Irina Slutskaya (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Ladies' Free Skate

[@bobbychristensen8887]

It’s just so good to go back every now and then and watch this. Brings a smile to my face every time

[@L1623VP]

I love it when Sandra Bezic says, "One triple...and several doubles...in a series" because she has NO idea what else to call the sloppy, flouncy, stiff-legged jumping pass that Slutskaya just tripped her way through.

[@barkingtree88]

Irina tried to disguise step-outs as "euler double salchow" for years!!

[@mikeg8375]

I wondered if I was the only person to think that she used that pass to cover for an off-balance landing. I even think it's debatable whether the 3 flip was a clean, ratified landing. The second lutz had an awkward stiff landing also.

[@L1623VP]

@@mikeg8375 Yes, it seems like she was trying to cover up a trip or mistake as if to say, "Ya, I meant to do that." LOL

[@scriptedbeauty1]

"One triple and several doubles in a series." --Sandra Bezic ☠

[@siribaimusic]

this olympics was a tragedy of haircuts

[@snopesshop1903]

Siri Hammond it really was 😂

[@MichaelDruck]

Sadly the new system rewards sloppy skating as long as they hit the jumps and turns. It's not about the all around package anymore. Irina was sloppy. This was not Michelle's night. It's scary how close this skating almost took the Gold.

[@ctruth6185]

Hughes did nothing artistically and her line was sloppy. What the heck are you posting about? You don't have a clue.

[@MichaelDruck]

@@ctruth6185 you know what im posting about so many people agree with me

[@ctruth6185]

@@MichaelDruck But it doesn't matter if 10 million people agree with you. Popularity is no substitute for the TRUTH. Your statement is just a personal opinion. Its likely, many Americans agree with you out of misplaced nationalism which they believe is patriotism. Lots of people agreeing with you doesn't make your point valid. Its doesn't make it true. The new system rewards pushing the limits & refining technique. It rewards all the parts of the sport which make it athletic and I'm perfectly fine with it. I believe its wonderful, after- all, the Olympics is the zenith of sport. That alone, should be the sole focus---the athletic side of the sport. There are many shows & exhibitions where a skater can focus on art & performing. Once a competitive career ends there are tours that cater to honing the art of skating but strong technique will can only be captured during a skater's prime. It won't last. But its the foundation from which a skater can build their art.

[@ctruth6185]

@@lila2986 Shut up you skank. American female skaters are washed up in the sport period. Nobody in the USA gives a rip about skating anyway. GTHOH pig!

[@erinm9568]

@@ctruth6185 Are you informed that Russia and Belarus can no longer compete in world competitions?

[@ahova1]

It’s who you are competing against in a competition. Kristi Yamaguchi fell on a triple loop and doubled a salchow but won gold. We give Michelle too hard a time on the missed flip.

[@ravenel2]

Her heart wasn’t in it. Sarah deserved that medal. You don’t judge an Olympics on how different judges decided to view Kristi Yamaguchi’s program against different skaters in 1992-good grief. You just wanted Michelle to win. It is most definitely not who you are competing against. Michelle had to show up and skate like everyone else. She did a much better job in 1998 against Tara, but there can only be one gold. Sometimes I think they should just award three golds so you don’t have this endless snarking afterwards. Trying to judge who is the “best” is often ridiculous.

[@Qacc6]

@@ravenel2 This wasn't Michelle's night (or season). She deserved to win in 1998 over Tara's juvenile presentation and under-rotated 3-3. The draw was not in her luck.

[@elizabethhurley1129]

@@Qacc6 Agree that it wasn't Michelle's time, but on the subject of Tara, 6 of 9 Olympic judges and Michelle Kwan's coach agreed Tara deserved to win.

[@matthough3590]

I have no proof of this, but I'm guessing Irina's coach told her Michelle had not had a good skate so there was no need to take any unnecessary risks. I'm sure she never dreamed the judges would rank Sarah over her at the Olympics no matter how well Sarah skated. She doesn't look like she was even considering doing those triple-triples, and I think she was so hugely upset at the end because she had to know if she had just done a little more difficult content, the gold would have been hers even with the sloppy triple flip.

[@scottw6704]

I imagine she was thinking, "just slow down everything and don't fall, and you've got it." Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the same technical content as Sarah, and she had a sloppy landing. Months afterwards, Irina said in interviews that it just came down to the judges; she felt she still had deserved that win. I love Irina's fast, powerful skating and had never paid much attention to Sarah, but tonight Irina was slow yet oddly frenetic and it just didn't work. Between eight of the judges, they evened out - it was the Italian judge that nudged Sarah ahead of Irina. And had Michelle not fallen, this miraculous ending would not have even taken place!

[@matthough3590]

@Antonio Jose Vivero Viteri No question about it. In my mind, she fully deserved the gold.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@Antonio Jose Vivero Viteri Sarah had no pressure because no one supports she would be the winner. （∩▽∩）Sarah surprised what happened at the 2002 Olympics more than anyone.

[@mallemee99]

Watching scores again and still can't believe how high her score were. I mean 5.9s for presentation, wven the 5.8s for technical merit were almost gifts.

[@liubovtimeeva8859]

gift is that you are able to write without brains

[@jamesyu5212]

When are you gonna learn that under the 6.0 ordinal system, the score is a ranking relative to other skaters.

[@davidtoti3532]

Главное было 5 судей с первым местом, а не 5,9

[@smoothALOE]

I think it was about even with Kwan, technically. If Kwan hadn’t fallen on the triple flip, she would’ve had the gold. Based on all this, Hughes deserved the gold.

[@jjsmith4829]

very Russian style: a lot of posturing and superfluous head, arm, and hand movements feigning emotion.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Still better than Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes.

[@Zuranthium]

@@TT-ee4qp Absolutely not.

[@pueraeternus111]

Michelle did not technically fall in her long; she touched down the ice with her hand. Though Irina did not touch down the ice, she landed severely forward on her flip. Both infractions deserved a deduction. Also, Michelle had two clean lutzes whereas Irina only had one. Michelle two-footed on her first toe-loop whereas Irina two-footed on her second lutz. Two-footing didn't warrant a deduction but was considered an omission. Based on jumps alone --- and the fact that Michelle landed a triple lutz at the second half of the program ---Michelle clearly had more difficult jump content.

[@mikeg8375]

I've had a theory for over twenty years now that Michelle would have won the gold here if it weren't for the judging controversy in the pairs competition just a few days earlier. If they had put Michelle second in the long behind Hughes she would have won the gold under these rules, But there would've been another controversy because the public would not have understood why Hughes would have lost despite that electrifying performance which was far better than anyone else's that night... This performance by Slutskaya was really sloppy, uninspired, and slow. I think if there was a mathematical way the judges could have given the silver to Michelle ahead of Irina, they would have. Unfortunately there wasn't and they had to sacrifice the silver medal winner for the gold medal winner.

[@jadedixon3641]

​@mikeg8375 Totally agree. Michelle was robbed because of the pairs scandal. Notice that Sarah never won a nationals or worlds, she got lucky.

[@scottw6704]

Another perspective - Michelle had the easiest triple-triple of the whole final flight planned, so that 3Lz at the end was the only thing that really saved her technical score from going completely down the crapper. I had said before this was dumb but after considering the late 3Lz, I might have to recant that sentiment!

[@scottw6704]

@@jadedixon3641 Michelle had the easiest technical program planned of all the top six skaters, which didn't help. She only had one 3+3, which didn't help. She had that touchdown, which didn't help. She skated too cautious again (just like in Nagano) which didn't help. The judges knew she was going coachless, which didn't help. Sarah had the best skate of her life, she had one of the top two most difficult technical programs planned, and executed them as well as could be rewarded (since flutzing wasn't deducted then)...she had no falls, unlike Michelle and Sasha, or bobbles or sloppiness, unlike Irina.... If you fall down or chicken out technically, and someone else gets it right, at the right time, is it really being "robbed"? It's always possible (but improbable) for a 4th SP to win the LP but only if you skate the best LP and everyone else screws up in the exact order needed for that result. It's a competition, so what matters is what you put on the ice right then, not what you did leading up to it. And the fact that Sarah was the FIRST of the top 4 to skate should have meant her scores would be held back a little. She did exactly what she needed to do to win, while everyone else crumbled. Even her artistry was almost top-notch. I'd have given Sasha the artistic top score (5.9), and if Michelle had not fallen, given Michelle and Sarah the same artistic score (5.8) I miss the 6.0 system so much and would have loved to have been a judge!

[@3100kkeller]

Even though I know what happened and I watched this over and over again when I was a kid....it still makes me nervous to wait for the final scores because the stakes were so high

[@greenpuffle]

She's lovely, but almost no program in this. The artisty was very questionable (3x5.9 is strange) and I felt the jumps were a bit of a hot mess too. It was like a rollercoaster, but not in the good way. It wasn't her night, but she's made her mark in skating for sure, making it to the top tier when she competed. That in itself is an achievent to remember.

[@USA-qm2bk]

Mario Jan Marino Her landings aren’t good

[@3Axel1996]

Russia obviously would boost its own skater with 5.9. Belarus, who still has strong ties to Mother Russia, did the same. Last 5.9 from Slovakia was a bit more surprising,.

[@lorddalek]

"But they weren't clean Scott..."

[@antmfan231995]

In this house we stan Sandra

[@williamt594]

@@antmfan231995 always

[@fanc.5711]

Sarah deserved it. She was the best. Delightful to behold.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Sarah was lucky, because the other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes......（∩▽∩）

[@JustMe-px9qy]

What was that mess at the end?

[@valerieteti1755]

Right? She always had awful choreography

[@katherinebordenhowell4400]

Laughing

[@jamesyu5212]

Just the end? I thought it was a mess from the first pose onwards.

[@intldawn]

@Dylvente I agree with you. No other possible result would have been right. They couldn't let Irina be the gold medalist with that performance, nor could they leave Michelle stay in first by default. Sarah winning was the only way this could go and since they put Sasha behind Michelle, the only thing they could do was put Irina in second.

[@fanc.5711]

A triple and a series of doubles: lmao, Sandra Bezic takes no bullshit

[@fanc.5711]

@Novak D exactly. I love it 🤣

[@scottw6704]

The Italian judge ended up averaging out the eastern and western bloc voting and ended up being the only judge who had the same ordinals as the results (Hughes, then Slutskaya, then Kwan, then Cohen)

[@mikeg8375]

The Italian judge had her 4th behind Cohen. Rightfully so in my opinion.

[@lexiekrewitt1735]

This is so emotional, beautiful storytelling program

[@lexiekrewitt1735]

I have to adapt my comment, Irina was underscored af in the short program, she should have been first and THEN she would have won the gold, because only Sarah, but no other skater had beaten her in the free skate!!!!!

[@ctruth6185]

It wasn't about triples and Irina doing the hand over her head was more complex a 3 lutz. Her entries & exists were more difficult. What did that have to do with the freeskating? She didn't technically blow Irina out of the water. You have that American bias.

[@stephe1329]

Her skating did not fit with the music. Found it to be off and slow.

[@aliciascott4299]

Agreed. The choreography was terrible.

[@3Axel1996]

@slavaro1992 There may have been a wrong edge change on the Lutz, but I studied the 2 triple-triple combinations carefully because of the ongoing debate, and Sarah did NOT under-rotate either combination. Now, you're comparing sophistication between a 16 year old and a 22 year old. Clearly, Irina is maturer to be able to express a more sophisticated presentation, but from the judges have done here and in 1998, they seem to prefer the skater who skated more freely and not conservatively.

[@vistaprime]

why was Irina disappointed when she chose to show up to the Olympics with that hot mess of choreography.

[@RedbeardNC]

I loved this night of figure skating (except for Sandra's overgushing about Sarah a bit....uh, a lot). I love it when the underdog comes from behind and wins! Got me really interested in watching this sport and I have enjoyed your videos so much.

[@kimleung2901]

Did she add the double salchow because she was about to fall out of the double toe?

[@thevincenttrann]

Yup, looks like it. I think it was some sort of strategy that was taught: just disguise a turn out with a double sal.

[@devorador_68]

While I like Irina skating a lot she was very tense and out of place in the FS. The Tosca program didn't make it for me. I think the real issue was her overwhelming over-expression and movement which looks forced and artificial also she didn't perform her jumps as planned so if she didn't hit the jumps, she didn't hold a candle to other skaters. I agree with the ridiculous presentation scores but her SP was amazing, artistic, beautiful, and mature, and was the best I've seen from her. I think she should have gotten a choreographer that could hide her weaknesses while highlighting her strengths.

[@mikeg8375]

Totally agree. She needed to skate clean with better landings and a 3-3 to have a shot at beating Hughes in the long. When she makes mistakes on the jumps it hurts her because her skating Doesn't have a whole lot more strengths to get her the high scores she needs. Another good example of that would be at the 2001 world championships. She had one really sloppy landing compared with a mesmerizing performance from Kwan. It was a no brainer.

[@caitlinoconnell9883]

I was today years old when I realized Irina only did 6 triples, one of which had a flawed landing, another two footed according to the commentator. Surprised this beat Michelle, but maybe I'm watching with IJS eyes. Falling was a huge problem under 6.0. And Irina's spins were brilliant.

[@soxnation1000]

It's debatable who should have been ahead between Irina and Michelle, but if Irina had not beat Michelle, then Michelle would have won the gold, which I don't think would have made sense, so I think overall the results ended up pretty fairly.

[@ctruth6185]

I question whether you know what you saw? Technique isn't just triples. Irina did Bielmann spins on both legs. Sara's triple-triple = Irina's 3 loop, 2 sal, 2 loop. Sara's spins were blah & she lack any choreography at all. She skated around doing triples and that's it. Her skating hasn't held up with time. She got a gift from the judges for being American Michelle did too. She was on her butt. The Foreign skater got ripped.

[@CarloChapelle]

@@ctruth6185 What? Slutskaya was sloppy and almost fell on a jump. Sarah was flowing and no, a triple triple is more difficult than a triple double double.

[@fanc.5711]

@@ctruth6185 What? Sarah’s spins were gorgeous!

[@MusicalFan1701]

Irina is one of the all time greats. Her subsequent comeback after severe medical illness was touching.

[@scottw9318]

Did you see her win at 2005 Worlds? It was one of the most exciting performances I've ever seen!

[@snopesshop1903]

How does any judge give Slutskya a 5.9 in presentation ?

[@SweetSirenia]

They had to get her placement above Kwan's.

[@jorgebonilla2234]

That still doesn't explain the Slovakian judge giving Slutskaya 5.9/5.9

[@scotte8629]

it does if you have block judging, russian did same as well.

[@lorddalek]

"If there is a three-way tie... Guess what! Sarah Hughes wins the gold medal."

[@TT-ee4qp]

Sarah was a middle skater, she did a good job never happened before to win and she was lucky because the other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes.

[@scottw9318]

I hear a lot of comments about Sarah's jumps being under-rotated. From the angles I've seen, they seemed to be under, but less than a quarter-turn with the blade on the ice, which makes them "legal" or whatever. Comments? I enjoyed Irina's skate, but that over-rotation was so blatantly obvious I think that may be what cost her in the end.

[@fanc.5711]

I LOVE Sarah’s dress. It is SO pretty

[@ilyichoblomov]

Wtf r u doing here? Go watch Sara videos, especially those after 2002

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@ilyichoblomov The 2002 Olympics winner Sarah got the 6th place at the 2003 World championship. （∩▽∩）Yes, Sarah was a middle skater.

[@erinm9568]

I always loved her triple loop jump.

[@pueraeternus111]

The real issue here was whether Michelle skated better than Irina. Michelle clearly had the artistic advantage. Had the US judge placed Michelle 2nd instead of Irina after the long program, Michelle would have won the gold medal.

[@theprinceoftides6836]

Truth nailed. M.K. basically got screwed off two gold medals in both Olympics she has participated in, but it the end didn't need it. Ladies skating OG is less brighter without her name on it. Oh well.

[@jadedixon3641]

​@ZzXZ636 Sarah lost the short program. Irina did not skate better than Michelle. Winning the free skate does not guarantee gold if you didn't place in the top 3 in the short program, and Sarah was 4th in the short. Sarah deserved to win the free skate but not the gold. It really should have been a US sweep of the podium, Kwan, Hughes, then Cohen.

[@jadedixon3641]

@ZzXZ636 and how is that relevant to what I said? I didn't suggest a tie.

[@3l3llala13]

MK did not look confident when she took the ice, and she also looked slow. The judges could ignore the two-footed tripe toe and no 3-3 but the fall on the flip coupled the pairs judging scandal left no room for the judges to prop Michelle up. I think most of them wanted her to win but just couldn't. Of all the season to ditch your long time coach and choreographer, who had contributed greatly to her success, MK and her team decided that the 01--02 season was the best time to do it. Head Palm !

[@gertieshaw90]

She seems so very talented but here it seems she lacks luster idk maybe not enough energy on this day and thus not fast enough for powerful jumps. But I always enjoyed watching her skate.

[@balthasardenner5216]

Back when the Russians allowed actual post-pubescent women to skate.

[@KoraimaLynn]

y gana la adolescente de 16 años de USA, igual que 4 años antes ganó la adolescente de 15 años de USA

[@angiecastro2457]

​@@KoraimaLynn Así es!

[@marycoyne1889]

she could have easily done a 3/3 off that first jumping pass.... and probably regrets it every day.

[@michaelshelley4957]

i agree Sarah should have won.....but there is no way that Irina should have beat Michele....but, whatever

[@stevebbuk]

Actually I'm surprised that Sarah won, given that her jumps were under-rotated. It seems as if the judges wanted a USA gold at all cost..

[@vistaprime]

@stevebbuk...so you're saying every jump Sarah did was under rotated?

[@stevebbuk]

No it was on the combinations. The plain fact was that Slutskaya had to beat Kwan to take gold and I think she just about had it. Hughes was an irrelevance really but came into play because the USA were hosts.

[@vistaprime]

as CBC pointed the second combination was much cleaner than the first but by today's rule her quarter turn cheat on the first combination would be considered fully rotated or 70% of full marks which would still make her the technical winner of the night and as Sandra pointed out she was also the artistic winner too and the only top 3 skater who skated freely.

[@stevebbuk]

I don't like the modern scoring system at all. It has relegated artistry at the expense of athleticism, and if in your American football you got more points for the same thing just because it was the second half there would be uproar. I've looked at the three performances again and I'm still unsure as to why Irina lost.

[@mallemee99]

What a hodgepodge. Slutskaya developed some in her later years, but this was not worth 2nd place. Sasha, Sarah and Michelle had better perormance all-round.

[@gregklein7640]

I give Irina cred. for that final combo spin 4:48. A double Bielmann performed on different legs.

[@josfernacor11]

“One triple and several doubles in a series” 😂😅

[@mikeg8375]

The 2loop landing also looked uncontrolled to me, like this "series" was a cover for un unclean landing.

[@ChristianLehrer]

@@mikeg8375 Correct! She stepped out of the double loop. Tried to disguise it by adding the double toe.

[@mikeg8375]

@ChristianLehrer Overall, I think her performance was sloppy and I might have even placed her fourth in the long program if I was a judge.

[@angiecastro2457]

​@@mikeg8375 Agree!

[@jasonaldeen7374]

This is the music Michelle performs too lol .m not the same feeling when Michelle skates to it .. love Michelle

[@TT-ee4qp]

Michelle's 2004 program < Tosca > was better than Irina's 2002 Olympics LP .

[@jorgebonilla2234]

That was some amazing cinematography during this skate. Wonder why the NBC camera crews and producers went all out for this skate and not for the American.

[@imotogin]

Why that's obvious, Russian mafia bribed them

[@rickram1961]

Irina's free program was quite uninspiring compared to Sarah Hughes who deservedly won the Gold over Irina and Michelle's Free Program

[@Catalina_Estevez]

She did not win a gold medal but she is part of Figure Skating History. PD: Huges had the Olimpic lucky.

[@ТатьянаМалинина-щ3ы]

Я вас умоляю, выскочка однодневка))) которой подарили золото. Противно и смешно

[@gracehetfield5331]

I slowed this down and I still can't see a two foot landing. Wtf Scott.

[@marycoyne1889]

so much natioanlism.

[@alishavalath]

Со своими недокрученными прыжками Хьюз по сумме 2 программ могла быть только 2-ой после Слуцкой, но, как всем известно, на американской земле побеждают только американцы...

[@ЮрийЮрий-ц1п9э]

Хьюз победила заслужено!

[@АлександрСмолин-е1п]

​@@ЮрийЮрий-ц1п9эИ где эта заслуженная недокрутка?

[@scottw6704]

In case anyone was wondering at all, Sandra Bezic really really really really really wanted Sarah to win. Just in case it wasn't clear to everyone watching the Olympics.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Because Sarah was the best performance that night. It’s not hard.

[@auntiechercher4266]

Well, she called it correctly because Sarah was the rightlful winner that nightl

[@jeremy293]

Well Sarah is American. She will be the best, forever.

[@kevinthunder3375]

I very much preferred her to Tara.

[@Iwatchstuff1000]

5.9 for presentation, ridiculous score

[@pueraeternus111]

At most, Slutskaya deserved a 5.6 for artistry.

[@deeem5468]

It's ridiculous because your athlete didn't win

[@Iwatchstuff1000]

@@deeem5468 I’m British we didn’t have an athlete therefore your comment is moot. Fact is Slutskaya had poor presentation & even poorer posture.

[@Iwatchstuff1000]

@@pueraeternus111 agree 100%

[@dbulc5171]

What's even more ridiculous is that Irina believes she deserved gold lol

[@rickram1961]

All I can say Irina's LP was sloppy at best !!!

[@mht4908]

There was absolutely no reason for anyone to score higher than Sarah that night (at least in terms of technical merit), that includes a clean Michelle Kwan. Sarah had 8 triples, Michelle and Irina had 5 clean ones. Not giving Sarah the gold would've been an injustice

[@zb6070]

the issue was the rankings of the fs. Since michelle was 1st in the sp and sarah 4th, someone other than Sarah had to also beat michelle in the fs. A lot of people felt michelle should have been 2nd in the fs and have beaten irina, which would have allowed michelle to win the gold medal, with sarah second

[@mht4908]

@@zb6070 That would be wrong, because with Michelle's mistakes, she didn't deserve the gold that night. I think the problem was that Michelle placed in front of Sasha in the fs. Yes they had a similar amount of mistakes, but Sasha fell attempting a triple lutz-triple toe combination, Michelle fell on a solo triple flip, 2 footed her triple toe during the triple toe-triple toe attempt, and eventually bailed to do a triple-double. I would've had for the free skate: 1) Sarah 2) Sasha 3) Irina 4) Michelle

[@zb6070]

@@mht4908 there is more to skating than jumps. Transitions, spins, spirals etc. Irina had next to no artistry and made many jump mistakes. Taking artistry kwan should easily beat irina. Sasha has performance but didnt have the reputation yet and her program had a lot of dead spaces which hurt her.

[@erivera4928]

Sarah had 7 triples, and by the way, there are 4 sets of marks in total. 1 clean program doesn’t win the competition. Settle down.

[@pueraeternus111]

You don't seem to understand how the 6.0 system worked. Sarah was 4th after the short. I could even agree with a ridiculous argument about Sarah deserving 6.0s that night. What I don't agree with was how the ladies were ranked in the long program. Yes, Sarah probably won the long. However, Slutskaya should not have placed 2nd in the long. It should have been Kwan or Cohen.

[@fanc.5711]

Im just not a fan. Obviously a great athlete, but her lines are always broken up and kind of all over the place.

[@ilovesnoopy7018]

What was that part at the end?

[@lucasfred131]

Agreed. That was just poor choreography

[@roydlchen2004]

It was ugly, that's what it was.

[@lindapantone3968]

This was not her best, but I do like the height on that triple toe jump at the end of the performance.

[@Wolfsky9]

I was pulling so hard for Michelle, but I admit it : Sarah Hughes brought the house down ! -------------------------WolfSky9

[@i_____am_____realitybroski6421]

You don’t need to sign your name we can all see your handle jag off

[@sandyvale1038]

I have never understood the 'three way tie' @ about 6:24.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Scott was talking about the factored placements, but he was wrong. It did (and would not) result in a 3-way tie. It resulted in a TWO-WAY tie, with Sarah getting 2.0(SP) + 1.0(LP) = 3.0, and Irina getting 1.0(SP) + 2.0(LP) = 3.0. Michelle had 0.5(SP) + 3.0(LP) = 3.5. I think Scott, in his head, thought they would all be tied at 3.0, but he was misinformed.

[@sandyvale1038]

Thank you!

[@69kellygreen]

Scott frequently says stupid shit

[@fernandopinheirobb]

Serenata de Schubert, a música de apresentação (short program) da atleta Irina Slutskaya nas Olimpíadas de Inverno 2002. [Vídeo: Irina Slutskaya (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Ladies´ Short Program]. Na performance Free Skate, Irina Slutskaya veio de Tosca, de Puccini. [Vídeo: Irina Slutskaya (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Ladies´ Free Skate] [FIGURE SKATING - LADIES´ EVENTS da obra ESPETACULAR, de Fernando Pinheiro]

[@JustMe-px9qy]

How did this beat Kwan?

[@L1623VP]

The only way Sarah Hughes could win the gold medal, which she rightfully deserved for her stellar LP, was if someone else defeated Michelle Kwan in the LP. The only skater who could come close to doing that was Irina. There is NO WAY this mess of a LP beat Michelle, but the judges had to place her ahead of Michelle in order for the rightful skater, Sarah, to win gold. The way the ordinals played out, the judges had to sort of throw Michelle under the bus for Sarah to win. Kwan should have been no lower than silver here, but mathematically, that wasn't possible. They had to sacrifice the rightful silver medalist in order for the rightful gold medalist to win.

[@JustMe-px9qy]

@@L1623VP - that makes sense. Thanks so much!

[@ANEL8]

Иди в пень,завистник

[@ilkeadrall710]

Because Kwan fell at all.

[@ctruth6185]

I think Michelle fell? If she didn't fall they ripped her off! She should've sued them.

[@scotte8629]

did the result put the faith back in judging... no because slutskaya was scored too high especially by the usually same 2-3countries they had that bad performance over an amazing on. slutskaya should not have won any first place ordinals

[@conniemaheswaren554]

Anne and you think this was pleasant to watch? She two footed the fuck out of multiple jumps and her ending choreography was disgusting

[@davidbaughman3840]

Four judges had her first? That’s outrageous.

[@3Axel1996]

Wel, Russia and Belarus were expected. Most of the former Russian republics would side with Mother Russia

[@BrentWolgamott]

I was kinda shocked about DENMARK, though. I understood the other 3 -- crooked AF.

[@snopesshop1903]

david baughman outrageous

[@Dylvente]

I know this was impossible but I wish it could have been Sarah-Michelle-Irina. They had to put Irina ahead of Michelle to award Sarah the gold, and that was the right decision, but Irina's performance was a choreographic nightmare and not clean (and I like Irina, just not this program).

[@ВдадимирЧепиков]

,И,неbыдно,им,с,этой,беспонтовлй,хз,

[@scriptedbeauty1]

It wasn't the right decision. No judge should ever engineer a certain outcome. The question was: Did Irina skate better than Michelle? Most people think Irina didn't (for obvious reasons).

[@Dylvente]

Does that mean you would have had Michelle second in the long program and thus first overall? I agree that Irina did not skate better than Michelle. @@scriptedbeauty1

[@АлександрЗаваров-е1ы]

Первый каскад хотела прыгнуть 3-3 ,но что то пошло не так. По лицу видно немного недовольна.

[@pueraeternus111]

The judges overcompensated that night because of the pairs scandal that happened a few days before. They were determined to prove to the world how "just" they were, which meant allowing Sarah Hughes to "win" the gold medal despite being 4th after the short. In my humble opinion, the long program ordinals should have been: -Sarah Hughes (5.8, 5.8) -Michelle Kwan (5.6, 5.9) -Sasha Cohen (5.7, 5.7) -Irina Slutskaya (5.7, 5.6)

[@scottw6704]

I would have scored Sasha's presentation a 5.8 - Michelle was a bit dull (for Michelle) -equal to Sarah's presentation. Unfortunately, Sasha got pushed off the battlefield in the end, which is a shame.

[@Trenton.D]

Those are not ordinals, those are scores/points. Ordinals are placements.

[@mht4908]

The judges screwed up by putting Sasha behind Michelle, they wouldn’t have had to over score Irina had Sasha been 2nd

[@scottw6704]

I just can't see Michelle getting a 5.9 artistic here since she was so cautious and with another top-notch artistic skater (Sasha) sharing the ice with her unique stretch/extensions. Michelle had a nice spiral as usual but it was kind of old news. She didn't try anything new or interesting artistically OR technically, it was all just too safe safe safe. Boring. Plus her fall, which came AFTER Sasha's, was clunkier and more distracting. All this, still it was Irina's insane scoring that stole people's attention. Those Eastern Bloc countries and their constant 5.9s for just flopping around on the ice like a dead fish...lol idk. If she had skated clean, she could have safely kept the gold. I just wish she had attempted to boost some aspect of her skating instead of doing the same old Michelle stuff she'd been doing since 1996.

[@scriptedbeauty1]

5.6, 5.5 for Irina. She should have placed 4th or 5th in the free skate. Though Hughes may have won the free skate, taking the short program results into consideration, Kwan or Cohen should have won the gold. The artistic mark should have gone to Kwan despite touching down on the flip; technical mark should have gone to Cohen despite the one fall.

[@imotogin]

As ridiculous as it gets, a bunch of people discussing how a skater should have won a silver Olympic medal with a fall, expressively agreeing on fairness of such decision, but also calling "a scandal" the pairs' event where a more difficult program with a small mistake came ahead of a clean simpler one, by one vote. Anyone doubting their own objectivity here?

[@scotte8629]

multiple mistakes actually. it wasnt just that one very obvious one. all their throws were testy landings

[@imotogin]

Yeah. That makes scandal.

[@Некто-ц4т]

Что самое интересное - Слуцкая закончила программу и сразу же после этого показали лысого судью-итальянца, который в итоге поставил Слуцкую на четвертое место. Как будто бы и оператор заранее знал, кто из судей куплен.

[@thelegendofhisown1762]

Reading these comments, all I can say is that Sarah Hughes deserved to win the gold medal. Cohen and Kwan both fell over, and Slutskaya made too many errors and almost fell over. All three of Hughes’ opponents skated badly, and in an Olympic competition they just weren’t good enough.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Sarah Hughes was lucky. 😂

[@3l3llala13]

Sarah deserved to win the LP. An argument could be made that she should've been placed lower than 4th in the SP. I think Irina should've won the SP, which would then given her the overall win even with this flawed LP.

[@Татьяна-ф6в1т]

Вы всегда ноете, что лучше всех. Мания величия, только и всего.

[@MichaelDruck]

The gold medal for touching ones head the most in one performance to try to be artistic goes to Irina.

[@Dylvente]

A poor music choice for Irina. Her obvious struggle to interpret the music contrasts painfully with her much better presentation in the short program here, and in future seasons, she had better presentation than this in several of her programs, including her 2006 long program. The judges were generous to her on both marks here, especially the presentation mark, to place her above Michelle. It is strange that Irina felt cheated (as she later implied in an interview) after skating a less difficult, and also flawed, performance compared to Sarah's clean performance. She should have considered herself lucky to get the silver.

[@mikeg8375]

​@@Dylvente I agree, her 2006 free skate was much better suited for her. Its a shame she choked so badly there.

[@ruslinleaves]

What's with all the bent free legs and the frequent pushing off with the toe pick? Also, she telegraphs her jumps and the choreography looks like she made it up on the spot. No finesse. Ugly skating . . . but that's just my opinion.

[@ac-jn1iq]

Rob Lawrence Russo I agree her set up for jumps is really obvious

[@coreyfernau6535]

Oh no, and I named my cat Irina!🤔

[@intldawn]

@ADEAL416 The judges were limited in their options because they put Sasha behind Michelle. The only way to award Sarah gold was to put Irina in second, even though it meant dropping Michelle to third. But maybe that was better than giving Irina a gold she clearly didn't earn, or giving Michelle the gold because the rules allowed for nothing else. Would it have been fair under the rules if Michelle won? Yes, but not fair in terms of who really won the gold that night. Just a thought.

[@Tropinca]

Very heavy skating

[@ilyichoblomov]

Who was an Italian judge? 5.6 and 4th place??? Unbelievable

[@erivera4928]

Actually wtf is up with those 5.9/5.9 that was stupid

[@scottw6704]

Depends on what she gave Sarah. I'm guessing she gave Sarah a 5.7, then when Irina skated not as clean as Sarah she HAD to give her a lower technical number. 5.6 was the only option.

[@ENIGMAPOP]

The 2nd Lutz wasn't remotely two footed.

[@Dylvente]

I agree. I guess they had a better view than we do, but both Scott and Sandra were quick (not just here) to call out two-foot landings that in some cases really weren't. (In the 2006 Olympics, Sandra did so but corrected herself when the replay happened.) Still an overrated performance on the technical mark IMO.

[@pueraeternus111]

You could tell it was two-footed in part by how the ice flew off when she landed. Clearly, it was two-footed.

[@mikeg8375]

Even if it wasn't two footed, it was sloppy. If you compare it with Kwan's second Lutz it was not as good.

[@mikeg8375]

This was simply not enough to win the gold. To beat Hughes in the long she would have needed a 3-3 as she was artistically weaker than Hughes, Kwan, and Cohen. I think there was a credible argument to put her behind Kwan and Cohen in the long. The majority put her in second in the long because it guaranteed Hughes would win gold.

[@scriptedbeauty1]

No judge should ever engineer an outcome. Kwan and Cohen were better than Slutskaya in the long.

[@mikeg8375]

@coffeebreakmediaPH I agree. I feel that the judges felt a lot of pressure to get this right in the eyes of the media after the pairs fiasco, so they engineered the placements in a way the media wouldn't question, but it went against the spirit of the system as it was at the time.

[@voktoriaremorini7877]

Дааа!!!А какже было просто с 4 места пригнуть на первое!!!Ну прям чудо а не фигуристка !!!Подлые воры!!!

[@skatefan9495]

@@scriptedbeauty1 They both fell as I recall. If this was not the Olympics, they might have won. Irina did not have a 3-3 and Sarah did. She also had some messy landings. Sarah had the skate of her life and Irina didn't. That is the whole story.

[@fanc.5711]

I love Sarah. So cute and kind

[@gisellesuarez6893]

Irinaaaa, so beautiful! Thanksss for being part of My Childhood!

[@doroteazen6876]

One of my favorites 😁🤩

[@LemonLadyRecords]

Wow. I didn't remember it happened this way! Thank goodness it all ended up as it should have, esp as Michelle fell (hand down is considered a fall, I believe), plus other issues, and let Irina slip in. But Irina should never have been ranked above Sarah, NO way did she deserve those marks, and they caused much of the numbers complexity. She did not have a great skate, esp artistically and wasn't as fast as normal. Too bad about Sasha, consistency was never her strong suit. Plus she didn't have much intl experience, although she didn't seem too bothered. I so wished Michelle would finally get that gold, but it was not to be. Just like her contemporaries Kurt Browning, Todd Eldredge, and Elvis. She is in very good company!

[@ruthlesshack1279]

And you LOSE, so fucking deal with it, LOSER

[@alisatsaava8454]

Mao Asada can also join this company. So sad, Michelle didn't win the gold, but nevertheless, she's one of the greatest skaters)

[@WOWitsANT]

Ya like everyone else I’m rewatching this after Irina’s recent comments and wow. I’m not a fan of Sarah at all but no one can deny she was perfect this night. Even Irina’s look on her own face before she started to bow shows that she knew her performance was mediocre and sloppy. Talk about delusional. Also those 5.9’s for presentation were an absolute joke.

[@scottw6704]

I missed her recent comments - what was said?

[@WOWitsANT]

@@scottw6704 Basically that she didn’t win because she was Russian and these Olympics were in the U.S. and that she believes that she was the best at these olympics and should have won gold

[@smoothALOE]

She made a lot more mistakes than Kwan did. I think that last jump was a double, rather than a triple, but the commentators didn’t mention it. I’d have given this a 5.5 and Kwan a 5.6, but that’s just on the technical merit.

[@tyboogie1982]

Alamo James The last jump was definetly a triple.

[@smoothALOE]

Tyrone Branch you’re right. When I saw it again, I realized it was. The rotation was slower, though. I got confused or something, haha!

[@Boymanjusri]

You can not even tell if it is a triple or a double? And you pretend you know figure skating? Pathetic

[@smoothALOE]

@@Boymanjusri I never said I was an expert. Your snooty tone is pretty tacky, too. What if I was someone who was trying to learn more about the sport? Would your approach be helpful or more likely to turn someone off of skating altogether? My guess is that you probably don’t even care. Nice attitude. Thank you for that... as you can see, I went back and corrected myself and admitted my mistake, as well. Did you even look at the whole thread?

[@ilovesnoopy7018]

It’s like she was trying too hard to be dramatic and artistic. It was so forced.

[@keithjones9546]

Ilove Snoopy She looked like she was just out to do the jumps. Just a fucking lump. She was as exciting as a really slow-burning dumpster fir. fire.

[@roydlchen2004]

It was just painful to watch. There is no artistry anywhere in this train wreck.

[@sezwho747]

A mess of a program, not even her jumps were quality in this number. I know why she was placed second, I guess, but she shouldn't have been in the top three. Overscored throughout her career, she should have been grateful for silver here.

[@mikeg8375]

I would have given Cohen third in the long over Slutskaya. This was artistically really weak, technically mediocre.

[@auntiechercher4266]

I agree with you - this was a mess. Her short program was excellent and she skated it well. But even without a fall, Irina's skating is painful thing to look at.

[@mikeg8375]

@auntiechercher4266 it was 100% the wrong music selection also. Not suited for her at all. Something more modern would have served her much better.

[@voktoriaremorini7877]

Даааа!!!!А потом был чемпионат мира и где Саша её там не было!!!А Ирина взяла там золото!❤

[@3Axel1996]

@kwansansog Oh what the hell do you expect?! They were rooting for their sister who remained as an eligible skater for 4 more years to try to win the one Gold Medal that eluded her. She was a favorite going in because she won the 2 previous World Championships, and to see her skate worse than she did at Nationals... if you were in their place, wouldn't YOU feel the same? I actually thought Sasha should have been on the podium and not Michelle, but please give me a break with this bull crap!

[@LilySayyy]

And she thinks THIS deserved the gold medal???? The girl is dellusional

[@TT-ee4qp]

Michelle's 2004 program < Tosca > was better than Irina's here.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@ardeladimwit Unfortunately, Michelle fell at the 2002 Olympics, it's a accident and just happened, that's why Sarah got the gold. Sarah did a good job never happened before to win, and she was lucky because the other better skaters made mistakes.

[@adrian123781]

Michelle Kwan fell, Sasha Cohen fell and Irina Slutskaya have a mediocre performance with a few jump mistakes. She think she would win because she was second in the short program.

[@stevenvalencia6353]

I never cared for irina's presentation an artistry it always felt. Robotic an rehearsed like 123 put my head up 123 spin 123 wave my hands with a fake smile compared to machelle irina was weak artistic wise

[@scottw9318]

Irina's artistry in 2005 for Worlds was better, but still a bit forced. Her athleticism though, was unparalleled.

[@69kellygreen]

Robin Wagnus going apeshit at the end is one of the most hilarious/embarrassing things I've ever seen.

[@fbueller]

Cringeworthy.

[@arlysveen7774]

69kellygreen why? We all react differently to emotional things. It was a shock coming from behind and she reacted in her way.

[@arlysveen7774]

69kellygreen and her name is Robin Wagner.

[@69kellygreen]

Wagnus is funnier. And it was 16 years ago.

[@mike856ms]

69kellygreen and your comment is still stupid. Butt hurt bitch

[@cw6391]

i dont think sandra bezic was biased. michelle was really tight this night, and that reflected in her artistic expression; just watch her amazing performance at worlds just a month after this. and two 3-3s compared to irinas technical content clearly gave her the technical advantage. yes, sandra was really enthusiastic, but with the pairs scandal i cant really blame her for worrying about a fair result.

[@Richardsonprincess00]

I thought it going to be American sweep on ladies figure skating, boy I was wrong

[@corawaller-jacobs8007]

If Irina has been given gold, would that have bumped Sarah down to bronze? I know technically Michelle was still in the lead before this performance.

[@phantasmex]

No. Michelle was 'in the lead' before this skate because Sarah's 4th place short skate + 1st place free skate in total ranked behind Michelle's 1st place short skate + 2nd place (at that moment, before Irina skated) free skate. Once Irina skated and the judges ranked her 2nd in free, that bumped Michelle down to 3rd. If Irina was given 1st place in free (2nd short+1st free), she would have won gold, Sarah silver (4th+2nd), and Michelle still would have received bronze (1st+3rd).

[@corawaller-jacobs8007]

Got it... thanks!

[@kaixiangyuan5527]

@@corawaller-jacobs8007 the equation back then was SP rank * 0.5 + FS rank * 1 = Total Factored Rank.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@phantasmex Sarah was lucky, because she didn't belong to the level of Michelle and Irina. The other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes, so that Sarah won.

[@hulahup8675]

Почему американцы так яро ненавидят Ирину, так же как и русские презирают Сару? Люди, прошло 20 лет, давайте уже отпустим эти распри за призовые места, нам не принадлежащие, начнем уважать друг друга и спортсменов. Миру мир

[@andreadetata4801]

Her last spin was amazing!

[@WillowRaven7]

Not a fan of the chosen music and for some reason, it just feels like she's going through the motions, doing the jumps (etc) like checking off a shopping list. Seemed to lack passion. Choreographically, there just to be a disjointed feel between skater, program and music ... like they weren't in sync, or missing something. Technically, with the exception of a couple of blips, it was satisfactory however, as someone else said, not a medal winning performance.

[@mikeg8375]

Yeah it was just really uninspired. Technically there was some decent work in there but it was SLOW and very sloppy. That jumping pass which included the 2 doubles at the end looked to me like a cover for an off balance landing.

[@JustMe-px9qy]

It did seem like she was going through the motions. I agree

[@scottw6704]

It looked like because she was going so slow, her jumps would go up but not forward? So it took away from the flow (to my eye). It's like, she would almost come to a stop and then jump and spin, like they were disconnected from the program.

[@scottw6704]

@@mikeg8375 I think, according to the notations during the final group warmup, that was intended to be a 3-2-3 jump. She and Sarah were the only ones who planned two triple-triples.

[@JohnSmithNE3478]

Ugly crossovers

[@Person-mh6xq]

True! Clunky and awkward stroking. And all that pantomiming substituting for artistry. Um...nope.

[@Kreatures100]

It’s just obvious the judges knew Sarah deserved the gold and calculated the scores to get there. Irina was so hard to watch with those flailing arms and strange decapitation moves. And Russia has some of the best choreography in the world. But Michelle was also sloppy with a double foot lack of triple triple and bad fall And I dont think firing your coach and having Dad show up for the Olympics as your coach was world class. Seemed like Michelle panicked and ended up choking.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Agreed. The USA Judge in particular would NEVER have had Irina over Michelle in this skate, if he weren't trying to bounce Sarah up to first place. I AGREED with his logic (after the pairs event, I thought skating needed a winner everyone could agree on). Funny how that worked out. People still to this day try to say Irina should have won after that stiff performace with almost no technical difficulty.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Tara Lipinski was overrated and lucky to be the 1998 Olympics winner, it's a joke now.（∩▽∩）We all knew Michelle was robbed. Tara's Disney Cartoon program was boring. The ISU raised the age limit to 17 NOW, which means Tara Lipinski should go to the kid's Olympics.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Without a kid's body and weight, Tara Lipinski was nothing. （∩▽∩）Artistry is the most difficult technique, Tara never touched the level......Tara skated safe because her performance just like a happy puppy running in the park.....LOL.

[@Kreatures100]

@@TT-ee4qp too bad Michelle’s entire career is second place and third place. Do you relate to falling short in life?

[@Kreatures100]

@@TT-ee4qp Tara has a net worth 2.5 times Michelle. It’s the difference between gold and bronze. Fail. Do you relate to failure?

[@Kim-fv5bn]

Her skating looks a little bit nervous.

[@imotogin]

At least it conveyed an emotion, unlike the golden performance of the night.

[@johnharris6655]

Olympic figure skating, where the points don't matter and the rules are made up.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Sarah Hughes was lucky, she didn't really deserve to win.

[@scottw6704]

@@TT-ee4qp They all knew how the judging system worked before they went into this - it had been like that since the first competitions in the early 20th century. You skate clean, technically superior programs against those that might be artistically superior but technically FLAWED, you're going to win. Sarah's skill got her the strongest free program; luck got her the gold instead of silver. I love rooting for the underdog, despite the obvious Schadenfreude that came into play here.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@scottw6704 Sarah Hughes was a middle skater in the history. Sarah's technique never won any World champion or the National titles. Sarah Hughes never did 2 triple triple combo before or after the 2002 Olympics. Sarah's terrible jumps wouldn't get marks today.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@scottw6704 It's a accident that Sarah won. She was lucky because the other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes. And Sarah's technique was overrated. Sarah was just a Olympics Cinderella.

[@JustMe-px9qy]

The ending…she was trying too hard to be artistic and dramatic. It didn’t work

[@ЮлияГусак-г8ф]

Ну вы попробуйте сами попасть хоть в один такт этой непростой музыки, тогда и посмотрим, кто из вас лучше и музыкальнее

[@ce3464]

What the hell was that nonsense at the end of her program?

[@valerieteti1755]

CE Typical overdramatic Russian choreography

[@valerieteti1755]

Catherine Monserie No need for insults I am free to give my opinion here

[@debsam77]

Catherine Monserie STFU, no need to be rude,.

[@snopesshop1903]

CE 😂

[@scottw9318]

She was acting out the part of the operatic character from which the music was excerpted, but unfortunately a lot of people weren't familiar with that opera, I guess. The needless arm movements were, though, a bit, "extra" and didn't add anything. She would have done better with jazz hands.

[@al6369]

I was so upset when Sarah Hughes won the gold medal. Irina, Michelle, and Sasha were all superior skaters around that time. I was so pissed.

[@emerybayblues]

Hopefully you're over it now.

[@MrOu83]

A L - Neither of them was a superior skater to her on that particular evening, at that particular event.

[@TT-ee4qp]

@@MrOu83 Sarah was lucky because the other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes.

[@koknesis5226]

@@TT-ee4qp sometimes I think that Michelle hypo is only because she was Asian.

[@snovy121]

@Novak D I'd agree her Olympic win was a fluke, but she had a bronze from a previous worlds and several Grand Prix medals. Her win wasn't completely out of nowhere. She probably would have still medaled in SLC if Kwan and Slutskaya had skated cleanly in the LP.

[@intldawn]

@ADEAL416 I didn't mean that Michelle winning gold would have been "unfair," but certainly the rules would have helped her out because she didn't skate her best. I agree with the other commenter that it should have been Sarah-Michelle-Irina, but that simply wasn't a possibility under the rules. As you said, the only way Sarah wins outright was to win the free and have someone else beat Michelle. That meant that only two medals were available to Michelle: gold or bronze.

[@TT-ee4qp]

Unfortunately, Michelle fell....it made everything different. Michelle and Irina were better than Sarah in the history, so sorry they didn't win the Olympics gold in their career.

[@ADEAL416]

But again, your thought disregards the short program entirely. That's what I mean about the short program existing for a reason and its results having to mean something. The long program is not the entire competition, and so it is sometimes possible for someone to win overall without being the best on the night of the long program. That's what I'm referring to. It's completely fair, because Sarah dug a hole for herself in the short and needed help from someone else to win. She didn't get it

[@smurfiennes]

ADEAL416 No, it’s logically wrong. Michelle and Irina didn’t perform well enough on fs; that’s why they didn’t win!

[@daretodream9765]

smurfiennes blue No, it's YOU who are logically wrong. Why do we need short program then if it doesn't matter? With old system it was very hard to get on 1st place overall after being 4th in the short. ADEAL416 is right - BOTH programs should matter together, not only FS.