[News Update] Kim Yu-na Wins Gold in Figure Skating

[News Update] Kim Yu-na Wins Gold in Figure Skating
By JULIET MACUR - The New York Times
Published: February 26, 2010
Repost : http://twssg.blogspot.com/

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — After weeks and months of playing it cool, saying the pressure to win an Olympic medal had not weighed on her, South Korea’s Kim Yu-na finally let her emotion show Thursday.

She stood on the ice once her long program was done, letting the tears flow as stuffed toys and flowers rained into the rink.

But that emotional release, so long in the making, quickly stopped when Kim, the reigning world champion in women’s figure skating, saw her score.

Her mouth dropped open in delight when the numbers 150.06 popped up on the scoreboard. It was a new world record, which had broken her old record by a whopping 16.11 points. Though her longtime rival Mao Asada had yet to skate, Kim had all but clinched the gold medal. She had made herself untouchable.

For her unforgettable, nearly perfect performance at these Olympics, the 19-year-old Kim had scored 228.56 points, becoming South Korea’s first Olympic champion in figure skating.



“I still can’t believe the score that I received,” Kim said. “I’m really surprised. It’s almost as close as the men’s score.”

Asada, the 2008 world champion, won the silver, with 131.72 points, and 205.50 over all. Joannie Rochette, skating just four days after her mother’s death, won the bronze. She received 131.28 points, for 202.64 over all.

Mirai Nagasu, the 2008 United States national champion, was fourth, with 190.15 points. Rachael Flatt, the reigning national champion, was seventh, with 182.49.

While each of those skaters had moments of brilliance, Kim — who skated to Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” — was the only one to have an entire four minutes of it. And Asada was the unfortunate skater who had to follow it.



Performing right after Kim’s monumental marks appeared, Asada tried to hold herself together, but her focus began to chip away as each note of Rachmaninoff’s “Bells of Moscow” played. One of her jumps — the triple flip — received a downgrade, meaning she failed to complete enough of the rotation. Then, as she prepared for a triple toe loop, her skate nicked the ice. She singled that jump.

When she was done, her face appeared blank. She and Kim had been rivals since they were junior skaters, with all their previous performances building up to these Games. Here, Asada was thought to be the only skater who could challenge Kim for the gold medal.

“I did everything I can,” Asada said. “To complete both triple axels well at the Olympics was one good thing about my performance. But I am not happy with the rest of my performance. I do feel regretful.”

Rochette, the 2009 silver medalist at the world championship, was expected to contend for either the silver or bronze. She was hoping to become the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal since Elizabeth Manley won the silver at the 1988 Calgary Games.

Her quest for a spot on the podium, however, was overshadowed by the events that unfolded in the wee hours of Sunday morning when her mother, Therese Rochette, died of a massive heart attack. Therese Rochette, who Canadian officials called her daughter’s “No. 1 fan,” was 55.



Skating to “Samson and Delilah,” she had some troubles on her triple flip, triple lutz and a double axel combination, but the crowd was still behind her. She had come close to winning the silver medal, but after a week of raw emotion and grief, that did not matter.

“I feel so proud, and the result didn’t matter,” Rochette said. “But I’m happy to be on the podium. That was my goal here. It’s been a lifetime project with my mom, and

As the flags of the medal winners rose high above the ice during the victory ceremony, one flag was conspicuously missing: the American flag.

For the first time since 1964, an American woman had not won a medal at the Olympics. No American female skater has won a medal at the past three world championships, so the expectations were low for the team’s two competitors here, Flatt and Nagasu.

Flatt, 17, who was not expected to contend for a medal, performed like she had nothing to lose. All week, she had walked around with a wide smile, just happy to be a part of these Games. Recently, she also received her first college acceptance letter, from Stanford.

So after she stayed on her feet in the free skate, she pumped her arms a few times and flashed a look of amazement. When her score of 117.85 popped up as she sat in the kiss-and-cry area, though, she looked disappointed. Two of her triple flips, as it turned out, had been downgraded and were given fewer points than she had expected.

“I thought the flips were fine when I watched the playback,” Flatt said. “I guess it’s just something to work on for worlds.”

Nagasu, though, was the surprise of the night. Her triple jumps, which had been plagued by downgrades, were clean, just when it counted the most. At 16, she did not expect to finish so high in the standings.



Kim, though, said she expected that unexpected things would happen at the Olympics. She had watched videotapes of Olympics past, to see favorites fail to win — just as her coach, Brian Orser, had experienced when he won silver in 1988. She had seen underdogs have their day.

But not this time. These Olympics, as it turned out, were hers for the taking. She ended the night with the South Korean flag wrapped around her, smiling as the camera flashes went off in the stands, like a sea of fireflies.

John Branch contributed reporting.