ILIA IN THE PRESS
( Olympic Games period )
All you ever wanted to read about ....
... His Skating
... His costumes !
... Him (look, personality)
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ILIA IN THE PRESS( Olympic Games period )
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 His Skating |
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"One of the best men's Olympic-winning freeskates since John Curry in 1976"
Steve Milton - The Hamilton Spectator -- 14/02/98 |
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"Kulik was as smooth as premium Russian vodka"
Jim O'Leary - Canoe slam!sports 14/02/98 |
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"Stojko and Kulik are as different as skaters can be.
Stojko is muscle;Kulik is an artist.Stojko attacks his jumps
with bulldog ferocity.Kulik floats,almost like a ghost." "In fact,watching kulik is like watching no mere mortal skate. He moves with great speed and softness, barely seeming to touch the ice.Yagudin lands his impressive jumps with a thud;Kulik is noiseless." Beverly Smith - the Globe and Mail 12/02/98 |
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"He jumps like a god"
Brian Boitano |
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"He's a poet on the ice.He has beautiful jumps and style and everything"
Tatiana Tarasova Münich |
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"Kulik,who is know as a superbly talented skater who performs erratically"
Randy Starkman - The Toronto Star 03/02/98 |
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"...the most complete package among the men..., a skater whose mix of classical ballet training, out-of-your-seat athleticism
and theatrical flair makes him the hottest young star on ice." "He combines the long, clean lines of ..Brian boitano with the speed and natural pizzazz of ..Kurt Browning." "In Edmonton, he wowed the judges with the height of his jumps and his impeccable landing positions - free leg high, toe pointed, arms extended, back straight, head up." E.M.Swift - Sports Illustrated 04/02/98 |
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"Kulik will do the quad on its own but his jump is so
huge he looks like he could throw in another turn"
Nancy Armour - Associated Press 10/02/98 |
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"...a skater of both uncommon elegance and breathtaking jumps.In the past,
Kulik's tendency has been to skate brilliant short programs,..but tire and finish
his 4 min long program as if he were the Energizer Bunny whose battery had finally worn down."
diane Pucin - the Inquirer --/02/98 |
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"Kulik is the judges' favorite because he is long, lean, elegant, and according to Brian boitano "jumps like a god".
This whole notion of a gossamer glider annoys a lot of rivals, paticularly Stojko and Mishin." "...his triple lutz is more graceful than John Stockton's triple lutz" Filip Bondy - MSNBC 12/02/98 |
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"Kulik is the most artistic of the contenders." " "I think Kulik is prefered" said Tamara Moskvina "For western judges he has better style...artistic, flow, easy, nice lines." " "Kulik has the artistic edge." Jerry Longman - NY Times 13/02/98 |
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"His fluent skating..."
Brian Creighton - Reuters 13/02/98 |
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"What the judges seemed to appreciate most was the long lines and smooth way that Kulik,...,
covered the ice, as weel as the look of his jumps.His rise into the air is slow, but then he doesn't
stop going up."
Diane Pucin - The Inquirer 13/02/98 |
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"Russia's Ilia Kulik brings elegance, style and thunderous jumps to men's skating." "...terrific jumps..." Bill Glauber - Sun Spot 13/02/98 |
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"Refined leaps, delicate landings, as gossamer as the wings on his frilly costume."
Steve Wilstein - AP 13/02/98 |
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"His jumps were massive and his footwork crisp."
.........-AP 13/02/98 |
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"-Short program separates The Man from boys- This is a sport in which the men fight for equal rights.But that may be changing because of the 20-year-old Kulik, who is beginning to look like Tara, Michelle and the second coming of Brian Boitano all rolled into one.Kulik was neon. The rest of the men's field was candlelight.The judges recognize Kulik's greatness. Kulik was impeccable with his timing, perfect with his jumps. He was poetry in motion with his finger on the fast-forward button....he hung out in the Heavens...is a unique in artistry." Ray Buck - CBS Sportline 12/02/98 |
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"his first jump was a giangantic quad toe loop..." "In all, Kulik landed 8 triples and the quad, and they all looked easy. Barry Wilner - AP Sports 14/02/98 |
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"Ilia Kulik, a 20 year-old Russian who defies the laws of physics as well as the concept of dressing for success,
won the championship by spending more time in the air than your average commuter flight.
Kulik went airborne for a full 29 revolutions above the ice, unprecedented in Olympic history.
Never have 8 triples jumps in a 4 minute span looked more effortless"
Mike Penner - LA Times 14/02/98 |
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"Few skated with such sophistication, as rhapsodic as his music." "He always had the leaping ability, though his stamina was suspect, now he has the whole package. Steve Wilstein - AP 14/02/98 |
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"The best guy won.End of story.Even dressed like a vinyl giraffe, Ilia Kulik
couldn't fail.At 20, the Russian may be the best skater the world has seen since Brian Boitano." "All the debate about quads and a new macho image for skating vanished in a single 4 min 40 s performance. He was the best skater by far, on either side of the skating fence : artistic or technical. He showed the world that it's possible to be a great jumper and have the other side of skating too. Ann Killion - Mercury News 14/02/98 |
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"...a jumper as powerful as Stojko, with the balletic grace that goes over big with eastern judges."
Jim Caple - Knight Rider Newspapers 15/02/98 |
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"Ilia Kulik was both athlete and artist extraordinaire." "Ilia Kulik has established his credentials as an athlete and an artist.In no particular order. Steve Campbell - Times Union 15/02/98 |
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"Kulik was playful in his movements to George Gershwin Rhapsody in blue, achieved
breathtaking height on all of his jumps, including the quad toe, and was able to skate as
strongly at the end of this most technically program as he did at the beginning." "The quad...was exquisite, high and confident." Diane Pucin - The Inquirer 15/02/98 |
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"The Quad Squad consisted of a Russian who ..skates like a feather floating in a soft breeze.
Kulik was too, too grand and belonged at the top of the stand. He combines superb athletic
ability with Baryshnikov ballet artistry, a flair of flying...."
Woody Paige - Denver Post 15/02/98 |
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"The most difficult program in Olympic history, without a doubt."
Penny Dain - ISU spokesperson 14/02/98 |
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"He gathered speed, leaped off the ice and did four revolutions before descending.
It was a quad toe loop. He followed it with a triple jump combination, and another triple
that was practically the stuff of Jordan, impossibly high and graceful." "...and showcased a trully transcendent talent." Wayne Coffey - NY Daily News 15/02/98 |
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"He didn't change the sport tonight, but what he did do as win the Olympic
gold by skating very solidly and very cleanly, and that's highly commendable"
Dick Button 14/02/98 |
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"Stamina and grace leads rosy-cheeked Ila Kulik of Russia to a gold medal."
Gina Bellafante 14/02/98 |
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"Not even jumping to the moon could have beaten Kulik.He skated so well, with such even
flow in all parts of the program, it was easy to overlook the bizarre costume.."
Phil Hersh - Chicago Tribune 15/02/98 |
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"-Kulik near perfect-" "...a Kulik long program that laid out the primary colors of figure skating excellence : Kulik was artistic. He was athletic. He was so effortless, so silky, so light on his feet that he seemed already to be caught on one of those slo-mo replays......powerful strides, nifty footwork, general perfection." John Jeansonne - Newsday 15/02/98 |
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"....then soared into an elegant auto-pilot mode that characterizes championship performances."
Steve Milton - the Hamilton Spectator 14/02/98 |
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"Russia's Ilia Kulic" (!!!!) "was supposed to be the artistic one, blessed with Baryshnikov's grace,
trained by renowned ice-dancing coach Tatiana Tarasova, clad in the most feminine of costumes....
and inconsistent on the technical side. But what a completely golden performance he gave last saturday night. He opened
with a huge quad toe loop and didn't finish before landing eight clean-as-a-whistle triple jumps.
Of course, the artistry was there too-his balletic moves perfectly in time with Rhapsody in Blue.
Kulic showed the skating world that he has both technical power and artistic grace.Even of the othezrs had skated thei best,
it is hard to imagine anyone beating Kulic's flawless program. In 1998, the Rhapsody on ice belongs to Kulic."
Julie K.L.Dam - Time 23/02/98 |
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"-Ilya's Art-" "With a great gold medal skate, a rosy-cheeked Russian esthete proved stronger than the macho Elvis Stojko. The Artist this time was another Russian, 20 year-old Ilya Kulik, a rosy-cheeked kid who seems to float through his jumps and land as gently as all those angels do on heads os spins. He skates so beautifully that he doesn't even got penalized for abominable taste in outfits. Mark Starr - Newsweek 23/02/98 |
| O.G. period is now completed. Waiting for another press festival.... |
 His Costumes |
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"...his abominable taste in outfits (in the short program, he wore wings, gossamer affairs
that resembled odly placed spider webs; in the long, it was a yellow-and-black bumblebee look)."
Mark Starr - Newsweek 23/02/98 |
| "Revolution" short program.... |
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As a rule, costumes worn by figure skaters are usually of minimal interest.
Hang around the rink long enough and you'll see some that
are so far over the top they're picked up on airport radar. Ilia Kulik of Russia, for example, came out for the men's short program in an outfit that made it appear several strips of bathroom tissue had been surgically attached to his body. He ultimately won the gold medal." |
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"...the guy wearing a chiffon net." "His outfits may be a little bit on the wild side..." "There was Kulik, dressed to thrill in that black and white get-up that flowed in the wind. He said the shirt-and the program - represented "being caught in a web of life's complications and trying to extricate yourself" ". Bill Glauber - Sun |
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"Though Kulik won the short program, he didn't get any points for fashion.
It was hard to figure out what statement he was trying to make with his black-and-flesh-colored-art-deco--some
would call it ugly-- costume, complete with filmy grey wings hanging off his arms."
.....- The Sporting News |
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"The idea, and the idea of the program, is a person struggling with life and this material is a kind of net, so the person's trying to go out of this
net and in the end, if possible to do this, have a better life."
ILIA KULIK , Olympic Champion 1998 |
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"He wore a black costume that was sheer in parts and included chiffon ruffles..."
Amy Shipley - The Washington Post |
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"On thursday night, Kulik delivered a performance as gossamer as the wings on the sleeves of his costume"
Jere Longman - NY Times |
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"Nothing to complain about unless you're Mr Blackwell, offended by a man wearing a chiffon shirt with wings.
Sometimes it was hard to look past the waving appendages that decorated Ilia Kulik's flowing costume..."
Diane Pucin - The Inquirer |
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"Strip away the frou-frou costume that make men's figure skaters look like Las Vegas lounge acts,
and real athletes lurk underneath." "...delicate landings, as gossamer as the wings on his frilly costume." Steve Wilstein - AP Sports |
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| "Rhapsody in Blue" free program....Ilia's lucky shirt... |
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"Kulik's long program costume is already the stuff of legend, since he unleashed it at Skate Canada.
He skated to Rhapsody in Blue, but wears a yellow shiny shirt, with large irregular black dots on it." "In Halifax, people called them cow dots. At the NHK Trophy, the Japanese were throwing stuffed giraffes instead of flowers, in appreciation." Beverley Smith - The Globe and Mail 18/12/98 Münich |
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"- Kulik adds Gold Medal to gaudy attire -" "They said giraffes would fly before Elvis Stojko won an Olympic gold medal, and that's exactly what happened saturday night at the quadrennial animation festival known as the Olympic men's figure skating long program." "...wearing his infamous giraffe-spotted rain slicker, believed to be on loan from the Moscow zoo." "Looking likethe logo for Toys R Us, Kulik completed what figure skating experts were calling the most difficult technical program ever seen at the Olympic Games...and dressed like that, how could it not be ?" "...Kulik's giraffe shirt, undoubtedly the ugliest ever worn en route to an Olympic Gold..." "A reporter asked Kulik where in the world he bought such a monstruosity." Mike Penner - LA Times |
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"A yellow-and-black spotted shirt with a white vest that brings to mind a leopard maitre d'."
"...that much maligned mutant shirt..." Diane Pucin - The Inquirer |
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"...a shirt that belongs on a giraffe's back...." "All he needs is a new tailor. Kulik wears the ugliest yellow-and-black spotted shirt." Woody Paige - The Denver Post |
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"...Kulik skated so well, it was almost possible to ignore his bizarre plastic shirt...banana yellow with big black splotches."
Steve Wilstein - Associated Press |
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"...a taxi-cab yellow shirt..." "The only doubts about him concerned the shirt, the taxi-cab tint and the black spots. Wayne coffey - NY Daily News |
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"...his less-than-becoming giraffe-print top..."
Gina Bellafante |
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"Tarasova said the yellow was supposed to reflect a young man
dazzled by the freedom and bright lights of New York..."
Philip Hersh - Chicago Tribune |
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"...wearing a shiny leopard skin shirt..."
Patrick McManamon - Journal Now |
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"..Candeloro loves his skating, but says Kulik should lose his long program outfit, which looks like a bruised banana."
Bill Glauber - Sun Foreign |
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"If you could get past the shirt...bright yellow with black splotches , like a giraffe with a fresh paint job,
and a white vest over it...Quads'R Us ?" "...the shirt didn't clash so badly with the gold medal..." "...you could get past to that belongs-in-a-zoo shirt..." "Skating to Rhapsody in Blue, wearing that yellow shirt, Kulik made the others green with envy.But not for the shirt." John Jeansonne - Newsday |
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"He won the champions Series Final in the same shirt he wore yesterday, which drew snickers from the crowd in warmups."
"Wait until Mr Blackwell gets a load of Kulik's shirt....the worst dressed Olympic champion..." "Ilya Kulik's outfit was ghastly.Someone said he looked like a giraffe hit by a school bus." Abby Haight - The Oregonian |
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"...dressed as a vinyl giraffe..."
Ann Killion - Mercury News |
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"...definitely set a lighter tone by weariing a very loud black-and-yellow giraffe-print shirt."
John Markon - Times Dispatch |
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"After a long program so remarkable that it succeeded in taking the focus off his bright yellow shirt with black splotches..." Amy Shipley - The Washington Post |
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"Sporting an ensemble that paid tribute to bumble bees and giraffes everywhere.."
Steve Campbell - Times Union |
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"Phil Hersh of the chicago Tribune questionned wether Kulik's costume-a yellow-and-white, polka-dotted
vinyl number that looked like a collision between a taxi and a dairy cow -complemented his music."
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"One wears an outfit of black, white and canary yellow" "There is Ilia Kulik,...with a costume that resembles a bumble bee." "Kulik's coach, Tatiana Tarasova, says she is confused by the sniping at Kulik's long program costume, a blinding blend of a bright yellow shirt with black splotches, a shiny white vest, and black vinyl pants. His costume is an attempt to look like an american of the 1950's strolling down the streets of NY.(Nevermind that Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1924)." Diane Pucin - The Inquirer 12/02/98 |
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"Asked his opinion of Kulik's chances, Candeloro said, "only if he changes his costume." "The costume, according to Kulik's camp, issupposed to represent freedom "A walk in the sun in NY"....It could cost Kulik a tenth of a point, which would teach him an important fashion lesson." Filip Bondy - MSNBC 12/02/98 |
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"Here he is, garish shirts and all..."
Bill Glauber - Sun Spot |
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"Let's clear up this business about Figure Skating Gold Medal Ilia Kulik's giraffe-like yellow shirt,....
The shirt was made by a tailor who does costumes for the Bolshoï Ballet."
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| O.G. period is now completed. Waiting for another press festival.... |
 His Look and Personality
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"He's the Leonardo DiCaprio of figure skating, an apple-cheeked heartthrob
with mischief in his eyes and trampoline springs in his legs." "Tall for a figure skater, at nearly 6 feet... lean as a rail at 160 pounds..." "Afterward Kulik displayed some of his cheeky wit when a bespectacled Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune questionned wether Kulik's costume complemented his music : "Phil",responded Kulik,"I don't like your glasses either, but that doesn't make you a bad writer" ". E.M.Swift- Sports Illustrated 04/02/98 |
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"Kulik...will be cashing in big time on his dimples, his wry smile, and his devilishy boyish good looks."
Steve Milton - The Hamilton Spectator 14/02/98 |
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"This Russian, with hooded eyes and rosy cheeks..."
Diane Pucin - The Inquirer 12/02/98 |
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"Kulik is the judges' favorite because he is long, lean, elegant..."
Filip Bondy - MSNBC 12/02/98 |
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"The blond, blue-eyed 20-year-old...."
Bill Glauber - Sun |
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"an ice-cool Russian"
Philippe Naughton - Reuters 15/02/98 |
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"He has the long lines of a ballet dancer and the explosive legs of an NBA player.
He has a cherubic face and a twinkling eye..."
Diane Pucin - The Inquirer 15/02/98 |
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"Kulik the Kid nails his target"..."Kulik, who is 20, but looks 15..." "....a boyish charm and personality." Woody Paige - Denver Post 15/02/98 |
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"Kulik, who has the looks and grace of a classic russian ballet dancer..."
Abby Haight - The Oregonian 15/02/98 |
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"When he won in 1995 he was a boy. He is a man now"
Tatiana TARASOVA Feb 98, Nagano |
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"A long-limbed russian with red cheeks..(and a taxi cab yellow shirt)" "The only doubts about him concerned the shirt,..Kulik smiled : "I don't think there will be many questions about the shirt, because the shirt has won" he said." Wayne Coffey - NY Daily News 15/02/98 |
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"...a sinewy 20 year-old talent, all Baryshnikov grace and DiCaprio innocence..." "...his traditionnal brand of physical elegance..." "...and when the competition was finished, the generally impassive skater even managed to show a trace of humor. "The shirt won" he joked to reporters." Ginia Bellafante - 15/02/98 |
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"And when his 4 1/2 min skate to glory was over, Kulik dropped his ultraserious
demeanor and lit up the arena with his smile"
Barry Wilner - Associated Press 14/02/98 |
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"Saturday night, he was a young man who stood solidly on the highest step of an olympic podium.
There was a gold medal around his neck and a golden future staring at his apple-red cheeks.
Kulik, 20, can be the greatest russian male heartthrob to hit the US since ballet star
Mikhail Baryshnikov. His sculpted features and impish grin combine for a face both mothers
and their teenage daughters can love"
Philip Hersh - Chicago Tribune 15/02/98 |
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"He is adorable and very sexy"
Sandra Bezic |
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" "The pressure was unbelievable" said Kulik, the man who showed it least.""
John Jeansonne - Newsday 15/02/98 |
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"Ilia Kulik, the sandy-haired russian..."
Pat Borzi - The Star Ledger 15/02/98 |
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"..a rosy cheeked kid.."
Mark Starr - Newsweek 15/02/98 |
| O.G. period is now completed. Waiting for another press festival.... |
