These are the faces of the thrill of skating your best on the World’s biggest stage!
Congratulations to Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, the first man to repeat as Olympic Champion since American Dick Button in ‘48 & ‘52! Yuzuru is not only an amazing athlete and artist, he is the model of good sportsmanship. His skate had a couple of minor flaws, but the pure command and magic that he created in Gangneung Arena will not be forgotten anytime soon. He's a wizard on ice.
Nathan Chen showed the world his strength of character— and an unprecedented SIX quads (five of them clean) in the free skate. Talk about redemption!! WOW!
Vincent Zhou threw down everything he had and came away with five quad attempts (four of them clean). He left everything on the ice and I was really inspired. I love the heart he shows. I predict quite a domestic rivalry between Chen and Zhou in the next quadrennial.
Adam Rippon continued his streak of dream programs at the Olympics with his third clean skate of the event. What Adam lacks in quad content, he makes up for with his beautiful artistry, the feeling of flight across the ice, and a killer layback spin! So proud of him for how far he's come!
Jin Boyang continued to deliver better than he has all season, finishing his Olympic debut with an impressive skate that featured only one major error (a fall on a quad toe). Jin has never been known as an artist on the ice, but I have to say that he skated with more command and presence than I've seen him have. What a competitor.
Javier Fernandez skated one of his beset performances to "Man of la Macha," and finally got redemption for missing the bronze in Sochi by the thinnest of margins. Fernandez is known for his charisma and showmanship on the ice, but this "Man of la Macha" program was less schticky and more mature and polished. It was just good, pure, classic skating.
Shoma Uno was last and created an Olympic moment that may have been just short of the gold medal, but it was no less fantastic. Aside from one fall on a quad loop, Shoma threw down everything else and finished the program with his signature cantilever and a flourish of passion. Love Shoma!
It was a men's freeskate to remember and I loved every single second!! I feel so lucky to have watched it live. Very thankful to have skating in my life to bring so much excitement and joy.
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