Thursday, October 27, 2016

A Tribute to China: Lu Chen's "Butterfly Lovers"


I'm in Beijing right now. As I sit here in my hotel room, looking out the window at this beautiful, bustling city, I can't help but think back on all the amazing Chinese figure skaters that I have loved and appreciated over the years. Such wonderful memories. The first skater and performance that I'd like to honor is the lovely Lu Chen, 1994 and 1998 Olympic bronze medalist and 1995 World Champion. At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, she skated a magical, ethereal piece to "Butterfly Lovers." This performance was so significant as Chen had been 25th at the World the previous year and had struggled to regain her championship composure. She had lost favor with her country and the skating community, and this is the remarkable and emotional comeback performance that left everyone in tears. As Scott Hamilton said in his commentary, " I love when wonderful things happen to wonderful people."



No comments:

Post a Comment