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Double double: Figure skating pairs bag China's first two medals

Tuesday, 16th February 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Shen and Zhao
Shen and Zhao
With three Chinese pairs still in the medal hunt today, it looked very likely that China's first medal of the 2010 Winter Olympics would come in figure skating. Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo (申雪／赵宏博) and Tong Jian/Pang Qing (佟建／庞清) were the last two pairs to skate in Monday night's free skate, and the only of the medal contenders that completed a fall-free program (final standings on Vancouver2010.com.

Shen/Zhao snagged the gold that has eluded them in their previous three bronze medal performances, with a score of 216.57. Taking silver were Tong/Pang, with 213.31 overall. German world champions got the bronze, at 210.6.

The third Chinese pair, Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, ended up in fifth place. The day's results no doubt indicate that China has a strong figure skating program, but most of the media attention focuses on Shen and Zhao--married, retired, unretired, and now Olympic champions. In his report on the couple, The Wall Street Journal's Ian Johnson quotes Zhao as saying, "When I hold her in my arms, I don't have to pretend to love her. I do."


Links:
Chinese Skating Pair Breaks the Mold

Related:
China's 2010 Winter Olympians: Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, pairs figure skating

Figure skating: Shen and Zhao on top heading into pairs final

Shen/Zhao image: Xinmin.cn

Tags: figure skating, Shen and Xue, Winter Olympics

Figure Skating: Shen and Zhao on top heading into pairs final

Tuesday, 16th February 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

After breaking their own world record Sunday, Chinese figure skating pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo have a good chance of becoming China's first medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The veteran couple posted a score of 76.66, beating out the world champions from Germany, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, who weren't far behind at 75.96. Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "In their 2 minutes, 50 seconds of captivating power and effortless beauty, the Chinese set the bar where no pair ever had been." The score beat Shen and Zhao's previous world record, set just a couple of months ago.

Shen, 31, and Zhao, 36, face a tough field in the final, which takes place at 5:00 p.m. PST on February 15 (9 a.m. Beijing time, Feburary 16). The Two other Chinese pairs are still in contention—Pang Qing and Tong Jian finished Sunday in fourth place, and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao came in at fifth. Russians Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov are in third place with a score of 74.16.

Other Chinese athletes competing for medals on February 15 are free cross country skiers Li Hongxue (women) and Xu Wenlong (men), both long shots; and men's speed skaters Yu Fengtong, Zhang Zhongqi, Liu Fangyi and Wang Nan (all men). Yu is China's record holder in the 500 and 1,000 meters, but his best result is a 13th-place finish in the 2005 World Championships.

Related: Shen-Zhao lead pairs figure skating

Tags: 2010 Winter Olympics, figure skating, Shen and Zhao, speed skating, Winter Olympics, world record