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Yuna and Rochette shine on thin ice of emotion

February 26th, 2010

South Korea’s Kim Yuna shrugged off the weight of expectation from her homeland to win figure skating gold on Thursday but Canada’s Joannie Rochette won most hearts by overcoming heavy personal grief to claim a bronze medal.
An extraordinary day of raw human emotion and unrelenting drama at the Vancouver Winter Olympics also saw Norwegian cross country skier Marit Bjoergen become the first triple gold medallist of the Games and Canada win the women’s ice hockey to join Germany and the United States at the top of the medal standings.
The Canadians beat the U.S. 2-0 to trigger wild celebrations at Canada Hockey Place—and add to the suffocating pressure on the men’s team to emulate their feat in the final event of the Games on Sunday.
It was the evening figure skating, however, which provided Thursday’s icing on the cake after another day of enthralling action on all competition arenas.
Yuna, 19, showed poise and grace beyond her tender years to win the women’s figure skating gold with a record total of 228.56 points, well clear of Japan’s Mao Asada, who finished second, and Rochette, who maintained her composure to win the bronze just four days after her mother suddenly died.
“I do not see myself as a hero. When I stepped on to the ice I knew I had to be as cold as possible. My legs were shaking but my mother was there with me, giving me strength,” an emotional Rochette told reporters.
“It was almost like a relief going on the ice. I needed to be in a state of mind where I was Joannie the athlete and not Joannie the person. I was shaking but I knew that I would leave everything on that ice.”

Joannie Rochette

Joannie Rochette (Amy Sancetta)

ROYAL APPROVAL
Earlier, Bjoergen, 29, skied the last leg of the 4x5km relay in front of a packed grandstand where Norway’s King Harald V was watching. She grabbed a Norwegian flag and skied without using poles in the final few metres to her fourth podium finish in four events.
“This has been so great. I had a dream of winning one gold medal and now I have three so this has been a wonderful Games for me,” said Bjoergen.
With three in the top four after Wednesday’s first run, the Austrians had looked set to win their first Olympic gold in the Alpine events at Whistler mountain but again came up short.
German Viktoria Rebensburg unexpectedly won the women’s giant slalom, which was delayed 24 hours because of fog, after her parents had flown home following Wednesday’s opening leg when she was in sixth place.
Elisabeth Goergl was first after the opening leg but found a soft course on the second run and ended up with her second bronze of the Games.
The silver went to Slovenia’s Tina Maze, who finished just 0.04 seconds behind Rebensburg, a former junior world champion yet to win a World Cup race on the senior circuit.
Rebensburg weaved her way to the front with a dazzling second run to become Germany’s first women’s giant slalom champion in 54 years and second youngest Alpine gold medallist.
“It sounds so strange, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “I think it’s going to take a few days for me to realise it.”

TWO GOALS
After Finland beat Sweden 3-2 to claim the women’s ice hockey bronze medal, Canadian forward Marie-Philip Poulin scored both goals in the first period of the final against the U.S.
Canada’s men, watching from the stands, play Slovakia in Friday’s men’s semi-finals while the U.S. face off against Finland, setting up the possibility of a dream north American final on Sunday.
On the curling rink, Canada’s women continued to clean up, advancing to the final against Sweden by beating Switzerland in a tense semi.
The Canadian men also booked their place in the final with a 6-3 win over Sweden to extend their unbeaten run. They next play Norway, who have developed a cult following in Vancouver with their diamond-print pants.
Belarus collected their first Winter Olympic gold when Alexei Grishin won the men’s freestyle aerials at Cypress Mountain. Jeret Peterson of the U.S. took silver and China’s Liu Zhongqing the bronze.
American Bill Demong won gold in the Nordic combined as the U.S., Germany and Canada ended the 13th full day of competition with eight golds each and the U.S. ahead on overall medals.
Away from the ice and snow, the U.S. Olympic Committee confirmed that American bobsleigh crew member Bill Schuffenhauer had been arrested and then released to compete in Friday’s event.
Vancouver police had earlier said a U.S. Olympian had been arrested on Wednesday for assaulting his common law partner but did not name him.
A South Korean man was arrested too in Seoul for threatening to blow up the Australian Embassy after an Australian judge disqualified the South Korean women’s short track team on Wednesday.

source: sports.yahoo.com

Kim Yu-na wins gold with record score – Pictures

February 26th, 2010

South Korea’s Kim Yu-na has won the women’s figure skating gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics – and did it by setting a record.
Kim shattered her own world mark by scoring 228.56 points, more than 18 higher than her previous record. She is the winner of South Korea’s first Olympic medal in the sport.
Mao Asada of Japan won the silver, but finished 23 points behind Kim.
Joannie Rochette, whose mother died four days ago, got the bronze, Canada’s first women’s medal in the games since 1988.
American Mirai Nagasu finished fourth.

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yu-na

Kim Yuna of South Korea leads after women’s figure skating short program

February 24th, 2010

Here what the Los Angeles Times writes about this super-star:

Kim Yuna of South Korea leads after the short program of the women’s figure skating event on Tuesday at the Vancouver Olympics. Yuna, who skated to a James Bond medley, scored 78.50 points.
Mao Asada of Japan is in second place with 73.78 points after she skated to the “Waltz Masquerade” by Aram Khatchaturian.
Canada’s Joannie Rochette, whose mother passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on Sunday, received a lengthy standing ovation after she finished. She skated to “La Cumparsita” and received 71.36 points, putting her in third place.
Miki Ando of Japan skated to “Requiem” by Mozart and finished with 64.76 points, good for fourth place.
Rachael Flatt of the U.S., skating to “Sing Sing Sing,” is in fifth place with 64.64 points
Mirai Nagasu of the U.S., skating to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack, is in sixth place with 63.76 points. Her nose started bleeding midway through her performance.
“Halfway there I felt stuff running down my nose and thinking ‘don’t think about it just keep going.’ My performance tonight wasn’t as good as nationals, I’m a little disappointed but I think the next Olympics I’ll know how to feel.”

Kim Yuna

Photo: Kim Yuna of South Korea competes during the short program Tuesday night. Credit: Richard Mackson / U.S. Presswire

source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Joannie Rochette trails Phaneuf after short program

January 15th, 2010

Defending champion Joannie Rochette fell during her short routine at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships on Friday and trails Cynthia Phaneuf heading into the long program.
Phaneuf scored 66.30 points to win the short program ahead of Rochette, who received 64.15 points after her spill.
“Stuff like that happens and you have to deal with it,” said Rochette, who fell on her opening triple Lutz. “But I was still able to get a good score to be in a good position for the free skate and that’s what a short program is for – at least in my case.”
Amelie Lacoste was third with 53.99 points.
Rochette also trailed Phaneuf at last year’s Canadian championships before bouncing back in the long program to win her fifth straight title. Rochette, the world silver medalist, has already clinched one of the two women’s singles spots on Canada’s Olympic team.
Phaneuf, the 2004 champion, knows maintaining a lead through Saturday’s long program won’t be easy.
But then, the veteran said earning a ticket to Vancouver is her main goal.
“I’m not going to say I was not thinking about (winning the title), but I’m coming here to get to the Olympics, and this is my goal,” Phaneuf said. “For sure I’m not going to think about it when I’m doing my program, but I’m coming here for nothing else but that.”
Later on Friday, Annabelle Langlois and Cody Hay won the pairs short program with a score of 65.47 points. Defending champions Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison were second with 62.87 points, while Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin were third with 62.38.
Canada’s two entries in pairs for the Olympics will be up for grabs in Saturday’s free program.

Joannie Rochette

Joannie Rochette Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images Sport

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
via www.seattlepi.com

U.S. Women Must Deal With 2 Olympic Spots – Long Program VIDEO

March 31st, 2009

Rachael Flatt, a 16-year-old with round, ruddy cheeks and uncontainable perkiness, did not win a medal for the United States at the world figure skating championships.
But when she finished her long program Saturday night, she beamed and giggled. She placed fifth over all and was the top American woman.

With the 2010 Vancouver Games less than a year away — and only two spots, instead of three, available for the United States women — her ranking among Americans meant everything.
“It’s exciting to even think about the fact that I actually could go to the Olympics,” Flatt said as she stopped for a moment to stare into the distance. “I think it will definitely be a hard year training-wise, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Right now, no Olympic spots are guaranteed for any skater, but the world championships gave them a gauge of how close they were to a possible trip to the 2010 Games — or how far.
For the skaters at or near the top, the worlds were a test to see what their chances might be at winning an Olympic medal. Kim Yu-na of South Korea won that test, hands down.
Kim, 18, dominated, winning with a record-setting performance that brought the crowd to its feet and tears to her eyes. She won by more than 16 points, an overwhelming margin.
Kim was equal parts technically sound and artistically lovely, landing jump after jump so gracefully and softly, it was as if the law of gravity did not apply to her. Afterward, South Korea’s president and its prime minister called to congratulate her.
“I can’t say there isn’t going to be any pressure, because there are a lot of fans expecting me to win,” she said of the coming Olympics. “But if the preparation goes well, just like it did for this championship, I believe that I can win again, with confidence.”
Joannie Rochette of Canada finished second, and Miki Ando of Japan was third.
Mao Asada of Japan, the 2008 world champion and Kim’s rival, cried after finishing fourth, nearly 20 points behind Kim. But not all was lost: her team fared the best among the women. Japan was the only country to secure three entries for its skaters in the Olympic women’s event, increasing their odds of standing atop the podium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The United States men also earned three Olympic berths, with the help of the newly crowned world champion Evan Lysacek. Teams from the United States and Japan are the only two that will have three skaters each at the Games.
Heading into Vancouver, two American ice-dancing teams will be favorites to win medals. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won silver at the worlds, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White were fourth.

Rachael Flatt – Long Program – 2009 World Figure Skating Championships

But the American women still remain the biggest question mark. Based on the performance of the two United States women at the worlds, Flatt and Alissa Czisny, only two Americans will compete in the women’s event at the Olympics for only the second time since 1924.
Czisny finished 11th Saturday, the worst showing for a women’s United States champion in decades. The United States failed to win a medal in the women’s event at worlds for the third year in a row, a streak last held in 1964.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a disaster,” Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, said. “I think the U.S. is in between generations right now, with a lot of older people and a lot of younger people. But I still think we have a deep pool of talent we could pull from. It will be a year of growing.”
At 24, Sasha Cohen, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, is talking about a comeback. Kimmie Meissner, the 2006 world champion, is struggling with injuries. She is 19.
Two talented American 15-year-olds — Caroline Zhang and the 2008 national champion Mirai Nagasu — did not qualify for the worlds. Nagasu has been trying to adapt to a recent growth spurt that has thrown off her jumping abilities.
Now all of them must vie for two Olympic berths, when a third one could have turned out to golden.
If the United States women had had only two spots at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, Sarah Hughes would not have competed because she had finished third at the nationals, where the team was selected. Instead, she took that third berth and went to become an Olympic champion.
“Having two spots is definitely going to make the next year very interesting,” said Yamaguchi, who said she still had faith in the young skaters on the United States team. “A lot can happen when you are that young. Look at Rachael Flatt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a skater who has been more consistent, and now she has a whole year to improve and grow. Her experience here at worlds will be priceless.”
She added, “The U.S. skating fans shouldn’t give up hope.”

source: nytimes.com

South Korea’s Kim Wins Short Program at Figure Skating Championships

March 28th, 2009

When her score popped up on the monitor at the world figure skating championships on Friday, Kim Yu-na could hardly believe it.
She buried her face in her hands. Her jaw dropped. Her coach, the two-time Olympic medalist Brian Orser, grabbed and shook her.
In front of a crowd filled with South Korean fans waving South Korean flags, South Korea’s Kim dominated the short program here Friday, winning by more than 8 points. Her score was 76.12, the best ever for a woman. It easily eclipsed her previous best score of 72.24.
Joannie Rochette of Canada finished second, with 67.90. Mao Asada of Japan, the defending world champion and Kim’s longtime rival, was third, with 66.06.
“I was very comfortable when I was skating,” Kim said of her reaction to the audience, many of the fans from the sizable Korean community here. “I felt that I was able to do well because of all the people cheering me on in the stadium.”
Kim, 18, had come into worlds expecting her biggest competition to be Asada, but she had no competition at all. Her performance put her in perfect position to win her first world title on Saturday, less than a year from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Skating in a black outfit that sparkled in the lights, she landed each of her jumps, but her moves in between were what mesmerized the crowd. She effortlessly floated from one element to another, often with a smile, always with grace.
“It’s one of those moments in skating people will always remember,” Orser said.
The United States team had a night to forget, with its hopes of earning three spots at the Olympics likely slipping away.
The Americans must finish at least a combined 13th for the team to be awarded three Olympic entries. After the short program, the Americans are in 21st, combined. The last time the team brought only two women skaters to the Olympics was in 1994.
Alissa Czisny, the national champion, fell twice and is 14th going into the long program. She had 53.28 points.
“Today was disappointing because that’s not the way I’ve been practicing,” she said, devoid of emotion. “I have higher expectations of myself, and it just didn’t happen.”
Rachael Flatt, who finished seventh, stepped out of a triple flip and flubbed her first combination jump. But it did not ruin her night. Flatt, 16, said she was excited, not nervous, for her first senior-level world championships. She scored 59.30 points.
“I was hopping around out back, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool,’ ” said Flatt, who has been studying for her A.P. chemistry test and writing an English paper on “The Great Gatsby” during her down time.
The United States men could rest easy. They secured their three spots for Vancouver on Thursday. Evan Lysacek’s gold medal certainly helped the cause. At 23, he will go into the Olympic year as the gold-medal favorite.
Lysacek skated brilliantly to George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” landing eight triple jumps as the crowd roared. He became the first American man in 13 years to hold the world title.
“To perform it just how I imagined it hundreds of times and visualized it,” he said, “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

source: nytimes.com

XXX Olympic Games 2012

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