Buttle wins gold with style
Posted 3 days ago
For years, many have considered Jeffrey Buttle of Smooth Rock Falls to be one of the most talented male figure skaters in the world. Over the Easter weekend Buttle shocked the figure skating world by winning the men's singles title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteborg, Sweden.
"Everybody keeps calling me the world champion and I keep blushing at them," Buttle told the Canadian Press after turning in a brilliant long program to capture the world title. "When they say that, I don't know how to react, but I certainly like it that's for sure."
After being in first place following a superb short program, Buttle didn't wilt under the pressure as he has in the past and skated a spectacular long program to claim his first world title and show he will be a contender to win a medal when the next winter Olympics take place in Vancouver in less than two years.
While he didn't produce the ever-popular quadruple jump that so many other competitors consider mandatory in their programs, Buttle was sensational landing eight triple jumps, while dazzling the packed house with fancy footwork and spins that were clearly superior to anything his rivals could muster.
"I was so happy with how I skated," Buttle said. "When I finished my program, I wasn't thinking about the title. I just thought like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just laid it down under that much pressure.' I was just really happy with that."
Buttle said when he got back to his hotel room after realizing he had become a world champion, he had 40 messages on his cellphone.
Buttle didn't just become a world champion, he produced the skate of his life and wiped away the competition. His 14-point margin of victory is unheard of in figure skating at the highest level. Brian Joubert of France, the 2007 world champion, skated well, but clearly Buttle was the best man on the ice and his world title was well-earned and well-deserved.
Buttle defeated third-place finisher Johnny Weir of the United States by an astounding 23 points.
"It was a great win," Buttle said. "It wasn't one of those questionable ones. I noticed the other guys were doing quads and I really wanted to do one myself, but I said 'it's not in the program. Stick to your plan. Do what you do and do it well.'"
With the Vancouver Olympics less than two years away, Buttle is a confident young man. He says he's ready for the challenge.
"I certainly don't take this title and think 'OK, I've got it in the bag.'
"I certainly don't feel that way. All I can think is that I got this title without the quad. Think of what I could accomplish with it. So I'll push myself in training and we'll just gain that much more focus. I definitely want to push the quad and have that in my repertoire. It will make me even that more competitive."
Congratulations are in order for a job well done Jeffrey. All Canadians are very proud of you.