Turin, Italy 2006 Winter Olympic Games

Olympic Figure Skating Analysis

TURIN, Italy – The ladies' free skate had one of the most unpredictable outcomes of these Games, with Shizuka Arakawa upsetting Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya for the gold on Thursday.

When the favorites faltered, Shizuka delivered. She flew across the ice with effortless fluidity. The triple-triple combinations that she was throwing left and right in practice weren't there tonight, but she didn't need them. She was in total command of the ice and sealed the deal with a beautiful ina bauer at the end of her program.

I knew Sasha Cohen was in trouble after she went down a couple of times during the warmup. Her confidence was completely shaken, and you could see it in her face before her music even started. Her expression was blank, a direct contrast to Tuesday when she had a fire in her eyes. Even her former coach, Robin Wagner, said she looked scared.

To miss the first jump in a program is one thing; to miss the second is another matter altogether. The more mistakes a skater makes, the harder it is to refocus. But Sasha didn't let the program get away from her; she didn't give anything up. That is the mark of a true champion.

Although she got through the free skate, Sasha lacked the speed she demonstrated in the short program. Her overall performance lacked energy, and her spiral sequence was painfully slow. Sasha has wonderful flexibility, but flexibility alone doesn't equal good skating skills. I thought her program component scores were ridiculously high, given the mistakes and the speed issues.

Like Sasha, Irina Slutskaya skated with heavy expectations weighing on her shoulders. As the last skater in the final flight, the long wait didn't help either. Irina started strongly, landing a huge Lutz and three-jump combination. But after doubling her second flip, she went down on the triple loop, one of her most consistent jumps. You could tell she was completely shocked by the fall and knew the Olympic gold was no longer hers.

Irina was visibly upset with her performance. Coordination and timing are everything, and sometimes your training doesn't come together at the Olympics. In baseball, slumps are measured in four or five games, not one performance once every four years. It's unfortunate that Irina's had to come tonight. However, she conducted herself with great dignity afterward, and I admire that.

Fumie Suguri of Japan had an amazing performance. She nailed some very difficult jumps and skated with a light etherealness reminiscent of Yuka Sato. The judges didn't reward her with the marks she deserved for what was essentially a clean program.

Joannie Rochette of Canada also had a strong free skate, vaulting her up to fifth. Her edging and jumps were rock solid. I enjoyed her performance tonight even more than her short program. She's a hard worker with the complete package needed to make the podium.

Kimmie Meissner dropped one spot to sixth but still gave a respectable performance. As she matures as a person, she's going to develop into a beautiful skater. She has the jumps, but more dance and ballet training will help her reach her potential.

Meissner's American teammate Emily Hughes also did a commendable job. I'm sure she wanted a better skate than the one she had Thursday, but a top-seven finish in her first senior international competition is a great finish. It's obvious that she loves skating, and that passion will carry her in the future.

Watch for Kimmie and Emily to challenge Carolina Kostner over the next couple of years. Carolina was a major disappointment. When a skater performs in front of her home country, especially a country that loves its skaters as much as Italy, the expectations are high. But Carolina didn't skate anywhere near to the standard that she can, making mistakes throughout her programs like not holding her spin positions long enough.

My wife, Silvia Fontana, really came through tonight. She wasn't trying to make history with her performance, but she found a connection with the audience. She was so nervous before the short program that she almost didn't want to skate, but she calmed her nerves and let her passion for the sport come out in the free skate. She decided only a year ago that she wanted to do this and go through the process of training, getting injured and coming back to skate in front of her home country.

The judging left me a little perplexed. Shizuka was the deserving winner, but I'm not sure if the flawed performances of Sasha or Irina deserved to be placed above a clean Fumie. Each of these three could have won the gold with clean performances. Had they all skated perfectly, the results would've been put under a microscope. The judges are fortunate that Shizuka was such a decisive winner, and her win was a satisfying end to two weeks of fantastic competition.

Updated on Friday, Feb 24, 2006 1:39 am, EST

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