Golden goodbye
Virtue and Moir end ice dance careers with gold; Sharpe wins halfpipe
It was a golden farewell for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir but an Olympic debut to remember for Cassie Sharpe.
In what was likely their final competitive performance, Virtue and Moir won ice dance figure skating gold at the Pyeongchang Games after scoring 122.40 points in Tuesday’s free skate for a world-best combined score of 206.07. They had also won gold in the team event earlier in the Olympics.
Freestyle skier Sharpe topped the halfpipe event in her first Olympic competition.
The two medals boosted Canada’s total to 19 (eight gold, five silver, six bronze), good for third in the overall standings. Norway leads with 29 medals followed by Germany (23).
Fans at the Gangneung Ice Arena roared during Virtue and Moir’s steamy skate to music from “Moulin Rouge” and the Canadians were all smiles as they took what will likely be the last bows of their career. The skaters have said they will retire after Pyeongchang.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling because it’s something we have envisioned for so many years,” Virtue said about their centreice hug. “That moment has replayed in my mind over and over but you just never know what will go through your head.
“I couldn’t help but think about the 20 years we’ve spent working for this moment and the incredible team of people behind us.”
France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron were second with a combined score of 205.28. American siblings Alex and Maia Shibutani finished third with 192.59.
Virtue and Moir also won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics but settled for silver at the Sochi Games four years ago.
“Amazing,” said Virtue. “It was a special moment to come out last.
“It was a strong last group, there was a lot of pressure, but I’m so happy with how we performed.”
Sharpe, of Comox, B.C., delivered on all of her tricks for an opening score of 94.40. She was even better on her second run with a 95.80 score.
“I feel like I grabbed every trick and went big,” she said. “It’s definitely a run that I’m super proud of.”
Skiing last in the 11-athlete field, Sharpe didn’t need her third and final run. France’s Marie Martinod had a 92.60 in her second run and was gunning for Sharpe but crashed out on her third trip, guaranteeing Sharpe gold.
The 25-year-old Canadian was watching from the top and with victory in hand, high-fived coach Trennon Paynter before heading down to showcase a few more tricks .She extended her arms in joy as she reached the bottom of the pipe.
“I’ve put in a ton of work into having consistency with this run,” Sharpe said. “So was I expecting a dominant performance? Maybe not so much those words but I was expecting a consistent and clean performance.
“It doesn’t feel real yet, but once I see my family and feel the love, it’ll sink in. So much hard work has gone into this, I’m elated.”
American Brita Sigourney took third with a 91.60 in her final run. Calgary’s Roz Groenewoud finished 10th with a score of 70.60.
Once again, it was a matter of mixed results in curling for Canada.
Calgary’s Kevin Koe scored two in the third and sixth ends as Canada topped Japan 8-4. Koe (5-3) moved into a threeway tie for second with Britain and South Korea in the standings. The top four teams in the round robin advance to the semifinals, with Sweden’s Niklas Edin (7-1) having already qualified for the playoffs.
Koe plays Denmark on Wednesday in the final round-robin match for both teams.
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan is on the brink of missing the women’s playoffs after a 7-5 loss to China. Canada (3-4) dropped to seventh in the standings.
Although not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Homan will need to win her two remaining games and have key opponents lose theirs to make the top four and advance to the semifinals.
Canada plays Britain and the team from Russia on Wednesday.
The Canadian men’s hockey team will face Finland on Wednesday in quarterfinal action. The Finns advanced with a 5-2 playoff qualification game Tuesday over South Korea.
Canada’s Kallie Humphries and Phylicia George were fifth following the first two runs of the women’s two-man bobsled event.
They’re 0.34 seconds behind leaders Lisa Buckwitz and Marianna Jamanka of Germany.
Canadians Alysia Rissling and Heather Moyse are seventh overall, one spot ahead of compatriots Christine DeBruins and Melissa Lotholz. The final two runs go Thursday.