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The aftermath of the women's figure skating is in some ways a miniature of what's right and what's very wrong about the Olympics and sports in general. The three top finishers were all in tears and the woman who finished fourth was bouncing around happily as could be.
No one can fault Joannie Rochette for getting teary-eyed. She did so well under difficult circumstances. In some ways she was the biggest winner. She'll be the one everyone remembers the best, not the Korean who skated so flawlessly. With certainly the most difficult time she'll ever have in her life over on Tuesday, it was visibly easier last night. She surely felt the crowd was with her, win or lose, and I'm sure over time she'll know it wasn't just the crowd in the hall or just those watching in Canada pulling for her. As the woman reporter in my paper said this morning sometimes bronze is better than gold. But it's a reflection on the rest of us that we wouldn't all feel nearly so protective of her if her mother by chance would have died suddenly this coming Sunday instead of last Sunday.
Kim Yu-na was surely weeping from relief. She managed to fulfill all the expectations and demands which her countrymen made of her. Surely she'll return to Korea where her fame and future fortune will be the greatest, but I can't help believing that it will not be long before she'll want to be back in Canada where no one on the street minds if she isn't perfect.
Mao Asada seemed in despair despite doing so well. Not surprising considering in similar circumstances the Russian male skater Plushchenko reacted with anger and disbelief. For the moment Asada will think about her bobbles. But the simple fact is that even if she had skated her very best, she could not have won last night. So many women last night skated their personal best and only one was going to win. Asada did what no other woman had ever done in competition, yet she was not going to win. Once not so long ago she was the very best, now she's not. It's a hard thing to face.
At the other end there was the US Champion Flatt. She did her best, got her best score ever and dropped a position in the standings. Couldn't have been thrilled, but she shrugged and walked away satisfied. But then she's 17 and will have plenty to look forward to.
Then there was 16 year-old Mirai Nagasu. Skated her program and sat down, indifferently awaiting her results. She knew she couldn't medal and wasn't going to worry about it. Her scores came up and she too had done her best ever. Big deal. Then she noticed she'd moved up to fourth in her first international competition ever and she was bouncing off the walls with joy. What had she done that was so great? After an evening full of tension and emotion, she did something she probably hadn't thought of at all that evening. With the crowd not expecting anything from her, she managed to finish off the evening by relieving the tension and *entertaining* them all. Thinking of the real winners of the evening it's not too surprising that in her joy, the first person Mirai wanted to have her picture taken with was Joannie Rochette!
No one can fault Joannie Rochette for getting teary-eyed. She did so well under difficult circumstances. In some ways she was the biggest winner. She'll be the one everyone remembers the best, not the Korean who skated so flawlessly. With certainly the most difficult time she'll ever have in her life over on Tuesday, it was visibly easier last night. She surely felt the crowd was with her, win or lose, and I'm sure over time she'll know it wasn't just the crowd in the hall or just those watching in Canada pulling for her. As the woman reporter in my paper said this morning sometimes bronze is better than gold. But it's a reflection on the rest of us that we wouldn't all feel nearly so protective of her if her mother by chance would have died suddenly this coming Sunday instead of last Sunday.
Kim Yu-na was surely weeping from relief. She managed to fulfill all the expectations and demands which her countrymen made of her. Surely she'll return to Korea where her fame and future fortune will be the greatest, but I can't help believing that it will not be long before she'll want to be back in Canada where no one on the street minds if she isn't perfect.
Mao Asada seemed in despair despite doing so well. Not surprising considering in similar circumstances the Russian male skater Plushchenko reacted with anger and disbelief. For the moment Asada will think about her bobbles. But the simple fact is that even if she had skated her very best, she could not have won last night. So many women last night skated their personal best and only one was going to win. Asada did what no other woman had ever done in competition, yet she was not going to win. Once not so long ago she was the very best, now she's not. It's a hard thing to face.
At the other end there was the US Champion Flatt. She did her best, got her best score ever and dropped a position in the standings. Couldn't have been thrilled, but she shrugged and walked away satisfied. But then she's 17 and will have plenty to look forward to.
Then there was 16 year-old Mirai Nagasu. Skated her program and sat down, indifferently awaiting her results. She knew she couldn't medal and wasn't going to worry about it. Her scores came up and she too had done her best ever. Big deal. Then she noticed she'd moved up to fourth in her first international competition ever and she was bouncing off the walls with joy. What had she done that was so great? After an evening full of tension and emotion, she did something she probably hadn't thought of at all that evening. With the crowd not expecting anything from her, she managed to finish off the evening by relieving the tension and *entertaining* them all. Thinking of the real winners of the evening it's not too surprising that in her joy, the first person Mirai wanted to have her picture taken with was Joannie Rochette!