's true.

I voted "other" for Goebel.