The 2010 Winter Olympics (Part 2)

Yesterday's women's figure skating was simply breathtaking. Vancouver's Olympics figure skating will definitely be remembered for the record-breaking performances, as well as emotional strength, that the athletes displayed.

Winning the bronze medal,
ROCHETTE Joannie of Canada:

We all know her moving story by now--her mother passed away suddenly two days before her competition. But what is also inspiring about Joannie is the fact that she has endured through tragedy before to stand proudly where she is now. When she returned home from the Turin Olympics, Joannie found out that one of her training partners had been killed in a car accident.

After her short program, she wasn't able to hold back her emotions, and let her tears fall. Personally, I was worried that maybe all the pressure of an Olympics games, as well as her grief would hurt her free skate program, but she proved me wrong yesterday. She was able to win a bronze medal. Canada should be very proud of not only her dedication to her sport, but also of her strength.

The silver,
ASADA Mao of Japan:

Mao Asada was considered by many to be a child prodigy, placing in several junior and senior national competitions. She is the first and only lady to have performed two triple axel jumps at the same program in an ISU (International Skating Union) competition. She is also the first and only woman to have landed three triple axel jumps in the same competition at an ISU competition. She accomplished this yesterday.

Her routine was interesting. She landed all her jumps cleanly in the free skate yesterday, and her choreography was definitely her signature style (the spiral sequence). The NBC broadcasters mentioned that she had many hopes riding on her for the gold, and that she wanted the gold badly. In Japan, Mao is one of the top celebrities, and one of their national prides. Though she fell short this time, there is no doubt that she is a beautiful ice skater, and that won her the silver medal.

And the 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist of Women's Ice Skating...
KIM Yu Na of South Korea:

Where do I start... Kim Yu Na is 19 years old, as is Mao Asada. Right now, she is the reigning world and Olympic champion, and is also the record holder for ladies in the short program, the free skating, and the combined total under the ISU Judging System. Kim is the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark and also the first female skater to receive +2.20 grade of execution for jumps under the ISU Judging System, as of yesterday.

Like Mao, Yu Na faced many expectations from her country, as she is not only the queen of the ice, but also the queen of commercial advertising for Korean products. I'm happy to see her blood, sweat, and tears rewarded with this Olympic medal.

Here are her winning performances:

Short Program:

Thanks to JellolBello for the video.

I can't seem to find a video that I can embed in my blog, but click here to watch the free skate program!

Just exquisite.
Congratulations to all the competitors for a memorable performance.