Since these articles are from AOL and only those with AOL can get them, I reprinted some quotes from the articles on Arakawa, Cohen, and Slutskaya. They had some info I didn't know. I thought Shizza was still with Tarasova. I didn't know she had changed to Morosov. No wonder she's still healthy after three years. Tarasova seems to do great with her male singles skaters, but she seems to build the females up to champions the first year and then wear them out. Smart move on Shizza's part. A great and intelligent skater for making that change.
Japan's Arakawa Wins Gold; Russia's Slutskaya Also Falls, Takes Bronze
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223162709990010
By BARRY WILNER
TURIN, Italy (Feb. 23) - Shizuka Arakawa clutched the Olympic gold medal in her hand, refusing to let it go lest it all be a mistake. It was hers, all right. And Japan's. A surprise winner from a surprise country.I still can't believe this," said Arakawa, whose gold in women's figure skating Thursday night gave Japan its first medal of these games.
For Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya, gold was theirs to grab but got away.
Falls and mistakes pulled Cohen down to silver and left Slutskaya with a bronze. They knew they are lucky to have anything. Arakawa finished with 191.34 points, almost eight points ahead of Cohen. Slutskaya was third at 181.44.
"It's bittersweet," Cohen said. "I tried hard. I have no regrets."
Arakawa is the first Japanese woman to win Olympic gold, and she has lifted a burden for those who will come after her.
When Midori Ito finished second to Kristi Yamaguchi in 1992, Ito apologized, fearing she had disappointed her country. No one had come close since then, and pressure mounted with every passing games.
Arakawa dropped to ninth at worlds last year, after having won the title in 2004. Worse, she had to watch while the next generation emerged: Miki Ando, the junior world champion and the first woman to do a quadruple jump; Grand Prix champion Mao Asada, whose age, 15, was the only thing that kept her away from Turin.
In November, Arakawa called Nikolai Morozov and asked if he'd be her coach. She wanted a change - her coach, her costumes, her programs. It had to be drastic if she were to have any chance.
"Yes, of course I was surprised," Morozov said. "I thought she could medal. But I didn't think she would win gold."
But Arakawa has the determination that turns contenders into champions.
She landed five triple jumps, three in combination, but it was her beauty, elegance and unparalleled musicality that set her apart. She didn't show much emotion on her face, but she spoke it with every other part of her body, from her toes to the tips of her fingers.
Skating to Puccini's "Violin Fantasy of Turandot," her gracefulness was edged with power....
Arakawa's face lit up when she finished. When she saw the marks that moved her into first place, she pumped her fists in a rare display of exuberance and flashed a "V" for victory sign.
"Right now I'm just so surprised about all of this that I'm speechless," she said. "I never expected that I would be the first one to win a medal for Japan, so I didn't feel that pressure. But I'm very happy that I am the one who won it."
She sang the entire national anthem, and stayed on the ice for more than a half-hour, clutching her medal. The only time she let it go was to grab a Japanese flag.
For her people, the medal was a celebration twice over. Through 14 days, in the mountains and on the ice, Japanese athletes had come up empty.
"It really took a long time," said Kenichi Chizuka, head of Japan's Olympic delegation. "I was very excited. When I saw her win, I cried. ... One gold is worth 10 bronzes."
For Arakawa and her country, too.
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My comment: Nice article with moments of greatness.
COHEN WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ONE THAT GOT AWAY
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223151709990001
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports
The gold was gone on her first jump. She thought she lost both the silver and bronze on her second.
Four long years of training didn't prepare her for what turned out to be four of the longest minutes of her life.
The falls were shocking enough, winning a silver medal anyway almost a gift.
Still, she had hoped to be the third different American winner of women's figure skating in the last three Olympics. Instead, she will be remembered for one medal that got away.
That's because gold matters to Americans as much as it does to Cohen.
The sponsors were ready to put her on cereal boxes and in soft drink ads as America's new skating darling. By some estimates, $20 million in endorsements was at stake. Divide that by two falls and you have $10 million a fall on a night when the gold was there for the taking.
This event was supposed to erase those demons. In first place after the short program, she needed only four minutes to join Tara Lipinski (1998) and Sarah Hughes (2002) as Olympic champion.
No country has had three different skaters win gold in three straight Olympics. Norway won golds in 1928, 1932 and 1936, but all by Sonja Henie; two of East Germany's three golds in 1980, 1984 and 1988 were by Katarina Witt.
"No, I didn't cry," Cohen said. "I don't usually cry unless I'm angry. I'm not really angry, more of a letdown. Ultimately, it's four minutes of one day in my life."
Cohen brushed off questions of an injury, saying the nagging aches and pains had nothing to do with her disappointing performance. Looking nervous when she took the ice, she gave away her claim to gold in the first minute.
She went down heavily on a triple lutz that ruined a planned three-jump combination, then put two hands on the ice on a triple flip. Her interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet" was so strong, though, it made up for her technical errors....
Cohen has an agent and sponsors. She knows the riches that could have been her reward. She tried her best to put a positive spin on it all, but the words sounded hollow.
"Ultimately," she said, "it's four minutes of one day of my life."
It was, but it was the four biggest minutes of the biggest day Cohen will likely ever have.
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My Comments: Accurate facts, but many of writer Dahlberg's opinions, especially his last, were off the podium, IMO. When Cohen said, "Ultimately it's four minutes of one day of my life," Dahlberg's response was, "It was, but it was the four biggest minutes of the biggest day Cohen will likely ever have." My bet is Dahlberg is not married and has no children. When I think of what Turkey's Tugba Karademir's parents gave up for their daughter's chances just skate in the Olympics, a girl who hadn't made the cut for the LP at Worlds in four tries, IIRC, forget a medal or even a top 10 finish. I realize Dahlberg has to put the story into the perspective as understood by Cohen and the US. But some of the other Olympic perspective would have been equally important, IMO.
Russian Star Again Falls Far Short of Gold
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223195709990003
By BARRY WILNER, AP
While Arakawa and Cohen celebrated their achievements, sharing their joy with the audience, Slutskaya looked bored. Teary-eyed when she skated out to receive the bronze medal, she barely reacted to the applause.
If bronze was precious to her, she hid it well.
"That's life again. We can't decide what we like,"Slutskaya said.
Life has not been easy for Slutskaya in recent years. Her mother has kidney disease and requires dialysis treatment...
In 2004, Slutskaya was diagnosed with a heart ailment that sidelined her for almost the entire season...
"I'm so happy that I'm here because the last four years is really, really hard for me," she said....
Slutskaya said she missed competing against Kwan, who was sidelined by a groin injury. Then again, if Kwan had been healthy this season and skated in Turin, who knows how things would have turned out.
"I was so upset Michelle doesn't come," Slutskaya said with a smile. "I was waiting for her."
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My Comments: Irina's last two comments, awww. Now I'm the one with the teary eyes.
Rgirl
Japan's Arakawa Wins Gold; Russia's Slutskaya Also Falls, Takes Bronze
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223162709990010
By BARRY WILNER
TURIN, Italy (Feb. 23) - Shizuka Arakawa clutched the Olympic gold medal in her hand, refusing to let it go lest it all be a mistake. It was hers, all right. And Japan's. A surprise winner from a surprise country.I still can't believe this," said Arakawa, whose gold in women's figure skating Thursday night gave Japan its first medal of these games.
For Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya, gold was theirs to grab but got away.
Falls and mistakes pulled Cohen down to silver and left Slutskaya with a bronze. They knew they are lucky to have anything. Arakawa finished with 191.34 points, almost eight points ahead of Cohen. Slutskaya was third at 181.44.
"It's bittersweet," Cohen said. "I tried hard. I have no regrets."
Arakawa is the first Japanese woman to win Olympic gold, and she has lifted a burden for those who will come after her.
When Midori Ito finished second to Kristi Yamaguchi in 1992, Ito apologized, fearing she had disappointed her country. No one had come close since then, and pressure mounted with every passing games.
Arakawa dropped to ninth at worlds last year, after having won the title in 2004. Worse, she had to watch while the next generation emerged: Miki Ando, the junior world champion and the first woman to do a quadruple jump; Grand Prix champion Mao Asada, whose age, 15, was the only thing that kept her away from Turin.
In November, Arakawa called Nikolai Morozov and asked if he'd be her coach. She wanted a change - her coach, her costumes, her programs. It had to be drastic if she were to have any chance.
"Yes, of course I was surprised," Morozov said. "I thought she could medal. But I didn't think she would win gold."
But Arakawa has the determination that turns contenders into champions.
She landed five triple jumps, three in combination, but it was her beauty, elegance and unparalleled musicality that set her apart. She didn't show much emotion on her face, but she spoke it with every other part of her body, from her toes to the tips of her fingers.
Skating to Puccini's "Violin Fantasy of Turandot," her gracefulness was edged with power....
Arakawa's face lit up when she finished. When she saw the marks that moved her into first place, she pumped her fists in a rare display of exuberance and flashed a "V" for victory sign.
"Right now I'm just so surprised about all of this that I'm speechless," she said. "I never expected that I would be the first one to win a medal for Japan, so I didn't feel that pressure. But I'm very happy that I am the one who won it."
She sang the entire national anthem, and stayed on the ice for more than a half-hour, clutching her medal. The only time she let it go was to grab a Japanese flag.
For her people, the medal was a celebration twice over. Through 14 days, in the mountains and on the ice, Japanese athletes had come up empty.
"It really took a long time," said Kenichi Chizuka, head of Japan's Olympic delegation. "I was very excited. When I saw her win, I cried. ... One gold is worth 10 bronzes."
For Arakawa and her country, too.
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My comment: Nice article with moments of greatness.
COHEN WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ONE THAT GOT AWAY
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223151709990001
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports
The gold was gone on her first jump. She thought she lost both the silver and bronze on her second.
Four long years of training didn't prepare her for what turned out to be four of the longest minutes of her life.
The falls were shocking enough, winning a silver medal anyway almost a gift.
Still, she had hoped to be the third different American winner of women's figure skating in the last three Olympics. Instead, she will be remembered for one medal that got away.
That's because gold matters to Americans as much as it does to Cohen.
The sponsors were ready to put her on cereal boxes and in soft drink ads as America's new skating darling. By some estimates, $20 million in endorsements was at stake. Divide that by two falls and you have $10 million a fall on a night when the gold was there for the taking.
This event was supposed to erase those demons. In first place after the short program, she needed only four minutes to join Tara Lipinski (1998) and Sarah Hughes (2002) as Olympic champion.
No country has had three different skaters win gold in three straight Olympics. Norway won golds in 1928, 1932 and 1936, but all by Sonja Henie; two of East Germany's three golds in 1980, 1984 and 1988 were by Katarina Witt.
"No, I didn't cry," Cohen said. "I don't usually cry unless I'm angry. I'm not really angry, more of a letdown. Ultimately, it's four minutes of one day in my life."
Cohen brushed off questions of an injury, saying the nagging aches and pains had nothing to do with her disappointing performance. Looking nervous when she took the ice, she gave away her claim to gold in the first minute.
She went down heavily on a triple lutz that ruined a planned three-jump combination, then put two hands on the ice on a triple flip. Her interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet" was so strong, though, it made up for her technical errors....
Cohen has an agent and sponsors. She knows the riches that could have been her reward. She tried her best to put a positive spin on it all, but the words sounded hollow.
"Ultimately," she said, "it's four minutes of one day of my life."
It was, but it was the four biggest minutes of the biggest day Cohen will likely ever have.
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My Comments: Accurate facts, but many of writer Dahlberg's opinions, especially his last, were off the podium, IMO. When Cohen said, "Ultimately it's four minutes of one day of my life," Dahlberg's response was, "It was, but it was the four biggest minutes of the biggest day Cohen will likely ever have." My bet is Dahlberg is not married and has no children. When I think of what Turkey's Tugba Karademir's parents gave up for their daughter's chances just skate in the Olympics, a girl who hadn't made the cut for the LP at Worlds in four tries, IIRC, forget a medal or even a top 10 finish. I realize Dahlberg has to put the story into the perspective as understood by Cohen and the US. But some of the other Olympic perspective would have been equally important, IMO.
Russian Star Again Falls Far Short of Gold
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sportsevent/article.adp?id=20060223195709990003
By BARRY WILNER, AP
While Arakawa and Cohen celebrated their achievements, sharing their joy with the audience, Slutskaya looked bored. Teary-eyed when she skated out to receive the bronze medal, she barely reacted to the applause.
If bronze was precious to her, she hid it well.
"That's life again. We can't decide what we like,"Slutskaya said.
Life has not been easy for Slutskaya in recent years. Her mother has kidney disease and requires dialysis treatment...
In 2004, Slutskaya was diagnosed with a heart ailment that sidelined her for almost the entire season...
"I'm so happy that I'm here because the last four years is really, really hard for me," she said....
Slutskaya said she missed competing against Kwan, who was sidelined by a groin injury. Then again, if Kwan had been healthy this season and skated in Turin, who knows how things would have turned out.
"I was so upset Michelle doesn't come," Slutskaya said with a smile. "I was waiting for her."
02/23/06 16:25 EST
My Comments: Irina's last two comments, awww. Now I'm the one with the teary eyes.
Rgirl
Last edited: