Random thoughts on ladies event (spoilers)

1. Is it a curse to be leading after the SP?

1984: Leader after SP: Roz Sumners. Final Placement: 2nd.
1988: Leader after SP: Debi Thomas. Final Placement: 3rd.
1992: Leader after SP: Kristi Yamaguchi. Final Placement: 1st.
1994: Leader after SP: Nancy Kerrigan. Final Placement: 2nd.
1998: Leader after SP: Michelle Kwan. Final Placement: 2nd.
2002: Leader after SP: Michelle Kwan. Final Placement: 3rd.
2006: Leader after SP: Sasha Cohen. Final Placement: 2nd.

Only Kristi broke the trend. Maybe the other 5 should get together and commiserate about being first after the short. Michelle gets a special award because she did it twice.

2. Irina's Deja Vu.
With her former archrival Kwan out, Irina seemed to be having Deja Vu for both herself and Michelle. She came into the games as the Defending World Champ and favorite, just as Michelle did in '02. Then, Irina finished 2nd in SP and drew the final position going into the LP, just as she did in Salt Lake. Then, Irina sadly did her imitation of Michelle's '02 LP (falling once) and wound up with the same Olympic medal cache as MK: 1 silver, 1 bronze.

3. Is Sasha the ultimate bridesmaid?
Sasha now owns 2 World Silver Medals as well as an Olympic Silver Medal. She did win her first U.S. Nats title this year, but she also has 4 silver medals from that event. If she finishes 2nd again at '06 Worlds she may become the most famous bridesmaid ever. On the good side, the U.S. has had a woman on the podium in every Olympics since Peggy Fleming in 1968 and Sasha kept the streak alive. Go Sasha!

4. Japan's first OGM.
Shizuka made history -- she won the OGM! It is Japan's first OGM in figure skating. What will she do now? How will she handle the media crush that is about to descend upon her? What will her victory mean for the future of the sport? With Mao Asada waiting in the wings, Japan looks to be a powerhouse in ladies skating for some time to come.

I think it's hard to tell what is going to happen with Asada. Yes, she is going for all those jumps now, but what will happen once she grows into her body?

Ogre Mage said:

1. Is it a curse to be leading after the SP?

1984: Leader after SP: Roz Sumners. Final Placement: 2nd.

.

Click to expand...

Sumners led after figures, but Witt led after the SP. But yeah, I was thinking the same about the others myself, even weirder when you consider they're all from the same country ...

Does anyone know where 1980 Silver Medallist Linda Fratianne stood going into the LP? I vaguely remember reading an article that she lost the gold to a 'wooden' skater Annette Poetsch of East Germany (Kati Witt's sister-in-law I think?).

ladysarahchatto said:

Does anyone know where 1980 Silver Medallist Linda Fratianne stood going into the LP? I vaguely remember reading an article that she lost the gold to a 'wooden' skater Annette Poetsch of East Germany (Kati Witt's sister-in-law I think?).

Click to expand...

after figures
Poetzsch
Lurz (don't ask)
Fratianne

after SP
Poetzsch
Fratianne
?

final
Poetzsch
Fratianne
Lurz (don't ask)

Poetzsch was one of the long line of world class skaters coached by Jutta Mueller. She was outstanding at figures I thinking winning at four worlds in a row and at 1980 olympics (did she ever not win figures from 1977 on?). She was also a quite capable (if never totally inspired) free skater with good musicality the best layback going then and okay but inconsistent jumps.
The thing is factored placements weren't introduced until the next year so that figures counted for more than the 30% they did on paper, the margins between the skaters (traditionally larger in figures than in free skating) carried over from one phase to the next. Her 1980 olympics free skate was one of if not her best LP ever and was ranked third on the evening (after Biellman, yes, the Biellman) and Fratianne. This allowed her to (barely) hold on to her first place.
She retired after 1980 (maybe realizing that she wouldn't be a gold contender under factored placements). She was married for a time to Witt's brother and I believe was just now an assistant technical specialist for the ladies competition in Turin.