Canada Dazzles in the Iceberg Skating Palace

Iceberg Skating Palace courtesy www.olympic.org.

The Iceberg Skating Palace was the site of a three-day skating battle culminating in a silver medal for the Canadian figure skating team.  Here is their story.

Anchoring the team were ice dancers Tessa Virute and Scott Moir, gold medalists from four years ago in Vancouver.  They dazzled the audience as they danced across the ice, Scott's face full of expression, Tessa's body full of grace.  While the couple looked more confident than ever, Tessa caught an edge, making them second to the Americans.

Virtue & Moir courtesy globalnews.ca.

Thirty-one year old world champion Patrick Chan skated early on but then withdrew to focus on the individual men's event to be held later.  Newcomer Kevin Reynolds filled in for Patrick with a convincing performance in which he landed three quads.  Russian veteran Evgeny Pleschenko only landed one quad, but his charisma and experience gave his performance more weight according to the judges.  Pleschenko was apparently skating with a "broken aorta" according to his coach.

Kevin Reynolds courtesy www.thestar.com.

Eighteen-year-old Kaetlyn Osmond was competing at her first Olympics.  With her ponytail flying, the Newfoundland native scored a solid fifth.

Kaetlyn Osmond courtesy www.thestar.com.

Ontarians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, also at their first Olympics, placed second in the pairs short program.   St. Catharine's native Kirsten Moore-Towers and Torontonian Dylan Moscovitch placed second in the pairs long program.

Duhamel & Radford courtesy wikimedia.org.

President Putin was on hand at the Iceberg Skating Palace to see Russia clinch first place in the team event with 75 points, Canada place second with a convincing 65 points, and the United States place third with 60 points.