Nutrocker - Nice 2000

......Alexei is announced to the crowd.....

S : World champion in Minneapolis, World champion in Helsinki - a man who's shown phenomenal concentration amidst the highest intensity of pressur. From Russia : Alexei Yagudin.

.....Music starts....Jen's still in awe at this first sighting of the blonde highlights : "oooh hello!" .....dum de dum.....music etc ..... coming up to the quad.....

S : Yup, Yagudin lands his quad - quad toe.

.....combination - dear Lord please land it!!!.....

S : YEAH!!! He had to fight but he handles it!! triple axel, triple toeloop!

......Wahey!!! Wohooo!!! OHMYGOD!!! That death drop was ENORMOUS!!!.....la de da ..... step sequence....loadsa fun.... all smiles....crucially - no commentary! .... double axel coming up....

S : And he makes no mistake on the double axel.

..... combination sit spin .... serpentine steps - how good are these?!!?? ...... music ends...everyone goes mad!!

S : BIG TIME STUFF!!! And all around the rink here people are standing (shot of Tatiana jumping for joy - yay! ) Tatiana Tarasova celebrates. Alexei Yagudin has done it again! Even the Canadians, Americans, everyone on their feet. WHAT a finale to a simply ripping (how English ) night!!

C : HOW DOES HE DO IT!!??! How DOES he do it??! He's had to wait to the end of that last group, it's been a fantastic group, and he just held his nerve and did what he had to do.

......Slow Motion replays as Alexei leaves the ice.....

S : Choreography that Tatiana Tarasova's instilled in him really coming to the fore.

C : It's just a beautiful programme and what a way to start : here's a quadruple toe. THUMPS (thud anyone ) that landing - didn't quite make the rotation, wasn't as clean as he would have liked but he amde it count. THIS triple axel, probably the biggest of the night.

S : And a beautiful running edge...

C : Yeah, he kept the speed through the combination. And a MONSTROUS flying back sit - LOOK at that!! In danger of losing it on that back outside edge, gave it absolutely everything! Well, what an evening!!

S : And he's come back to full form. Remember he wasn't in full fitness in Vienna, had to miss a few days training because of the broken wrist.

.....The slow mos are over and it cuts to Alexei walking to the Kiss and Cry swinging a scarf

S : I've never seen him like this before! He really is selling it to the MAX! And he's got loads to sell too. And the Russians have done it again - Plushenko and Yagudin outdo each other time after time, but this guy, surely, has got it. It's irrelevant to be honest, who wins this, because whoever wins the free out of the 2 of them will win the gold. But he's won this particular night. Five NINES for technical merit!!

C : I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 6.0 on that second row you know. It was a brilliant programme.

C & S : OH!!

S : Well a row of 5.9s. Just the Canadian judge has him in second place behind Plushenko (question : why!?) but 8 out of 9 have Alexei Yagudin, the reigning champion, once more ahead. And if he can carry that form through to Thursday night he is there and he will have won it 3 times in a row. Look at the excitement on his face!!!! (slow motion of the end when Alexei blows kisses to the crowd - yum yum!!!)

C : Just the release of energy isn't it? All that tension building up throughout the evening, throughout the WEEK!!!