Feb 18 2014

Olympic figure skating: who to watch in the women’s event

Wondering which women are in contention for a medal in Sochi? Wonder no longer!

The top contenders

Yuna Kim — South Korea

After winning gold in Vancouver in 2010, Yuna has largely been absent from the competitive scene. A superstar in Korea, she has had plenty of other things to keep her busy. She did return to international competition last year at Worlds in March, where she was the class of the field and easily won her second world title. She planned to compete on the Grand Prix circuit this past fall, but was injured. She now seems fit and ready to be only the third woman in history to defend her Olympic gold (following Sonja Henie and Katarina Witt).

Continue reading

By Keira Andrews • blog • 0 • Tags: figure skating, olympics, sports

Feb 15 2014

Olympic figure skating: who to watch in the ice dance

Wondering which ice dance teams are in contention for a medal in Sochi? Wonder no longer!

The top contenders

Meryl Davis and Charlie White — USA

Barring a huge — and hugely uncharacteristic — mistake, the current world champions and silver medalists from Vancouver are going to win the gold medal. They have been neck and neck with rivals and training mates Virtue/Moir the past four years, and have worked exceptionally hard to get to the top of the sport. These two teams have pushed each other at the rink daily and are responsible for the reinvigoration of ice dance and pushing it to a more athletic level. Like Tessa and Scott, Meryl and Charlie have skated together for an incredible 17 years, which is certainly an important factor in why both teams have achieved such success. You can’t buy that kind of synergy.

Continue reading

By Keira Andrews • blog • 2 • Tags: figure skating, olympics, sports

Feb 12 2014

Olympic figure skating: who to watch in the men’s event

Wondering which men are in contention for a medal in Sochi? Wonder no longer!

Men’s skating has changed dramatically since the Vancouver Olympics when Evan Lysacek won without a quad and Evgeni Plushenko awarded himself the platinum medal. In 2014, the men need not only one quad, but likely three: one in the short and two in the long program. Some skaters will try three in the long program alone. There are a strong group of skaters who have combined jumping with artistry and edge skills, and they are leading the way in Sochi.

Note that the triple Axel is still a vital jump in men’s skating. Along with quads, top men have to do at least one triple Axel in the short and one in the long at the minimum. Most do two in the long, with one in combination.

The top contenders

Patrick Chan — Canada

The three-time world champion has long been considered the favourite for the Olympic gold in 2014. However he has often been a controversial skater, which some accusing the judges of “Chanflation” and overscoring him when he makes mistakes. I think Patrick is a gorgeous skater with truly great skating skills and edges, and when he’s on, he is the best in the world. But in the past he has won when he was not at his best, which I think was bad not only for the sport, but for Patrick. It put him in a crappy position, and it wasn’t fair for anyone.

Continue reading

By Keira Andrews • blog • 0 • Tags: figure skating, olympics, sports

Feb 9 2014

Olympic figure skating: who to watch in the pairs event

Wondering which pair teams are in contention for a medal in Sochi? Wonder no longer!

The top contenders

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov — Russia

Four years ago in Vancouver, Tanya was skating for the Ukraine with Stan Morozov, and Maxim was stuck in a miserable partnership with Maria Mukhortova, who could go for an entire competition without looking him in the eye or talking to him (a remarkable feat for a pairs team!). Stan knew he was holding Tanya back, and encouraged her to team up with Maxim. Stan and Tanya were a couple off the ice as well, and he became one of Tanya and Maxim’s coaches.

Continue reading

By Keira Andrews • blog • 0 • Tags: figure skating, olympics, sports