Image Credit: George Bridges/MCT/LandovThe 2010 Winter Olympics aren’t over yet: The US and Canada are tangling in an overtime gold-medal hockey match that everyone I know is watching, regardless of whether they care about hockey or not. But unless someone on that ice manages to score 14 goals using only their teeth, we’ve seen the best individual performances these Games have to give.
Here at PopWatch, we’ve brought you our picks for the Olympic Stud of the Day over the past two weeks, those men and women who made our hearts stop with their athleticism, strength, endurance, and character. We’ve seen moments both triumphant (Evan Lysacek!) and touching (Joannie Rochette!); we’ve applauded those who overcame long odds (Lindsey Vonn!) and those who fell victim to their own limitations (uh… Lindsey Vonn!). We’ve seen firsts (the Americans who medaled in Nordic combined), and lasts (the celebratory, career-capping gold for skating pair Shen and Zhao, who can hopefully stop living in separate dorm rooms now).
But who was the best? Who, when we look back at the Vancouver Olympics, will we remember the most? Please take a moment to google the lyrics to the South Korean National Anthem, because our Olympic Stud of the Olympics is…
Kim Yu-Na!
On paper, Kim’s accomplishments seem quite mundane: The 19 year old South Korean figure skater only won one medal. She didn’t overcome personal tragedy or heartbreak. She was the prohibitive favorite coming into these games, and the current world record holder under the new scoring system. Even before her Olympic performance, people were calling her Possibly The Greatest Female Skater Of All Time. And after her brilliant short program, there was absolutely no reason to expect she wouldn’t coast to a win.
But think about it: More often than not, doesn’t that sort of build-up end in disappointment? Peyton Manning threw an interception in the Super Bowl. Roger Clemens liked to choke in the clutch. In Torino, Bode Miller crumbled under the weight of expectations. Tiger Woods, we hardly knew ye. Heroic backstories are easy. Actual heroism is really, really hard.
Unlike Apolo Ohno or Michael Phelps — certainly America’s most celebrated current Olympians, men whose consistent excellence has won them much-deserved fame — Kim has but one opportunity to be a hero. There is no next heat, no next event, no chance for redemption. There is just a short program, and then a long program, and it is over. Combined, those two skates last seven minutes — about the length of time it takes to eat the average bowl of cereal. In those seven minutes, Kim had to honor a lifetime of training and sacrifice. And she had to do it while carrying the dreams of 48 million shrieking, cameraphone-wielding South Koreans on her back.
Unlike Shaun White — another media-savvy athlete whose Olympic moments spin by in a flash — Kim is the lone star of her nation, competing in an event no South Korean has ever dominated. Because of her rare, solitary talent, her fame is all-encompassing. She had to flee her home in order to train in peace. She’s courted much of her celebrity, certainly (the girl sings her own ad jingles, for crying out loud), but even without commercial endorsement, the obsessive attention of her countrymen would likely be impossible to bear.
At these Olympic Games, Kim smashed her own world record by 18 points. She did it not by muscling her way through unprecedented jumps or impassionately executing tasks to collect points, but by transforming the requirements of her sport into art. She made it look effortless. And she did it when it mattered. The relief on her face after skating Thursday night’s weightless, elegant, almost error-free long program was joyously palpable. In that one moment, she had no pressure, no expectations, no doubt. In that one moment, she was free. There is technically no such thing as a platinum medal — much to Evgeni Plushenko’s dismay – but if I had one, I’d give it to her.
Your turn, PopWatchers? Who was your Olympic Stud of the 2010 Winter Olympics?
Good one! She’s unbelievably talented and a cutie.
I watched her win and I agree awesome!! I am happy for Brian Orser too. He was so cute afterward. On another note can someone please help me find the story that NBC apparently aired Sat afternoon with Tom Brokaw doing a feature on Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11. My boyfriend is a Newfie and we had heard there would be a feature on this and we missed it. NBC hasn’t posted it on their somewhat shabby online site. EW help me!!!! You never let me down.
I found it on NBC’s Olympic site, but I refuse to install Microsoft Silverlight to see it. You should check there again. NBC made a copyright claim against YouTube so all of the public versions have been removed everywhere else.
That piece is a must-see! Tom Brokaw never fails to make me cry.
The Gander story is the best movie no one has made. Install whatever you need to to watch it.
I watched the special on Gander and turned it off partway through. It was really poorly produced, in my opinion. Not the “heartwarming special” it could have been.
I still cant find the darn thing on the impossible to navigate nbc site. Every search on there turns up nothing. Maybe hulu? If someone can post the link where they have found ti I would be eternally grateful.
They did make a movie about it actually. Well, Canada did, anyway. It’s called Diverted.
Thanks for your article that has full of implications and comparisons. The best article among writings about winter olympics 2010.
When she skates, you cannot take your eyes off her. You just get sucked into her performance. She is a performer. Plus it doesn’t hurt that she is pretty to look at.
good job-but hey, the men’s olympic bobsled team 2!! amazing, first gold in over 62 years.
Yeah, shout out to those guys! Great job!
yup, Steve Holcomb and crew definitely deserve a shout out. what about China’s female short track crew? they swept golds in all 4 events, which is pretty incredible.
Well… one of the gold medals was controversial (or I would say the Korean short track team got robbed).
This is better than Canada victory over men in the ice hockey. We south Koreans taking skating more serious than anyone else in world.
yeah, canadians don’t take hockey seriously at all…
hahaha
Canada…America’s Hat
America=Canada’s pants. Scoreboard!
Awesome Mothra!
Me love figure skating!!!
where r u from back hills of Tenn? no one talks like that on this post or in Korea- they’re both highly literate unlike you.
oh, i swear you r not korean, you are just one of those who want to make fun of koreans since you are just so jealous of them. get a life, seriously.
Yeah–to the point of playing dirty (pushing other skaters) and getting dissqualified.
the “great” apolo got disqualified too
Tamujin, shut-up. You are spoiling Yu-Na Kim and Korean pride.
isn’t it 2010 Winter Olympics?
good catch
Oh lord. Where does the time go? Fixing… and thanks.
I love Emily Samuelson~!!!!!!!
Completely agree. Kim Yu-Na is amazing. Very few people are able to handle the intense amount of pressure that was put on her by her country. And she definitely rose to the occasion. Her performances were absolutely stunning (and she’s quite stunning in the looks department as well) and she deserves all the congratulations she has gotten. This girl is the definition of an Olympian.
Enough with Kim Yu-Na. Yes, she turned in a stellar performance, but she wasn’t the only one. So did Evan Lysacek and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. To be perfectly honest, I felt Kim played it safe–including her free skate. I mean–c’mon. Gershwin. Can we play any safer?
If you think Gershiwin was safe and easy, you probably dont have sense in music and definately didnt get the depth of expression she displayed with the music. It was captivating and gorgeous.
It is because you don’t know about the level of her program. it is really how hard to performed beautifully with Gershiwin like her. All the Jumps should be gorgeously landed and all the movements should be performed like the waterflow with the music. Even just a little mistakes will be effected to the whole program…. so that is why her performance was a miracle!!!
To use an analogy, many people can play the piano, but not everyone can jazz well. She was the master of her craft, the most difficult program, the most nuanced performance. Jazz require interpretation and rifts that is not practiced or rehearsed, but always in the moment.
She rarely skates clean, but at the Olympics, at the moment when it mattered, after 12 years of training pursuing the Olympic dream, she delivered, the best performance of the program with no error.
Many people said she overscored, but the fact everyone in the final delivered their best, and the results were a reflection of the standard at Olympic Night. She is sublime, and it is the perfect Olympic moment of all ages.
She’s so naturally pretty and doesn’t have to cake on the makeup like many other of her competitors. Thanks for not choosing Shaun White.
Good eye. I did’nt realize that until now. Yes, other skaters did have bit too much make ups.
i eat a bowl of cereal in WAY fewer than 7 minutes….
Yuna Kim is a beautiful skater-I was hoping she would remain strong-and she did. I really liked Mao Asadas performance too although she looked kind of mad/sad that she got the silver after doing three triple axels, but she lacked some of Kims’ grace on the ice and inbetween steps–she made a record of her own anyway.
She is absolutely at the top… but she has to share the glory with Team Canada in Hockey… because no sport is bigger in Canada than hockey and no team had more pressure than Canada… exactly like the pressure on Kim Yu-Na, and both overcame and showed that they deserved the Goal. Amazing Olympics all the way around!
And GOLD.
Not quite, but nice try.
Kim Yu-Na’s accomplishment was far greater than a routine hockey win.
What pressure on Team Canada? If they were an NHL team their total salary would be $127 million. The league cap is $55 million. If they lose they still get paid. Last time I checked no one else was on the ice with Kim Yu-Na to help out if something was misplayed.
Ohno is in no way comparable to Phelps or Kim. He’s only won 2 gold medals in 3 Olympics, and at least 1 is shrouded in controversy. I hope people don’t start thinking he’s a top American winter Olympian. He’s nowhere near the excellence of Eric Heiden or Bonnie Blair.
I completely agree. Phelps was/is completely dominant in his field. Ohno? Not so much. When Ohno starts racking up multiple gold medals in a single Olympics, then we can reevaluate.
To be fair, Phelps doesn’t have anyone else swimming in his lane. Short track is a unique sport, fun to watch, but very frustrating.
Yes, but other short track skaters have managed to win multiple golds. The American media likes to act as if Ohno is the BEST SHORT TRACK SKATER EVER, and that just isn’t true. He didn’t even win a single gold medal this year.
No, they’re saying that he is the most decorated American winter Olympian. Which he is. Winning a medal, of any color, at the Olympics is a great achievemet and should be celebrated. Ohno has won eight medals over three Olympics, and no one in the media is downgrading the amazing achievements of Bonnie Blair (6 individual medals) and Eric Heiden (5 gold medals in one Olympics).
I know what they’re explicitly *saying.* But the implication in the media has been that Ohno is the most terrific short track skater ever, and that’s false. Obviously YMMV. But I am sick of the American press drooling over him.
I realize that I worded the above response poorly. Perhaps they’re not acting like he’s the best short track skater in history, but they’re certainly acting as if he’s the current dominant skater. And he just isn’t. Like I said, he didn’t win a single gold medal this year. Lee Jung-su, on the other hand, won two this year alone. (And I don’t even like Lee, the guy’s a jerk if his comments to the media are anything to go by.)
While being the most decorated Winter Olympian is an accomplishment, I don’t believe it deserves the hype it’s been getting in the press. As others have pointed out, events like short track are much easier to get multiple medals in (the same goes for swimming). As the article says, Yu-Na on the other hand had only one opportunity to get a medal this year. That’s it, just one. Wonder how Apolo’d be faring if he only had one event every four years.
Like I said, it’s still an accomplishment of sorts, but not the OMG WONDERFUL MARVELOUS MAGICAL FEAT that the American press is making it out to be.
One more thing I forgot to mention because I missed this in your initial response – I agree that winning any medal regardless of color is an accomplishment that should be celebrated. However, if you are being hailed as a dominant speed skater…then you really should get at least one gold, since you have multiple chances to do so. On the other hand, it’s more understandable for someone like Yu-Na (who is the dominant female figure skater right now) to not get gold because you only have one shot. Apolo is an excellent speedskater, but he’s not the most dominant in his field.
agreed. nicely said.
I think they’re more so saying he’s the dominant AMERICAN speed skater right now, in which he was. We know he’s not the best, but he certainly is one of the best.
@Julie. Just wanted to say that Lee made his remarks after Ohno stated to the media that Lee should have been DQ’d for skating dirty.
Totally agree. When’s the last time the favorite won in ladies’ Olympics figure skating? She makes it look so easy and effortless, casual onlookers may overlook her performance. But she is totally a clutch player.
No SotD for Saturday? I nominate the men of US Sled #1, “Night Train.”
Yu-Na seems to be as lovely inside as she is outside. That she could fulfill her country’s expectations without choking says a lot about her mettle.
Totally agree about the Night Train crew! Was so happy for them.
She is lovely but best skater ever? I would not put her in the top 5. She has a record high score for a system that is less than 10 years old. But she is a star. I loved her short program to Bond but thought the US Mirai Nagasu’s free skate had more personality.
I totally agree.
What? totally disagree. Only someone who has a reason to bend their arms inside for Mirai Nagasu, wouls say her perfomance is better than Kim Yuna’s.
Yuna can bend just as well. Did you watch her performence in the Gala on Saturday night? That would silence any critic of her needing improvement on bending. Mirai Nagasu should have won the bronze in my view.