OLYMPIC GLORY
Virtue and Moir become most-decorated figure skaters in Olympic history
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada perform in the Gangneung Ice Arena, South Korea, on Tuesday. They are the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.
GANGNEUNG — Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir sang along to parts of their breathtaking “Moulin Rouge” program as they whirled around the Olympic ice.
Caught up in the magnificent moment, they were alone in their own world. And Canada went along for the ride. A partnership 20 years in the making, Virtue and Moir penned their own thrilling ending by capturing gold at the Pyeongchang Olympics on Tuesday, and becoming the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling because it’s something we have envisioned for so many years,” Virtue said about their centre-ice 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.”
They weren’t quite ready to say goodbye in the moments after claiming the crown, saying they want to wait “until the dust settles” before announcing their retirement. But when they do, they’ll leave a trail of crushed hearts and a gaping hole in the sport in Canada.
Will there ever be another Virtue and Moir? “Probably it will take a long time,” said coach Patrice Lauzon. “They’re a once-in-a-generation talent, that you don’t see often. “Spectacular,” added Marie-France Dubreuil, who co-coaches Virtue and Moir with Lauzon, her husband.
Dressed in a skin-tight backless red dress with a glamorous high jewelled neck, Virtue played the role of Nicole Kidman. Moir, in a mostly-sheer back shirt, made a great lovestruck Ewan McGregor. And together they dazzled the Gangneung Ice Arena crowd with their passionate skate to “Moulin Rouge,” a movie they’d seen together when Virtue was just 11 and Moir was 13. They had wanted to skate to it ever since.
Their personal-best score of 122.40 for the free skate, and a world-record combined score of 206.07 points, carried them past French rivals and silver medallists Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (205.28). In the aftermath, six of the top-10 Twitter trends in Canada were about the ice dancers.
The gold was their fifth career Olympic medal, breaking a tie with Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko and Sweden’s Gillis Grafstrom for the most in figure skating at the Winter Games, and their three golds matched the record shared by Grafstrom, Sonja Henie of Norway and Irina Rodnina of the Soviet Union. The Canadians also have two silvers.
Kaitlyn Weaver of Toronto and Andrew Poje of Waterloo were seventh Tuesday, one spot ahead of Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont.
Since they first melted hearts when they won gold at the Vancouver Olympics eight years ago, Virtue and Moir have pushed the ice dance envelope with their athleticism and intricate lifts and footwork. And they’ve made sensuality practically a required element in the sometimes stuffy world of ice dance.
They had the crowd roaring with another gorgeous soaring lift that had Virtue bending backwards, her arms reaching to the rafters victoriously, her blades balancing on Moir’s thighs. Moir was asked about their contribution to the sport, and was modest in response.
“I don’t know what we’ve given to ice dance, that’s for you guys to write about it, not for us to say,” he said. “We can’t even watch tape of ourselves from 2010. Maybe when we’re sitting in our rocking chairs in our old age.
They certainly took chemistry to a new level. Virtue was just seven and Moir nine when they were paired together by Moir’s aunt. (There’s adorable YouTube video of the two youngsters in early competitions). Canada’s longest-tenured team credits those two decades, and their legitimate love of skating together, for their uncanny ability to tell a story on ice.
Many fans desperately want the two to have a romantic relationship, but they are not a couple off the ice.
“We’re very proud of our business relationship, it’s been very special for 20 years. Who can say that? It makes me shake my head sometimes driving to the rink, because I’m still excited to see Tessa at the arena for warmup. Who enjoys going in to work every day? That’s ridiculous.”