I didn't get a chance to see the short programs last night, so I just watched them a few minutes ago. I was amazed at how talented she is, and the tight, creative choreography of the program. Can't wait until tomorrow!

Plus, her costume is just gorgeous and so appropriate for the theme. She has style - both in her clothing picks and in her beautiful program.

LOVE her! Aside from her technical perfection, I felt she had the most grace, style, and attitude. I really hope she wins the gold tomorrow.

no doubt - she'll win the gold. i don't know too much about her flexibility - sometimes, mao asada seems more graceful in certain moves. then again, it WAS a short program, and so i'll reserve my critique until tomorrow night, when i get to see more of her skills for the long program. =D

I love her presence on ice! I was even able to convince my boyfriend to watch her; he was only interested to see her perform. I was holding my breath the whole time (ok, I exaggerate); I didn't want her to fall or anything, I have confidence in her but you just never know. I'm really happy for her. I can't wait to see the long program tomorrow.

I watched her performance live yesterday out of curiosity... she took my breath away! She has so much talent, I'm not surprised she's currently Numero Uno in the Olympics. Hope she walks away with a gold medal!

I was watching only because I was mesmerized by the Men's figure skating...but the moment Yuna went on the ice, she OWNED it! She was enchanting! It was the most spectacular short program I have ever watched! So much talent mustered up in one 19 year old!! Her and Asada, besides the 16 year olds, made me feel like quite a talentless 19-year-old monkey! I should be rooting for Joannie Rochette, and I am, but we all know Yuna's already wearing the gold around her neck! I CAN'T wait for tomorrow! *Squeals in anticipation*

I am gonna go learn to stand on ice with skates. And then try to find a way to meet her somewhere in Toronto LOL

I hope she wins the gold b/c she deserves it.
But she looked a little down going out there for the short program. Probably b/c she heard all the cheers for Mao Asada's performance which was right before hers. I hope she goes out there in confidence! Go Yuna!

they were both amazing..!! im hoping yuna will win gold....i was really annoyed by NBCs cutting in an out of figure skating..but can't wait to see the long program tomorrow!! i don't know how either girls do it..so young with so much on their shoulder..which makes them even more amazing in my eyes...

I got to watch her 2009 Worlds sp in person and from the moment she stepped onto the ice, she owned it. She's one of the few overall skaters who's good at almost everything, great jumps, technical skills with her triple triple combo, but also wonderful artistry. She's also a fierce competitor.

Very few skaters like that, Michelle Kwan, and a handful of other skaters, Kurt Browning, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Alexei Yagudin whose presentation and technical skills are both superior.

While I was watching the short programs last night, the Canadian commentator mentioned a few times that Kim specifically expressed her wish to be called Yuna Kim, as opposed to Kim Yuna, after spending so much time training in Toronto the last few years. It was amusing because he didn't want Koreans to be offended if they thought he was saying her name incorrectly.

watched her on utube (couldn't catch it live. i was working! LOL)..

and she seriously is amazing. I can understand why she's one of the top in her field!

but to think the scenario, "hey, boss, want to join us in watching kim yuna now?" tickles me somewhat. :D

SHE WAS AWESOME. I watched practically the entire figure skating program (NO KIDDING.) I was waiting so bad for Yuna's turn. Mao Asada was great but Yuna Kim did so flawless and very gracious. I should be rooting for Canada (Joannie Rochette and she also did a very good job) but for figure skating, it's Yuna!

she is just soooooooo amazing <333333333333333 :D i was SO HAPPY when she got her score...hopefully she'll BEAST for the free skate too!!!!!

김연아 화이팅!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love how the entire country is tuning in for her. Athletes like her are the best kind of role models for younger viewers. I can't wait for their long programs!

I can see why she trains in Canada instead of back home in Korea. The press and media would be too much to handle. Heh, She trains in Toronto and is a better skater than half of my beloved Leafs :(

Her performance was fantastic. Bond medley was perfect and she looked like a silhouette from a Bond opening title sequence. Nooooobody doooes it better!

Visited a few sites where people made comments that Asada should be in front. I'm no skating expert, but I'll just go with what the colour commentator said on CTV. She sided with Yu-Na because of her ice coverage, speed and a few other things I forgot she said. :-p

Pulling for Rochette. Just incredible that she's able to perform and post a personal score. You can do it, Joannie!

I made the whole household (okay just my flattie and I..lol) watch the entire Figure Skating event anticipating Kim Yuna and she just blew us away, added bonus that Mao Asada went right before her coz it was pure awesomeness... Our Money's on Kim for the Gold, loved Loved LOVED! her James-Bond-esque routine, that girl is a moving work of art!
on a side note Joannie Rochette you are SuperWoman! God Bless Ya!

I've seen a few of Yu-Na's Bond Girl performances, and honestly I'd say it was a more workmanlike performance from Yu-Na. Which, BTW, is still brilliant.

Felt NBC did a pretty good job introducing Kim Yu-na and giving context to her as Korea's biggest celebrity and the pressure on her. The pressure itself is complex; it's overwhelming, but it's also full of genuine love. In some respects, it's like the pride, concern and regard the Philippines have for Manny Pacqiauo, but also mixed with Confucian "perfect daughter" adoration. She's already a natural hero; if she wins gold, she becomes THE natural hero.

But I've also said this for a few years -- Kim Yu-na is the mentally strongest female figure skater I've ever seen. Even when she falls, even when she doesn't execute her planned jump as is, she doesn't look focus and is able to shrug it off and re-enter the character acting of her artistry.

I was really, really happy for Mao Asada. What got lost in the Joannie Rochette / Kim Yuna highlights was how Mao finally found her mojo and a GREAT short program. And she was close to weeping in joy after finishing her program. You gotta keep in mind -- Mao Asada was considered the heir apparent to Midori Ito, the greatest jumper in the history of female figure skating. Mao pushed the boundaries of female jumping, AND she has the finest edge work in the world. Had she been only a few months older, she would have competed in Torino . . . and I think she would have won.

Yu-Na's leading, yes, but it's not the double digit lead that Yu-na has done all season. That says more about Mao's resolve. If Yu-na stumbles and Mao follows through her program, Mao could win it all. The rivalry is credible and compelling once more.

Joannie Rochette's skate was for me the moment of the Olympics, and I wish it wasn't so. Yes, it was truly inspiring and awesome to watch Joannie . . . but it was so, so heartbreaking. I sobbed through the entire performance, and when she broke down, I kept on thinking -- ironically -- how lonely and dissolute she must feel out there admist all that support. Because she -- she and her mom -- was robbed of that moment.

Olympics FS has been wonderful. My favorite pure performance was Virtue and Moir's ice dancing. Exactly what makes truly great ice dancing, the emotional, the sensuality, the intricate edge work. Swoonworthy.

I got goosebumps watching! :D

yea! my fellow Canadians are rockin' this site! LOL.

no really, Yu Na's performance last night was just FABULOUS! her every move was flawless and THE jumps, dang! she totally owned it!

but yeah, being Canadian that I am, I wanted Rochette and Phaneuf up there in the podium of course. =D

The ladies competition will probably be the best among all the figure skating competitions in this Olympic season. Pairs were beautiful to watch too and I felt the medals were given out according to their achievements. But my biggest disappointment were the men. We had 4 world champions, several european champions, all of them were aimimg for the gold but none delivered what was expected. Except Evan, who skated cleanly and beautifully. All the others were sub par even if they had many titles, many years of experience and the best coaches. You can not imagine how many times I've heard jokes from commentators on tv, when a guy falls or doesn't get any other element right, that they should compete with the ladies if they can't keep up with the speed and difficulty of a men's competition. Honestly, I wish they really come and compete with the ladies because they'll be able to see what it means to perform magnificently with excellent artistry and high difficulty and under unimaginable pressure.
Thank you ladies ! You made me proud to be a figure skating fan.
I hope you show us even more spectacular LP.

DITTO to belleza's entire comment. From Yuna to Mao to Joannie. All of it is exactly how I felt.

The Olympics have taken over my life!!! I love the Summer Olympics, but there is something about the Winter Olympics that make it more exciting, more gripping to watch. The winter sports have an element of danger to it. They're more risky and unpredictable because of the high risk. It's like I can't not watch. There's so much risk, you want to see the huge reward.

Can I give a shout out to the Korean speed skating team? NOT the short trackers, but the speed skaters. They have been pulling upsets and surprises all over that oval! Motor Bum, cutie patooty Lee Sang Hwa and Lee Seung Hoon all flew under the radar and won medals! Sven Kramer pulled the biggest blunder of the games and handed the gold to Lee Seung Hoon. But Lee Seung Hoon would have won a respectable silver if Kramer hadn't screwed it up. It wasn't like he was so far behind in his finish time and picked up a free medal like the US women in short track relay...

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! Is it just the Korean in me that makes me think the Korean women got an unfair disqualification??? I swear, I'm trying to look at the race unbiased and every time I see the replay, I don't see why they were disqualified. I hate the Korean mob mentality against Apolo Ohno, but this one call in the women's team relay really makes me mad and I kind of wish Korea goes ballistic over the calling. Unless I'm completely wrong, the call was right and you know, Korea was rightfully disqualified... whatever. I'll get over it. Eventually.

Speaking of Apolo hate, which I don't. I actually really like the guy. He was so charming on Dancing With The Stars. Anyways, I wanted to say NOT ALL KOREANS HATE APOLO OHNO. In fact, the guy I don't like is Lee Jung Su for his comments after the race. And I especially don't like Lee Ho Seok. This idiot lost Korea two medals for his own selfishness. And he was kind of a scummy player to begin with in his efforts to leave Ahn Hyun Su off the Olympic team. I'm rooting for Sung Shi Bak, Kwak Yoon Gi, and Apolo in the men's 500m.

I loved Kim Yuna's performance Tuesday night, it was beautiful. But Joannie Rochette's heartbreaking performance got me in tears. That was all for her mom and she did very well. Her mom must be so proud of her. That was very inspiring.
@ belleza, Loved what you said about Moir and Virtue's ice dancing. I have never seen anything like it before. It was breathtaking and flawless and so worthy of the gold.
I'm happy if Kim Yuna wins the gold but hey since I'm Canadian I also want Joannie to win. I can't wait to see this live.

@nell123,

"We had 4 world champions, several european champions, all of them were aimimg for the gold but none delivered what was expected. Except Evan, who skated cleanly and beautifully."

Actually I was very happy with quality of the men's competition. I truly thought Plushenko would win and I truly was going to complain about unfair it was, given that most of Plushenko's jumps were not crisp. I was glad Evan won, and in that regard, I was truly surprised. Not happy at all that Johnny Weir placed behind Patrick Chan. That really was Weir's best skate this year. Weir's artistry was exquisite and without any hint of camp or excess flambouyance.

@ndegeocello,

I take the Apollo vs. Korea thing in fun -- short skate is a sport with a lot of gamesmanship. It's got the yahoo spirit of Nascar with the barely legal "team bloc" tactics of cycling. After all, what other race can you frisk another person?

"From Yuna to Mao to Joannie"

Because America's not in serious competition for the gold in the female figure skate, NBC's kinda made this out to be Kim Yu-na's victory lap. But this is not true at all.

This is kinda what was lost in the competition commentary. That wasn't just Mao's best short program performance in probably 2 seasons -- that was essentially a breakthrough performance for her, given how much she's struggled in the past year. The strength of Mao's short program -- which has never been a strength of her -- officially declared that we were FINALLY going to see Peak Mao, the Mao who was considered the best skater in the world until Yu-Na matured. Peak Mao vs. Peak Yu-na is still well debated in skating circles.

Yu-Na had to follow breakthrough performance of her greatest rival. And . . . Yu-Na kinda shrugged it off and crushed the Short Program. And that in a nutshell is Kim Yu-Na as a competitor. And, still, Mao is right there.

I'll say this though . . . if Yu-Na was still doing Scheherezade for the LP, I would give nobody any hope. Her Scheherezade program, which is choreographed for speed and reach, is MAGNIFICENT.

Yu-Na's artistry is essentially sensual and even erotic. In that regard, she's not unlike Katarina Witt, or a young Jeong Ji-hyun on skates. But the emotion she expresses through her performances is of an essentially Korean character: enduring pride, congruent solidarity, and heart of sassy.

@mccay,

"Loved what you said about Moir and Virtue’s ice dancing. I have never seen anything like it before."

Indeed. I felt like I was watching The Notebook. ;) Moir/Virtue > Twilight ;)

It reminded me a little of Torville/Dean when they did Ravel, which is the model for what ice dancing should be. The choreography of both their short and long programs were stunning in their density and complexity. Their short program was maybe the most difficult routine in the Ice Dancing competition. The long program was intensely romantic and just full of beautiful, beautiful communication between them. I could hardly believe that they weren't dating. :D

@ belleza:

"I truly thought Plushenko would win and I truly was going to complain about unfair it was, given that most of Plushenko’s jumps were not crisp."

Not really. What he showed wasn't even average by his own standards. I know he's never been really artistic performer and usually relies on jumps to pull ahead in the competitions but this time he didn't even bother to develop his program artistically. Add to this that his jumps were bad. He used to be a walking textbook on jumping technique before his retirement, I don't know what happened to him. I've seen him performing SO much better. Too old, too tired? But then why bother to return when you can't even keep up with you own standards?
If you consider Plushi's poor performance and that Takahashi fell, the only one with clean and artistically complete performance from the contenders was Evan. Who else could have won?

"Not happy at all that Johnny Weir placed behind Patrick Chan. That really was Weir’s best skate this year."
I agree. But the problem with him is that once you are appointed to be the sacrificial lamb, you're doomed to be in the shadows of the current favorites. Figure skating is a cruel sport.

about Yuna and Mao:

I agree with almost everything but - this is not Yuna's peak. She has a bit more of growing up to do before she reaches the level of artistry that is"essentially sensual and even erotic". Wearing a tight black mini dress and skating on Bond OST does not make you a Katarina Witt, not yet.
As for Mao, I just hope that that whatever happens at these Olympics they do not crush her the way they did with Miki after Torino.

Hey everyone, do you happen to have links to watch her performance online?
i tried Youtube, but could not really find the proper one.

xxx

@nell123 "Wearing a tight black mini dress and skating on Bond OST does not make you a Katarina Witt, not yet."

I'm confused. If you're saying she hasn't reached the artistry of Katarina Witt then I disagree. Katarina didn't have artistry, she had sex appeal. And I think after the Bond program, Yuna has shown she has that. Sandra Bezic called her sensual (gag!). The Eurosport guys (I love them the best) were basically saying the same thing.

But I would go even further to say sex appeal isn't all that Yuna has to offer. In this one program, sure, but if you look at her body of work I would say she's already one of the most artistic female skaters in history. Tango de Roxanne, Danse Macabre, Lark Ascending, Papa Can You Hear Me, Scheherazade all show a wide array of artistry.

If you look at the score breakdown, Mao's not far behind from Yuna on artistry points. Most of the gap comes from technical merits which I think is due to the 12 vs. 10 base points for their combo, plus Mao's deduction of GEO on her triple axel (which btw, can anyone tell me what the hell was wrong with her triple axel?)

Although I'm just not a fan of the whole sensuality thing, I have to give it to Yuna for having ice presence. I think her attitude does make a difference. I enjoy Mao's innocent cuteness more, but I'm not sure if it'd ever work in her favor.

Have never watched an entire program of ice dancing before this Olympics and I must say the Canadian pair rocked. Unbelievable chemistry. Their free dance was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Was rooting for US (great as well) but of course gave up hope when I saw the Canadians.

@23 ndegeocello

totally agree with you on the ohno/korea point. and as for the south korean women - i really don't know. i'd like to say that a call is a call - although i myself didn't really understand why they had to be disqualified. what bothered me more was their behavior after the race - i wish they kind of restrained their emotions a little more (like yuna kim did until she ACTUALLY knew her score) rather than embarrassing themselves like that.

@30 hmi4

mao got a downgrade on her triple axel!? i thought she got full credit! even nbc commentary said that she did her triple axel cleanly! that's not fair!

mao definitely has a lot of grace, and i think yuna kim has charisma. reminds me a little bit of lysacek vs. plushenko in how they appeal the audience (DEFINITELY NOT comparing their skill or their personality here) - but lysacek just skates, and plushenko appeals to the audience and works his charm. so that's kind of like mao and kim.

also - agree with previous comments about johnny weir being behind patrick chan - that was undeserved

@ 29:
Hold on, ndegeocello. I've never, ever said that she lacks artistic skills. :)
On the contrary, she is one of the best artists on ice I've seen. And she's only 19(right?), so she'll probably get even better.But sex appeal is something entirely different. It has more to do with attitude and confidence than simply putting make up and black mini dress on. She is just too young to exude sex appeal. May be later, who knows. Yuna knows how to "flirt" with the judges and the audience. That's for sure, but I don't see sensuality, not yet.

LOVE HER. she was definitely the best. she gave the most entertaining performance too!

Kim Yuna and Mao Asada did just spectacular figure skating and the Joannie Rochette piece was so touching considering what happened to her just a couple days before. They all truly were in the Olympic moment.

Great, great ladies short program competition! Usually that culminates in a splatfest in the free program though, so I'm not celebrating just yet. LOL

Thrilled that the favorites all delivered! And that Mao had her best short program in what seems like a couple of years (normal competitions). Yuna's lead is big, but not out of this world. If Mao is bringing it in the free, she needs to land all her jumps, which she has not done in a free program this season and the Gershwin program is actually quite boring choreographically. Mao's FP is worse though.

The performance of the night was definitely Joannie's. I cried almost through the whole program. That is guts and mental strength beyond belief!

I am still on a high about the bronze for Daisuke Takahashi - I love him more than any other skater!!

i love mao asada...

go mao!!!

i know you can do it:)

Mao's 3A combo got full credit and received a +0.6 GOE, which is quite low really. Her jumps didn't have great speed and flow. It was practically a dead stop after the Axel. Compare that to Yuna's Triple-Triple, which got a +2 GOE. Great speed, height, ice coverage and flow on BOTH jumps. Still, this is the first time that Mao's 3A has been fully credited in the SP this season, and she did a fantastic job. It's great to see the joy back in her skating.

OTOH, I much prefer Mao's spirals and thought that Yuna was slightly overscored on that element.

"I know he’s never been really artistic performer and usually relies on jumps to pull ahead in the competitions but this time he didn’t even bother to develop his program artistically."

Yeah, Plushenko has always been stubborn about that. He has the rock star charisma, and let's face it -- anybody else who did that "choreography" would have gotten killed on the artistic scores. But his numbers somehow matched up even with Evan's.

Still, I thought Plushenko was going to win because he landed the quad and he "landed" his triples. If he executed his jumps clean, which he's done most of all season, he would have easily won. And I would have whined even more. :D

"If you consider Plushi’s poor performance and that Takahashi fell, the only one with clean and artistically complete performance from the contenders was Evan."

In a way, I've almost accepted Takahashi would fall from the quad. Just hasn't been able to land that in comp.

"I agree with almost everything but – this is not Yuna’s peak. She has a bit more of growing up to do before she reaches the level of artistry that is”essentially sensual and even erotic”.

Oh, she already has that in spades, but she doesn't show that off until her gala skates (the Rihanna routine is awesome.) (I like the Bond skate -- and that routine has routinely set records -- but I slightly prefer both her Dense Macabre and Schezerade routines. My main problem with the Bond choreography is that it's still kinda piecemeal with all the sassy bits. The spirals and spins are spaced for competition, not for the flow of the music.)

The sensuality informs all her skates, because Yu-Na essentially expresses the emotional content of her choreography through her body line. Most skaters, and this is true of Kwan, emote to the audience from the neck up, and the rest of body kinda follows with gestures and such. But Yu-Na's the opposite. Her face will remain stoic through the majority of the routine (good, because when she does wink at the audience, it stands out), but her arms and knees and posture are freely posturing through the life of the routine. It's, again, the expression of the body line. Plus her hands talk.

It's, again, more obvious when she does the Gala routine. Less technical stuff, more Yu-Na being Yu-Na.

Actually what I want from Yu-Na is skate with more angst/melodrama. But I agree with this not being her peak -- athletically, you peak in your teens, but you don't hit your artistic stride until your 20s. Same was true with Michelle Kwan.

"I enjoy Mao’s innocent cuteness more, but I’m not sure if it’d ever work in her favor."

What I love most about Mao isn't her jumps, but her actual skating (i.e. edge work) across the ice. There's almost an illusion at work, where the ice is no a longer hard solid thing, but a tightly wound trampoline. I essentially agree though that Mao is not well matched with her choreographer. (Have to say, the choreography the Canadian pair/ice dancer/solo skaters -- including Team Yu-Na -- are doing have been quality, just full of drama and inner life. The choreography of Patrick Chan's program itself was great.)

"I am still on a high about the bronze for Daisuke Takahashi – I love him more than any other skater!!"

I think Takahashi is my favorite balance of athleticism and artistry.

Oh forgot to mention -- I did a speech on Kim Yu-Na last week for a public speaking forum. Wrote this quickly and placed a little loose with the facts (to make it "interesting"), so my apologies

Let me tell you about Kim Yu-Na. Over the next 9 days, as the Winter Olympics draws closer to its centerpiece, Ladies's Figure Skating, you will hear about a 19 year-old figure skater from South Korea, Kim Yu-Na. The #1 ranked skater in the world. The record holder in the new figure skating point system. The favorite to win gold. You will hear these phrases: Bond Girl, Yu-na Spin, the Nation's Little Sister. You will hear about her trademarks: the expressive artistry, the speed of her skating, the winged triple triple toe loops. And finally you will hear the expectations: to be the first Korean figure skater to win a medal, to be -- at 19 -- the skating icon of her generation.

And, so, let me tell you about Kim Yu-Na, the nation’s little sister. When asked about her future, she said she would like to have a family. And if she had a daughter, she would discourage her from going this path. And when asked why she skates, she said above all, she wants to win for her nation. But above all, she wants to win for herself, she wants to lose for herself, she wants to compete for herself. For the Nation’s Little Sister, the performance will be the only thing that belongs to her, that will tell her about Ms. Yu-na Kim.

Regarding the men’s competition, Takahashi fell because he attempted a quad in the free skate. Evan Lysacek skated clean because he only did triples. What got on my nerves was Evan Lysacek making the excuse that he didn't want to injure himself in doing the quad when the truth is that he can't do it. He tried it at the US Nationals held a few weeks before the Olympics and fell so he ended up placing second behind Jeremy Abbot, who I was totally rooting for and felt could have been a strong contender for an Olympic medal. Too bad Jeremy had a meltdown during the short program. It was devastating watching Jeremy because he was capable of so much more than what he showed at the Olympics.

I always root for the US in international competitions and always am happy when we win, but in this case, I feel that Plushenko does have a legitimate complaint in being unhappy with the silver when it’s obvious that he’s in a league of his own, a cut above the rest. Unfortunately, the thing that did him in was his humongous ego, not Evan Lysacek’s supposedly “performance of a lifetime,” which is obviously inferior if compared to say Alexei Yagudin’s absolutely phenomenal “Man In the Iron Mask” performance at the ’02 Olympics.

Plushenko too old? Too tired? His footwork only level 2 compared to the level 4 by the other skaters? His spins not as centered as the others? Maybe……but if he was that bad, why did Evan (the reigning world champion no less!) only beat him by 1pt. something? And keep in mind that Plushenko only came back to skating a few months before the Olympics because he was pressured to do so by Russia.

I hope there will be a clear winner in the women’s competition, whoever it may be. So tired of all the scandals and shady scorings in figure skating in recent years.

I love Kim Yuna. She's the best skater i've ever seen.

I was totally blown away by Yuna. Rooting for her tonight!

@28 Tikay: you can see all the HQ videos you want on the ladies figure skating in Vancouver on: nbcolympics.com
Just make sure you use IE and make sure you have Microsoft Silverlight if you're using Windows.

"but if he was that bad, why did Evan (the reigning world champion no less!) only beat him by 1pt. something?"

Let's put it this way. I was so sure that Plushenko was going to win that competition, and it was reflected in the judging. Plushenko frontloaded his tech elements, and he didn't have all the bonus points he would have. Had he -- you know -- tried to skate while actually winded, he might have won. I mean, we're talking about whole 30-45 second periods where all Plushenko did was skate around, smirk and bump his pelvis. And he wobbled almost all his triples. And yet, it was a draw(??!!?) on artistic presentation, and he only finished one point behind.

The ratings are not a surprise. Many of my Korean friends talk about her and upload videos of her in Facebook. She's really queen at this moment.

More than 150 on the long program?!! Wow... Amazing!!! She definately deserves all the love that Korea has given her.

o yeah!!! kim yuna deserved that gold medal!!!!

Congratulations Kim Yuna! Olympic Gold! I'm so happy for her! Now Korea's hero!
Thanks to her coach Brian Orser for a job well done!

Perfect= Kim Yuna

Mao Asada fight a good fight!

Joannie Rochette won the hearts of all Canadians and the world. A courageous performance for her Mom! Her tears broke my heart! We believed in you!

You can all watch this in HQ @ ctvolympics.ca.

I am no expert on figure skating. I cannot tell the difference between a triple jump, and one that's "merely" a two and three-quarters jump. But any skater who gets through one of these programs without a fall or a stumble is an amazing human being. Nerves alone would cause any ordinary person to make mistakes, not to mention the normal physical difficulty of the things they do. To see them achieve what they do makes you happy to be alive. That is what humans are capable of, when they dedicate themselves. A worthy model for all of us, in whatever we hope to do.

Congratulations to Kim Yu Na!

@belleza

Plushenko frontloaded his free skate with jumps, but Evan Lysacek backloaded his to make up for his inablitily to do a quad. And that's exactly the major flaw in the new scoring system (one of many, by the way) - that a skater with stamina like Evan can possibly beat someone with more talent like Plushenko. Plushenko was the only person in the men's competition (possibly in the entire world?) who could do a quad-triple combo and yet, Evan was able to get almost as much points by doing a triple-triple combo past the 2:30 mark.

In the end, what defeated Plushenko wasn't Evan Lysacek but Plushenko's gigantic ego. Had he taken the Olympics more serious and brought his A game instead of just concentrating on landing the quad-triple combo and treated his entire free skate after that like a joke, he would've been the clear and undisputed winner.......And I wouldn't have to continue to comment on two skaters I absolutely dislike - Evgheni Plushenko and Evan Lysacek!

Watching the men's competition at Vancouver has made me realize that I really, really miss Ilia Kulik and Alexei Yagudin. I recently rewatched Alexei Yagudin's MITIM's performance at Salt Lake and ended up rewatching it several times. Now THAT was a performance worthy of a gold medal!

One thing was pretty clear at Vancouver though - men's figure skating has really gone downhill.

I am so blown away by her just now performance of her long program. AMAZING. SHe will win the gold medal for sure. She is ahead by 100 points. There's no way other skaters will be able to catch up.