Winter Olympics: Men’s Free Skate Live
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—It’s the most exciting Olympic men’s figure skating final perhaps since the famous Battle of the Brians in Calgary in 1988. American Brian Boitano came out on top. Will the USA be that lucky again? It’s certainly possible. With only .6 points separating the three leaders—Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko, USA’s Evan Lysacek, and Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi—they might as well be tied. It’s any man’s medal going into the free skate tonight.
And not to be ruled out are Nobunari Oda of Japan, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland and Johnny Weir of the USA, who sit in fourth, fifth and sixth place. If any of the three leaders fall apart tonight, one of them could move into medal position.
There’s going to be drama, funky costumes and odd music choices for sure. But there’ll also be some darn good skating. So stay tuned for the Men’s Figure Skating Free Program!
5:30 p.m.: The skating is under way in Group 1. We won’t see the medal contenders until later in the night. My seat is just right of center ice behind the judges. I’m close enough to see the expressions on the skaters’ faces—the agony and the ecstasy. The agony when they fall—and all three skaters to take the ice thus far have fallen—and the ecstasy when they land a jump.
5:35 p.m.: Canada’s Vaughn Chipeur is up next. The crowd cheers him onto the ice. There are still many empty seats in house—perhaps people who will arrive for the medal competition fashionably late? Or scalpers unable to sell their seats? Tickets for tonight’s event were going for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars each.
Chipeur singled what was supposed to be a triple axel. That does not bode well. He squeaked into the free program in 24th place—only 24 men qualified from the short program.
5:45 p.m.: Anton Kovalevski of Ukraine is on the ice now. He just did a flying sit spin. I like flying sit spins. I like the way they hurl themselves about.
5:50 p.m.: Adrain Schultheiss of Sweden is skating to a mix that includes “Insane in the Brain” by Cypress Hill. Um, yeah! There were no lyrics (the music must be instrumental), but I never thought I’d hear such a thing. You can always count on Sweden to be a little more forward thinking than the rest of us. Hello, Ikea!
The crowd liked it too. I guess they’re also sick of bland movie scores.
5:55 p.m.: Group 2 is warming up on the ice. While they do, let’s talk about the elusive quad, shall we? There’s been much debate in the figure skating world over the quad. Is it necessary? Can you win without one? Should lesser skaters even be attempting them? And so on and so forth. Plushenko will definitely throw one. He is after all, the King of the Quad. Evan Lysacek will not. In fact, Lysacek is the only skater in the top six who doesn’t have one in his program.
Lysacek suffered a stress fracture in his foot a year ago, and just before competition began he said it was bothering him again.
“The last couple weeks, working on quads again and before the Nationals, I started to have some problems with my foot again, so I’ve tried to alleviate some of the stress on my left foot by really limiting what I’m doing,” he said about not having a quad in his program.
“If I really feel it in the heat of the moment, I have been doing them every once in a while in practice and I know that I can do it, so if I feel it’s something that I want to throw in and risk it, that option is definitely open. But my plan right now is to do what I can do well.”
6:06 p.m.: Stefan Lindemann is skating to the music from “Hancock,” as in the Will Smith movie. It’s not bad music, but it has the same sort of anti-melodic quality that underscores so many movie scores. They’re meant to be background, people! I mean, I dare someone to hum this music. I don’t think it can be done.
6:14 p.m.: Russia’s Artem Borodulin is putting together a nice routine so far. He’s in 13th coming into the free skate and looking to improve on that. So far so good. Some short finishes on a triple jump combo, and another jump bobble. That’ll hurt.
6:20 p.m.: Up next is the USA’s Jeremy Abbott. He’s the reigning national champion, but had a pretty devastating go of it in the short program, landing in 15th place. He’ll be looking to redeem himself right here and show the chops that once allowed him to best Lysacek and Weir. He’ll start off with a quadruple toeloop himself. Touche, Jeremy?
Nope, he fell. No quad for Abbott. He’s skating a bit wildly. It looks a bit out of control. And triple jump combinations lose some of their luster if there’s no power left for the third jump. I’ve seen that a few times tonight. But he skated well enough to move into first place, for now, with a score of 218.96.
6:35 p.m.: So what does the free program entail? For starters, it’s longer, clocking in under 4 minutes, 40 seconds. And the free program contains 13 elements: a maximum of eight jumps (including at least one axel); a maximum of three spins (a spin combination, a flying spin and a single- position spin); and a maximum of two different step sequences.
6:40 p.m.: Ahoy, there matey! Who be wearing a pirate’s garb? Arrgh, it’s Javier Fernandez of Spain skaing to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Javier was also the recipient of my crazy costume alert during the short program, wearing an assassin-turned-spider-web getup while skating to James Bond. I think Javier likes action movies. And he sat his quadruple toeloop as well. Has anyone nailed one yet tonight? Only two skaters of the six who attempted it.
6:45 p.m.: We’re at the halfway mark with Brian Joubert of France. He doesn’t land his first quad and then turns the second one into a triple. That pesky quad is making mice of men. If a skater is going to throw one out, it’s usually the first major element in the program.
Time for a break as the ice is resurfaced. Then the top 12 men will take the ice!
7:15 p.m.: We’re back and now the competition really begins. Takahiko Kozuka of Japan just landed a quadruple toeloop, and the crowd—hungry for it—gave him the biggest cheer yet. The top 12 men are about to perform, but only one will win gold. Oddsmakers have put Plushenko at 2/3 and Lysacek at 3/1. I wonder what it’s like to have actual odds on you.
7:25 p.m.: I can see the area at the top of the rink, where the skaters wait for their scores. Kozuka moves into first place with a total score of 231.19. The highest score ever posted in men’s Olympic skating is 258.33, posted by—you guessed it—Plushenko, the reigning Olympic Champion, in 2006.
7:30 p.m.: The crowd has filled out considerably. Most of those empty seats earlier were just latecomers, though a block in the nosebleeds sits conspicuously empty, as do some of the boxes. It’s a shame, because there are so many people who would love those tickets. Pesky sponsors and scalpers who snatch up tickets and then don’t use or sell them.
7:35 p.m.: Kevin van der Perren, that is one super sparkly costume. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. There is a time and a place for sparkles, and a figure skating competition is certainly one of them. But he is skating to the music from “Robin Hood.” The Kevin Costner “Robin Hood,” not the Errol Flynn “Robin Hood.” I don’t really equate Robin Hood with sparkles.
Did you know that if you type “everything I” into Google, the third search term is “Everything I do, I do It For You.” Oh, Bryan Adams—as a famous Canadian—sang at the opening ceremony.
7:45 p.m.: Florent Amodio is the third man to skate to music from “Amelie.” Two skaters used it in the short program. Time to retire it! Again, not bad music. It’s got a beat and a melody. But if three of 30 skaters pick it, it’s officially not original. Ooh, he just threw out a pseudo-hip-hop move. Gettin’ funky. The crowd liked that. But did the judges?
7:52 p.m.: Canada’s Patrick Chan is on the ice. He finished seventh in the short program. The crowd is cheering his every move, until he stumbles on his triple lutz and then falls on his triple axel. But he lands his triple jump combo and the crowd is back with him. He’s an elegant skater. And I like his costume—a black tuxedo pant paired with an old-fashioned black-and-gray buttoned jacket. As he finishes he routine, the Canadian flags are flying.
8:00 p.m.: It seems the judges agree that Chan is elegant. He moves into first place with a score of 241.42, which means USA’s Abbott is now in third. Seven skaters are left to go.
8:02 p.m.: Another nice costume. It’s very Gene Kelly, as are some of the dance moves from Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic. And appropriately so, since he’s skating to “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin. The movie of the same name won Gene Kelly his only Oscar. Well done, Michal. That routine was a beautiful example of the marriage of skating, music and style.
8:10 p.m.: We are entering the big leagues. The Group 4 skaters are warming up on the ice. They represent the top six skaters, and likely, three of them will medal.
8:15 p.m.: First up is Team USA’s Evan Lysacek. He’s in second place coming out of the short program and will need to nail his routine to have a shot at gold.
“Honestly I am really prepared,” he said after the short program. “I don’t know if I have ever been so ready for any competition.”
So how’s he feeling now?
“Practice felt good today,” he tweeted 25 hours ago. “Trying to stay calm!!! Eating a delich steak… RARE. Protein baby!”
Ready or not, here he comes!
8:20 pm: Et tu, Evan? He’s not the first or second skater in these Olympics to use “Scheherazade.” But he skates with such assurance. And he posts a nearly flawless routine. That was a show-stopper! He’ll definitely medal with that routine and his score from the short program. That easily could have been a gold-medal routine. It all depends on two other men now: Plushenko and Takahashi. If they make any mistakes at all, Lysacek could take the gold. Bravo, Evan. Bravo.
His score? 167.37! For a total of 257.67! He moves into first place. Plushenko can beat that. He has before. But the question is: Will he? He’ll be the last skater tonight.
8:25 p.m.: Japan’s Nobunari Oda wobbles on his second jump. He was in fourth after the short program and shouldn’t overtake Lysacek with this routine. He puts his hand down on a jump and skates around aimlessly, before skating to the side. Is he hurt? No, it looks like a skate or costume malfunction. A broken shoe lace! He replaces it and skates back onto the ice to continue his routine where he left off. What a trouper!
The Japan flags come out en force. What a rally by Oda. He scores 238.54 to put him into third place.
8:33 p.m.: Stephane Lambiel, the 2006 silver medalist, is on the ice. He’s known for his phenomenal spins, and comes into the free program in fifth place. He’s skating to La Traviata by Verdi and is opening up with a quad combo.
He puts his hand down on the quad landing and misses the rest of the combo. He wobbles again. A lot of close calls, but he keeps hanging in there. And here come the spins. Dazzling as usual. The crowd gives him a hearty cheer. The spins get ‘em every time. With 246.72 points, he moves into second place.
8:40 p.m.: In third place after the short program is Takahashi. He, Lysacek and Plushenko were neck and neck, so this will be a key skate. Can he overcome Lysacek? He’ll also be opening with a quad toeloop. My stomach is nervous for Lysacek.
He falls on the quad! It will be very hard for him to make that up. It looks like Lysacek may be safe for now.
I like his costume, though. It’s very avant garde, or even a little hipster, if you will. The neckline is fabulous. he’s skating very well despite his opening. He’s a true showman. Some beautiful jumps and footwork. It may be good enough to get Japan its first men’s figure skating medal.
His score: 247.23 for second place. Lysacek is still in first. Only two skaters to go.
8:47 p.m.: Next is Johnny Weir. His last tweet before the competition:
“Relaxing before the long. I hope everyone can be transported tonight. God protect me and give me wings.”
Wings would be appropriate; he’s skating to “Fallen Angel.” He finished sixth in the short program. He needs a big routine to medal—and he’s got one. He’s opening with a quad toeloop. Before he starts, the crowd has his back.
He’s skating well. No mistakes, but he made the opening quad a triple. That was a beautiful skate. And the crowd is eating it up. Johnny is definitely a fan favorite. That could place him in the medals, but he has to make up for a lower score from the short program.
His score is 238.87 and the crowd does not like that at all. Big boos for the score. He’s now in fifth place.
8:57 p.m.: And now, the grand finale—Plushenko, the King of the Quad.
Holy sparkles! He looks like he has LED lights all over him.
He lands the quad with a slight wobble but misses the third jump in his combo and barely hangs on to another jump. Has he opened a window? This could be a tight one. Lysacek didn’t make any visible mistakes. This is too close to call, but I think he may have opened the window. He’s a very athletic skater and this is a very frantic routine. it doesn’t have the same panache as Lysacek’s, but it has verve.
9:05 p.m.: And the gold goes to … Lysacek! With a score of 257.67, Evan Lysacek wins Olympic gold!
Lysacek delivered a flawless routine and Plushenko merely performed. Plushenko takes the silver medal with a score of 256.36 and Takahashi the bronze with a score of 247.23—the first men’s figure skating medal for Japan.
And for the first time in five Olympic Games, Russia fails for take the men’s figure skating gold medal. And just like in Calgary, the USA brings it home. Maybe Canada is good luck for Team USA.
9:19 p.m.: The medal ceremony is on the ice right now. Lysacek is laughing. He just shook his head, as if he almost can’t believe it. Evan Lysacek can now add Olympic Champion to his title of World Champion.
They’re skating a victory lap around the rink. They stop in front of the photographers. Plushenko looks like he might be a little disapointed, but he throws his flowers into a happily waiting crowd. He’s the first to skate off the ice. Lysacek and Takahashi stay out to enjoy the limelight. And Evan Lysacek does another victory lap with the American flag.
And, it seems, we finally have the answer to the question of that pesky quad: No, you don’t need to throw a quad to win gold. A flawless performance will do just fine.
This post first appeared on the Washington Times Communities on Feb. 18, 2010.
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