Virtue and Moir capture second Olympic gold

[Ladskater]

I disagree. P/C couldn't put out their best performance when they both had to worry about her top falling off. Anyone who denies that is lying to themselves.

Well, not going to get into a battle here, but both teams skated their long programs perfectly and it was mighty close. Okay, despite the wardrobe malfunction let's say it was a case of Apples to Oranges - maybe this time the Apples won. I'm sure with Scott and Tessa retiring the French team will have another chance. Of course, that's unless you don't want one of your US teams to win Gold. Maybe that will change your tune?

 

[Roast Toast]

I was really moved by their free dance and their reactions. You got the feeling of a huge journey coming to an end, and they just radiated pride, happiness and... exhaustion . It was a real "larger than life" moment, the end of an era.

 

[lyverbird1]

Glorious competition signalling the huge ending of an era in ice dance. How many of the top ten are going to retire fully or partly from competition now?! I can't remember the potential for an exodus like this in ice dance before. Sad for the ending but super excited for the beginning - really glad I'll be in Vancouver for the GPF in December to see how ice dance is going to continue...

 

[Roast Toast]

Glorious competition signalling the huge ending of an era in ice dance. How many of the top ten are going to retire fully or partly from competition now?! I can't remember the potential for an exodus like this in ice dance before. Sad for the ending but super excited for the beginning - really glad I'll be in Vancouver for the GPF in December to see how ice dance is going to continue...

Really? Aside from C/L and B/S, I do not see many retiring. W/P I expect will stay on another season since I believe Worlds will be in Canada in 2020, and G/P won't be enough to secure 3 spots. All three top American teams are at the top of their games (although I suppose Evan is getting up there as well) and are still hungry, especially H/D. Remember after Sochi the top 4 vacated their spots.

 

[Sai Bon]

Couldn't watch the FD because of work. I saw the SD though, and Tessa and Scott were amazing. But I am so happy for the Shibs!

 

[ReasonOFF]

well done!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Really sucks that of all things a loose strap may have decided the gold medal.

I really wish people would stop trivializing V/M's worthy gold as coming down to a strap. The judges still gave the French every favour they could. V/M scored two personal bests and that is what decided the gold medal.

I have said all season long that I have no issue with the French winning if they bring their best and they did not. Their SD to Ed Sheeran was lukewarm in comparison to V/M and the free dance, while I think they outskated the Canadians, again the Canadians outperformed them, and were not as in unison as Euros. One of my biggest peeves is when skaters get personal bests when they don't skate their best.

V/M skated lights out and the French (wardrobe malfunction or otherwise), were silver. Even Guillaume himself graciously conceded that V/M were better, and didn't blame the SD nip slip.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I disagree. P/C couldn't put out their best performance when they both had to worry about her top falling off. Anyone who denies that is lying to themselves.

Her top came off in the final quarter of the program - what was their excuse for not putting out their best in the first 3/4 of their SD? Because IMO, they didn't.

Edit: I stand corrected - apparently it happened earlier in the program but I only saw the blurring towards the end of the program hence why I thought it was only later on.

If it did come undone earlier they could have also gone to the referee and got it fixed. But that's also a hard decision to make mid-routine and an interruption would affect their marks. Still, they got the highest PCS in spite of that.

 

[bobbob]

Virtue and Moir put out the best combined short and free, so they deserved to win. It is moot to discuss what would have happened without the costume error for P/C...I think it comes down to whether they would have been able to get a level 4 on their short dance steps. Hard to say.

 

[yuki]

Her top came off in the final quarter of the program - what was their excuse for not putting out their best in the first 3/4 of their SD? Because IMO, they didn't.

What are you talking about? Her top got unclasped in the first seconds of their routine.

 

[MaiKatze]

Congratulations Tessa/Scott. Sometimes I think it also comes down to emotions, to that Olympic moment, and skating last and skating like they did, I wouldn't have it any other way. These Olympics feel like a sentimental Goodbye to the 'older' Generation of skaters, and I'm totally down with it. I actually see the Silver medallists all on the top in 2022. What a great Olympics for any figure skating fan.

 

[Mathman]

In the category of woulda coulda shoulda, I wonder what would have happened if Papadakis and Cizeron had competed in the team event.

Anyway, congratulations to Virtue and Moir. They did what they had to do: they skated the free dance so well that it was impossible for P&C to catch them. An excellent event altogether, with no real judging controversies or wuzrobbing available to disappointed fans of other skaters.

 

[Barb]

Congrats to Tessa and Scott, well deserved gold medal

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

I really wish people would stop trivializing V/M's worthy gold as coming down to a strap. The judges still gave the French every favour they could. V/M scored two personal bests and that is what decided the gold medal.

I have said all season long that I have no issue with the French winning if they bring their best and they did not. Their SD to Ed Sheeran was lukewarm in comparison to V/M and the free dance, while I think they outskated the Canadians, again the Canadians outperformed them, and were not as in unison as Euros. One of my biggest peeves is when skaters get personal bests when they don't skate their best.

V/M skated lights out and the French (wardrobe malfunction or otherwise), were silver. Even Guillaume himself graciously conceded that V/M were better, and didn't blame the SD nip slip.

P/C have already beaten V/M this year in both phases of the competition and overall. Unlike other teams, they have proven that when they bring their best they can win. They didn't bring their best this time, but that could have been because they were distracted by the costume. Just last night everyone was saying that they looked uncomfortable and clearly could not perform to the best of their abilities due to the problem. Therefore it feasibly could have come down to a "strap". That's not trivializing, it's just stating facts.

 

[ladyjane]

I'm rather amused by all the posters declaring that P/C fans aren't permitted to speculate about a 'fix' in V/M's favour, or that the unclasped top of a competitor got the Canadian couple the gold, while I'm quite certain if P/C had won the whole legion of V/M fans would be up in arms about how unfair it all is, and that others are held up to the detriment of V/M. Judging fixes, naturally all put into place to hold V/M down. But everybody's supposed to be gracious about it now the opposite has occurred. Because the 'right' couple won (in the eyses of the legion). Even so, some fans still have to make derogatory remarks about P/C's beautiful FD (calling it 'a mess'), or state that V/M won despite 'the judges being against them'. Yeah, right.

It really isn't so difficult to make a case the other way round you know.

 

[MaiKatze]

Medal ceremony is on now.

 

[sowcow]

...Even so, some fans still have to make derogatory remarks about P/C's beautiful FD (calling it 'a mess')...

Although admittedly I have not read the entire FD thread, I believe all (or certainly the vast majority) of mentions about P/C's program being a "mess" were made in regards to their SD (not their FD)...

 

[MaiKatze]

Scott Moir is so ecstatic!

 

[Yuzuruu]

They can thank Gabriella's dress and their federal president-judge

They can thank their coaching team and themselves for putting in the hard work. They don't owe nobody anything.

Congrats VM! WELL DESERVED!

 

[largeman]

What can I say that hasn't been said already?

What a magnificent performance... I had tears running down my cheeks.

It's one of those epic skates that remind me why I love figure skating.