02.26
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — After weeks and months of playing it cool, saying the pressure to win an Olympic medal had not weighed on her, South Korea’s Kim Yu-na finally let her emotion show on Thursday.
She stood on the ice once her long program was done, letting the tears flow as stuffed toys and flowers rained into the rink.
But that emotional release, so long in the making, quickly stopped when Kim, the reigning world champion in women’s figure skating, saw her score.
Her mouth dropped open in delight when the numbers 150.06 popped up on the scoreboard. It was a new world record, which had broken her old record by a whopping 16.11 points. Though her longtime rival Mao Asada had yet to skate, Kim had all but clinched the gold medal. She had made herself untouchable.
For her unforgettable, nearly perfect performance at these Olympics, the 19-year-old Kim had scored 228.56 points, becoming South Korea’s first Olympic champion in figure skating.
“I still can’t believe the score that I received,” Kim said. “I’m really surprised. It’s almost as close as the men’s score.”
Asada, the 2008 world champion, won the silver, with 131.72 points, and 205.50 over all. Joannie Rochette, skating just four days after her mother’s death, won the bronze. She received 131.28 points, for 202.64 over all.
Mirai Nagasu, the 2008 United States national champion, was fourth, with 190.15 points. Rachael Flatt, the reigning national champion, was seventh, with 182.49.
While each of those skaters had moments of brilliance, Kim — who skated to Gershwin’s Concerto in F” — was the only one to have an entire four minutes of it. And Asada was the unfortunate skater who had to follow it.
Performing right after Kim’s monumental marks appeared, Asada tried to hold herself together, but her focus began to chip away as each note of Rachmaninoff’s “Bells of Moscow” played. One of her jumps — the triple flip — received a downgrade, meaning she failed to complete enough of the rotation. Then, as she prepared for a triple toe loop, her skate nicked the ice. She singled that jump.
When she was done, her face appeared blank. She and Kim had been rivals since they were junior skaters, with all their previous performances building up to these Games. Here, Asada was thought to be the only skater who could challenge Kim for the gold medal.
“I did everything I can,” Asada said. “To complete both triple axels well at the Olympics was one good thing about my performance. But I am not happy with the rest of my performance. I do feel regretful.”
Rochette, the 2009 silver medalist at the world championship, was expected to contend for either the silver or bronze. She was hoping to become the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal since Elizabeth Manley won the silver at the 1988 Calgary Games.
