Pairs Figure Skating ***spoilers***

[LynneSin]

Ok, who else here is amazed over that Chinese pair. Fricking amazing and they still medaled. BTW, that's the pair that did the great short program to LZ's Kashmir!

[FuzzySlippers]

1. Oh geez. I thought for sure she was out of it.

Absofuckinglutely amazing!!!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. I really liked their choreography

and as a person with a lifetime of bad knees, I couldn't believe that they went on with the program after the fall.

[LisaL]

3. Figure skating is a very peculiar sport.

I wonder if a speed skater would have been allowed to continue as if nothing had happened if she had fallen and couldn't skate for almost 3 minutes.
I kind of doubt it.
I think they shouldn't have won any medals. It's a sport, and once you fall like that, that ruins your whole program.
No other sport would tolerate such an interruption and then just ignore it as if it had not happened.

[LizW]

4. The replay of the fall was agonizing!

Did you see how her knee flexed sideways? I can't believe she was still able to skate.

[LisaL]

5. And I can't believe they allowed them to continue at al.

Rules allow for up to 2 minutes interruption. This was longer than 2 minutes.

[NashVegas]

7. You Sure About That?

It didn't seem that long. Wish I'd saved it on the TiVo.

[LisaL]

10. I found an article on the subject.

"The quad throw came 30 seconds into the routine by Zhang and Zhang. No other pair attempted the dangerous manoeuvre. Her left knee hit hard, and her legs separated in a split that had to strain her groin muscles. She got back to her feet and, crouched over, glided backwards and behind-first into the cushioned boards.

She was comforted by her partner, but couldn't continue the program. She glided aimlessly about but never left the ice for treatment. There was a break of two minutes 50 seconds between the time their music was stopped and the time it was restarted at the direction of referee Hely Abbondati.

The pertaining ISU rule: "If, in the opinion of the referee, medical attention is required, the referee must stop the performance and allow the competitor to continue immediately from the point of interruption or, if that is not possible, allow a period of up to two minutes before the continuation."

The interruption taken by Zhang and Zhang clearly was in excess of two minutes, but nobody had lodged a protest as of Monday night."


http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=20&id=21347
Obviously, since the third pair is also chinese, no one is going to protest. But if third pair wasn't chinese, this would have led to a scandal again, because they should have been disqualified.

[kick-ass-bob]

18. I doubt there will be a protest - 3 and 4 were both Chinese as well.

And I seriously doubt that they would lodge a complaint against their own teammates.

[xmas74]

6. I wondered if you watched them when they did the short

program. Your name immediately popped in my head when I heard the first few notes of the song!

[Lavender Brown]

8. I felt for the third place pair, they did great too

I also liked the Russians skating to Romeo and Juliet.

[Individualist]

9. It was not only amazing that she was able to continue,

but to do as well as she did following the injury...!!!

[LisaL]

11. Yea, real amazing-that you can fall in the middle of the

performance, be off the ice for 3 minutes, and have it discounted as if it hadn't happened. What other sport would allow something like that? The speed skaters probably getting very jealous.

[Individualist]

12. I'm delighted they won the silver medal

You're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine.

[LisaL]

13. The rules have been violated-again.

They are lucky the third pair is also chinese and so unlikely to protest.
But they shouldn't have been allowed to continue because interruption was much longer than 2 minutes allowed.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/charasta/stories/021406dnspoolyharasta.cef4369.html

[LynneSin]

15. Can't you just feel good for an amazing routine

Did you actually clock the time. They went back out there almost immediately and the only delay was waiting for the music to queue back to where they had left off.

They deserved that silver medal. She totally slammed that ice and I know if that was my knees I'd be on the way to the emergency room. But she got back out there and finished. And there was enough difficulty in the routine to make up for the deductions they received for messing up.

Every once in awhile just sit back and appreciate the moment because that is what the Olympics are all about.

[LisaL]

14. And here is a funny article on the subject.

"The new scoring system, however, rewards skaters for trying a move. Because the Chinese nearly completed the quad throw, they received credit for a triple throw.

This, of course, is ridiculous. It's like giving Barry Bonds a triple for a long fly ball that curves foul at the last second.

Michelle Kwan withdrew too early. She should have stayed and done her long program one jump at a time. She might have won a gold medal, although it would have taken her two hours to complete her free skate.

Obviously, the new system still needs tweaking. Nearly completing an element is not good enough. If everyone has enough time to go to the bathroom and stand in line for a Coke while you are forced to stop and resume your program, there should be a significant penalty. Stretchers and defibrillators should not be required elements."

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?id=2329705&sport=olympics&ft=ss

[realisticphish]

16. I don't really watch figure skating

but one of my roommates yelled in to my room to watch after she fell; to get up and go on like that, and get a fucking silver medal?

now THAT's determination

[LynneSin]

17. Bump for the morning crowd

what a great competition. That Chinese couple had me in tears by the end of their performance. Anyone else?

[Divameow77]

19. I was so happy they received a standing ovation

I'm not sure if I agree that they got a medal but I admire her courage and strength.

[SeattleGirl]

20. They deserved that ovation, for sure

For her to get up and complete the program was just amazing. That was a hell of a nasty fall she took.