Canadian pair ice dance into history
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were the last couple to leave the ice after their warmup early Tuesday, the Canadian ice dancers soaking in every second before their final Olympic performance. They made it a memorable one. After watching their training partners Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron break the world record with a flawless free skate, Virtue and Moir took the ice one last time in Gangneung, South Korea, with a dazzling, dramatic interpretation of “Moulin Rouge.” Every movement was synchronized, every element raw and emotional, and the only question left at the end was whether it would be enough.
They wound up with a personal-best 122.40 points for a record 206.07 total, pushing them past their French rivals’ score of 205.28 and making them the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.
It was the second gold medal of the Pyeongchang Games for Virtue and Moir, who were instrumental in helping Canada win the team event. It was also their third gold overall after winning their home Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, and their fifth medal after two silvers at the Sochi Games in 2014.
They retired for two years after that disappointment, content with their place in history, only to decide a couple of years ago to make one more run.
They finished it off exactly how they had imagined.
“It definitely feels like we are close to the end of our career, and we are very proud of this,” Moir said. “We came back to win the second gold medal, that was the goal.
“This was a very intense competition, and we’re happy the way things turned out for us. We have the greatest respect for (the French team) and they skated so well, and they push us to be at our best.”
Their medal total broke a tie with Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko and Sweden’s Gillis Grafstrom for most in Olympic figure skating, and their golden haul matched the record shared by Grafstrom, Sonja Henie of Norway and Irina Rodnina of the Soviet Union.
“We were able to rely on our team and our coaches and training, and just go out there and savor it,” Virtue said.
American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani won the bronze medal with a near-flawless free skate that totaled 192.59 points, edging teammates Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue by just under five points.
“This was the most incredible moment for us today,” Maia Shibutani said. “We did four performances on Olympic ice we can be so proud of, and we got two Olympic medals (including the team). We did it for ourselves and Team USA and everyone who supported us.”
The Americans had assured themselves a medal when the “Shib Sibs,” who helped the U.S. win the team bronze, put on their best performance of the season. Their sharply choreographed show to “Paradise” by Coldplay made up the two-hundredths of a point by which they trailed Hubbell and Donohue after the short dance.
The third American team, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, were also within sight of the podium after their short dance. But a rare and stunning fall entering their combination spin was enough to damage an otherwise beautiful performance to “Imagine” that still drew an emotional applause. U.S. men beat Slovakia: The United States men’s hockey team won 5-1 in the qualification round to advance to face the Czech Republic in the Olympic quarterfinals.
American Ryan Donato scored his third and fourth goals of the tournament, and Troy Terry had three assists as the U.S. scored more against Slovakia than it did in all three preliminaryround games.
James Wisniewski, Mark Arcobello and Garrett Roe also scored for the Americans, who took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play for hits on Donato and goaltender Ryan Zapolski. Halfpipe ski gold to Canada: Cassie Sharpe has given her country its first medal in Olympic freestyle halfpipe skiing.
Sharpe posted the top two scores in the women’s final at Phoenix Snow Park, with the 95.80 she put up during her second run the best of the finals.
France’s Marie Martinod added a second silver to go with the one she captured in Sochi four years ago when the sport made its Olympic debut. Martinod scored 92.60 on her second run but fell during her third to assure Sharpe of the gold.
American Brita Sigourney edged teammate Annalisa Drew for bronze. Drew scored 90.80 on her final run to slip past Sigourney only to have Sigourney, the next skier down, put up a 91.80.
Defending Olympic champion Maddie Bowman of South Lake Tahoe fell on the final hit during each of her three runs in the finals.