2010 Winter Olympics: China to Capture Gold in Pairs Figure Skating

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China won their elusive prize in the pairs competition at the Vancouver Olympics Monday, coming out of retirement to add a gold medal to their two previous bronzes.

It wasn’t the best skate of their career, but it was good enough for gold — and that was all that mattered.

Their score of 216.57 points was more than three points ahead of teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian. When Shen and Zhao finished their routine, Zhao knelt to the ice, burying his face in his hands while his wife patted his back. He pumped his fist several times while she beamed, her grin so bright it could light up the entire arena.

“It’s been so many years,” Zhao said, “to finally get this gold today is so exciting.”

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany — in second place after the short program — dropped to the bronze medal after a flawed free skate.
“I think everyone knows we’re a little disappointed,” Szolkowy said. “Our performance tonight was not the one we wanted to show.”

It is the first time since 1960 that a Russian or Soviet couple is not atop the Olympic podium, ending one of the longest winning streaks in sports. Even more surprisingly, the Russians are leaving empty-handed, with no medals of any color in the event.

Shen and Zhao, bronze medalists at the last two Olympic Games, retired in 2007. They got married, and lived the easy life of retirees, doing shows and appearances. But something was lacking — that gold medal.

They returned this season and despite being 31 and 36, ancient in pairs skating, dominated everywhere they skated. And the Olympic competition was no different.

“So many years have been devoted to this dream,” Zhao said.
Skating last, and knowing the couples who could steal their gold had made errors, they performed with the passion that has become their new trademark. The interpretation to “Adagio in G Minor” was mesmerizing, with their choreography perfectly in tune to their music.

“To get the figure skating gold and silver has been a hope for so long,” Shen said. “Now it’s been realized.”

Shen and Zhao did have one mistake, and it was shocking — she slipped down his back during one of their lifts, a move that is normally automatic for them. The crowd gasped, and a look of exasperation crossed her face.
But they recovered immediately, and finished the program with a beautiful carry lift that circled half of the ice.

Shen and Zhao have long been pushed by their Chinese teammates, and Monday was no different. While Savchenko and Szolkowy and Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Aleksandr Smirnov stumbled, Pang and Tong soared.

Pang and Tong won the world title in 2006, but have since struggled to recapture that brilliance. The pair picked the right place to do it, winning the free skate in Vancouver to jump from fourth after the short program to the silver medal.

They have stunning athleticism and tricks that defy gravity and comprehension. Their throw jumps were, by far, the best of the night, her skate blades carving the ice on the landings with the precision of a surgeon’s knife.

But like Shen and Zhao, what’s most impressive is how the quality of Pang and Tong’s performance has grown. Their interpretation of “Impossible Dream” could play on any Broadway stage, and the flamenco portion of their program was sizzling.

“Every moment is perfection,” Tong said.

They beamed for the last 30 seconds of their program, even through a difficult lift. When they finished, he bowed down and kissed the ice as she skated around him, disbelief and joy crossing her face.

Savchenko and Szolkowy, winners of the last two world titles, were just .70 points behind Shen and Zhao after the short program, a margin so small the Germans could have changed the standings with just one element.

Szolkowy, who has a long history of botching their jumps, had to fight to save their opening triple toe loop-double toe sequence. But he had no chance on their side-by-side double axels, drawing a gasp from the crowd as he fell to the ice, taking their gold medal chances along with him.

They were also noticeably out-of-sync on their combination spin; he came to an upright position while she was still turning, crouched low to the ice.

“It’s the Winter Olympic Games, one long program in four years — of course you want to skate clean. And you have to skate clean if you want the gold medal,” Szolkowy said. “This one chance we had, and maybe it’s too much.”

Any chance Kavaguti and Smirnov had of keeping that Russian winning streak going ended when she bailed out on their throw quadruple salchow and turned it into a triple. Not a good one, either, since she skidded and twisted across the ice on the landing.

Despite their low finishes — the best U.S. couple has always finished seventh or better — the inexperienced Americans showed promise. If they can improve their singles elements, they have a real shot at climbing the international ranks, maybe even as high as the medals podium in 2014.

Evora and Ladwig’s signature carry lift alone is worth the price of admission. With her hands outstretched, he supports her one-handed for most of the lift. When he does finally use his second hand, it’s only because he’s picked up one foot and is skating backward. Try doing that on flat ground, let alone on a sheet of unforgiving ice.

But they need to clean up those side-by-side jumps and spins. Evora two-footed the first jump in their triple toe-double toe combo and he doubled it. She also turned out of the landing on their double axels. Denney and Barrett’s side-by-side triple toes were downgraded to doubles, and each erred on their double axel sequence.

“It’s an inspiration for me to see these Olympic champions, and what it takes is a lifetime of work and sacrifices,” Evora said. “So we know there is still hope for us in the future.”

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (picture): CHINESELOOP, SPORTS.STV.TV