Sale & Pelletier (CAN) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs' Free Skate

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA - 2002 Winter Games, Figure Skating, Pairs' Free Skate - Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada skated a perfect program. But because their program has less transitions and was skating slower than Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze, the judges placed them 2nd in the Free Skate in a 5-4 vote, earning them the Silver Medal. However, the audience and the media felt differently, and along with the French judge's breakdown in front of others that she was forced to give her 1st Place vote to the Russians, sparked the judging controversy that dominated the headlines for days, causing the ISU to consider changing the scoring system.

[@hg82met]

20 years later I still come back to watch this classic programme. Gold or not this was the programme of the games.

[@hikengoseek]

Same here! I watched it Live on TV back in 2002. It was such a flawless performance... like poetry in motion. They did some very difficult moves and made them look so easy!

[@TinaR39]

Whatever the color of the medal, this program brings me indescribable joy every time I watch it.

[@rowbom]

It is so good to hear a pleasant remark about the program for a change,

[@deepaknambisan3251]

Very well said x

[@aliciascott4299]

I agree and I don’t even like pairs skating. (I prefer singles skating.) This performance was spectacular in every way.

[@ShyLuna44]

I worked at the Royal Glenora club in the childcare room that overlooked the skating rink. I watched Jamie & David practice every day for this performance. They did amazing & I feel so lucky to have watched them everyday.

[@mercuryfever392]

That's so cool! You actually got to watch the formation and refining essentially of this routine.

[@earthlover1]

This was flawless. Such beauty, grace and athletism

[@RedCapeInc]

One of my favorite performances ever!

[@jondoe5149]

Looking at the current Netflix documentary - Bad Sport, and hear David say, “All the parties I didn’t attend; all the boos I didn’t drink; all the money I didn’t have, it was all worth it.” My hear melted. That is true example of hard work and remaining focused on the ultimate goal. 👏👏👏

[@aliciascott4299]

Yes!! And when he said that he was thinking “I don’t want this to end!”

[@derickennedy6278]

I’m checking it out on Meddling on Peacock

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

М

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

Какя прелесть боже

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

Изумительно фантастика

[@Reiderreiter]

I don’t care what happens a few minutes later, that call by Scott Hamilton of, “Throw Triple Loop and the Gold is theirs.” will always send chills down my spine. Just a perfect call for being the only piece of commentary the whole routine.

[@jason101other]

I though his comment was very irresponsible and immature. The Russians deserved the gold Hamilton w that comment set the whole fake scandal in motion

[@aliciascott4299]

I agree with you. I miss commentating like that, when the commentators knew to be quiet during important performances and just let the performance speak for itself. Scott Hamilton had a way of saying just the right thing at the right time. I love his commentating during Yuna Kim’s long program in Vancouver in 2010, at the end when he says “if these scores are what we expect, Brian Orser finally has his gold medal.” I tear up every time I hear him say it. I also love his commentating during Paul Wylie’s 1992 long program in Albertville.

[@user-gf3wn1ne9n]

They had another lift and spin to do when he said that, which suggests he thought they should have won no matter what even if they had fallen on both of those elements. It shows his bias.

[@karenhilker8074]

​@@jason101otherthe Russians skater fell....why are they deserved the Gold? This performance was brilliant. How dare you! Criticize Scott Hamilton The judges rigged this as they did in Nagano Japan 1998.

[@asvegas777]

Especially since the shared gold was a travesty not deserved We still Have eyes and can see the true winners (Signed, very much NA citizen)

[@KarlSchoenefeld4]

Scott Hamilton was being so real when he said, "They won!" Wasn't doing it to gain followers or to make headlines. Just naturally in shock. You just don't feel honesty like that anymore.

[@aliciascott4299]

Agreed. Johnny and Tara are terrible. They flip flop with their opinions all the time. They will openly agree with judging but the next day they will change their mind and take a different stance, or vice versa. I miss Scott Hamilton.

[@Brett733]

We didn't have "followers" back then.

[@1Cheytown]

You don't mess with him and skating

[@AFMKI_]

No they didn’t boring program no connections clearly the Russians were better

[@maryanndavis8580]

I live in Salt Lake Valley. 2002 was THE best Olympics. It was so fun to work right in the city and see all the events happening so close. The opening and closing ceremonies were epic.

[@3Axel1996]

I'm hoping SLC will put in a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. I was upset for not going to those games that were so close to home and before prices started skyrocketing with the tickets.

[@zxr92]

They were here in Salt Lake last night for the 10th Anniversary celebration of the 2002 Olympics. They wowed the crowd again. This time Jamie kissed the ice as they left. :)

[@tarantulabunnydog]

I still come back to watch this every year.

[@4kristiankings386]

I just watched the documentary and I had never been interested in figure ice skating before, but this couple and this performance got me into it! I have watched their performance several times, that must tell u something! I think there is art in this performace and something so touching, its everything, the music ,the technic, and the moves, the story!! The commentator also said the gold would be theirs after that triple, u dont need to be an expert o know this was a gold medal winner performance! the crowd also knew it! They gave it to them through their standing ovation!

[@atailorbird9904]

If you consider this Olympic gold presentation, it is that you never saw the 94 Olympics, or any other before this one, each and every one of the pairs were better, I recommend all the programs of Gordeeva and Grinkov, S/P don't even reach the ankles of G/G or M/D

[@jondoe5149]

@@atailorbird9904 Take several seats - 🇷🇺

[@alexiacaceda1421]

@@atailorbird9904 the perfection of G/G and the passion of M/D. I love them and objectively they are better than Pelletier and Sale

[@galehart6213]

Sadly..... the judging caused such a horrible controversy and both their Personal and Skating partnerships, did not survive. : - (

[@nicolestiles9470]

Still making me cry 😢 in 2021 😭

[@stacywiley9252]

That was the best performance for Jamie and David! Beauitful choregraphy to Love Story and in real life.

[@victoriar9728]

in 2022 december, why am i crying watvhing this???? it's a movie in 5 minutes.

[@penguinZ85]

One of my favorite routines. Too bad it was mired by controversy.

[@mjharwood]

Subscribed because you hosted this Sale & Pelletier performance. Thank you.

[@francodutra8511]

Bela apresentação !!!! parabéns.....muito lindoooo...

[@supinderbabra7068]

After watching Bad Sport Episode 4 - Gold War I came here to watch this skate. So shocking what happened and such a shame this all happened. The good part is the team ended up winning the medals but it really put skating in the negative light! Good on the Canadians to prevail but never forget that all skaters in that final were superb!

[@user-uo5zx2ol2i]

Не победили канадцы им подарили золото.

[@MichaelKing-tp6le]

Russians should be banned for bribery

[@user-sr2jv2nn3z]

🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🥇🥇🥇🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🥈🥈🥈

[@user-yn1uw6yx7t]

Короткая программа была с падением, это 4-5 место, а их поставили на 2! Это не объективно, обычно падение это потерянный шанс на золото!

[@supinderbabra7068]

I had to google translate your message. Fair point from your side. I am not going to pretend I know anything about skating. I am basing it on what I saw in the documentary and I will always maintain that all skaters and I repeat ALL SKATERS were brilliant in the competition. As a Canadian I am happy my country won but the cheating and scandals were not right at that time!@@user-uo5zx2ol2i

[@penguinZ85]

Their program always makes me tear up.

[@kelvinholifield762]

I could watch this over and over!!

[@bonniemagaddino651]

I have watched this so many times it a beautiful majestic heartfelt performance no question for me GOLD

[@davidrigby6986]

Well, for 1 minute and 36 seconds Jamie and David were not even touching each other compared to about 55 seconds of not touching for the Anton and Elena. Pairs are supposed to skate within each other's arms, as one. Jamie and David skated like two really good singles skaters. Anton and Elena were a pair, skating as one unit.

[@kimbi98]

Anyone re-watching this in 2021!?

[@Iwatchstuff1000]

Ok they were clean, where B&S had a little stumble & a couple scratchy elements, yet I find S&P slow, basic & almost junior in the presentation, that tap on the shoulder part is cheesy as hell.

[@TindraSan]

an entire relationship conveyed flawlessly into a single skating performance

[@good_skin]

curious about the choice of costume for this performance, as ice skaters usually display very bright/glamorous suits to complement their programs. loving the tone-down style and the beautiful figures

[@francisnguyen6349]

Oh! Beautiful synchronization jumps.

[@letsbeginrpg]

they were two stars on ice dancing seemingly like one. Pure perfection.

[@user-ft3lr3nq1w]

Demonstration performances showed the difference in the level of these pairs!

[@classicmiriam]

This is the reason they got rid of the 6.0 system. It was too easy to rig. Ultimately the downfall was the fact that it was obvious that it was rigged. Although under the code of points system every element would have gotten a value along with program components. There are still loopholes that could use adjustment but it is harder to rig.

[@TressBraga]

Actually, the 20 year old code of points system is just as easy to rig due to the "grade of execution" component, which is still subjective. Case in point: Yuna Kim 2014. As long as there are corrupt judges, the system will always be broken. It's funny how generally speaking corruption stems from one specific national federation. Can you guess which one?

[@MilenaRVasilyeva]

This wasn’t the reason at all. The point system was going to be changed even before 2002. The events of 2002 only rushed the procedure but the system was always going to change.

[@classicmiriam]

@@MilenaRVasilyeva I knew that there had already been controversy. Particularly in the ice dance for quite some time. To figure skating fans it was apparent that they needed a new system before this. But because this was on a global scale. There was much more pressure to get a new system. Even the code of points system has evolved quite a bit over the last 20 years. But at least they didn’t have to throw out the entire system.

[@ahavens2463]

This is one of most classic and memorable pairs programs ever. Romantic, playful, artistic, and technically brilliant. Should've been gold from beginning.

[@FfFf-qi8ze]

Хореография страдает сильно слабая

[@FfFf-qi8ze]

Уровень по сравнению с нашими невысок

[@FfFf-qi8ze]

Нет цельности все урывками сдабо

[@Katalanuska]

But they made no mistake. Russian skater instead did a big big mistake. If you Russians want to win at any price is your choice but this is no good publicity for your country.

[@arnavess]

@@Katalanuska I will use a translator to make you more comfortable. I must say right away, I wasn't even born when this Olympiad was held. However, I do know something. Why did all the judges' monitors fail when the Russian side demanded to review the moment of the Canadian pair's fall at the sides? No one has explained the reason. But what about the hysterical French referee? Later, if my memory serves me correctly, she confessed that she had lied, or said something similar. And yes, the Canadian couple is good for me. However, for me, she will forever be those winners who "wept" their gold.

[@globetrotting2628]

This is when the announcer shouldn't try to be the judge. It's like an announcer at the Oscars trying to call who should win, then opening the envelope and protesting the decision. Poor taste. A three turn on the end of a double axel doesn't make for a second-place skate. Watch each element between the two: Russian's throws where higher, their triple twist lift was above his head unlike the Canadian team, their poetry as a couple stronger, high degree of elements. They won fair and square. Westside story is a love song, I felt I was watching a brother and sister skate together rather than a romance between lovers. This all plays into a winning performance.

[@lacucaracha1877]

Yes i watched this Documentary too. That was the most beautyfull THANG i‘ve ever seen. I‘m a streetball player. But these 2 wonderfull people know how to break the ankles. 🇨🇦 Awesome😳🥰

[@brentwest3933]

I’m a figure skater myself, and if I were a judge on the panel, I would be looking for cohesion among the pairs. Elena and Anton, & Jamie and David are STRONG skaters in their own right, but by the end of the day, Anton slipped on the double Axel, which for me is a deduction. Observing Jamie and David closely, yes, their program was simple, by they hit their jumps, spirals, spins, step sequences, and had excellent cohesion among them, which supports the presentation, and could not find a mistake or flaw. Therefore, Jamie and David would be awarded the gold.

[@Curiousever]

Thank you. A voice of reason.

[@mercuryfever392]

Exactly. The Russians were just pissed because a team with a simpler routine skated flawlessly. If Elena and Anton weren't skating at the level they knew they could, then it doesn't matter. Jamie and David were flawless. They were more relaxed, all of it. Like someone said in the Meddling documentary, Elena and Anton were skating just not to make a mistake.

[@swizzle1961]

This is what it’s all about! All the years of work and WOW. Why we watch the Olympics. I hope we can see this in a week! From some skaters.

[@skatingcanuck9837]

Scott Hamilton is always impartial and resists criticizing judging, so when he actually speaks up you KNOW something is wrong with the results!

[@lb4585]

scott hamilton is the most partial rat ever. he didnt like the russians bc they refused to on tour with his show at the time

[@dsprenger13]

@@lb4585 that's ridick! olympic athletes are still amateurs until they no longer compete and turn professional ....so they couldn't have toured with his show until after they left competition, anyway so you know you're obviously full of bullshit!

[@1chienandalou]

@@lb4585 truth. The colored the narrative to North American audiences. Many of us saw how superior B/S were. Even with the mistake.

[@1chienandalou]

@@dsprenger13 he means after, and everyone knows scott Hamilton was a biased commentator if you know the sport and I’m from US so don’t say I’m biased against him🙄

[@kelvinholifield762]

I could watch this everyday!!!

[@Bakhytgul1991]

Красиво,грациозно!!!👍⛸⛸

[@user-ii3qb5te1h]

Восхитительно. На высоком техническом уровне, лирично... Браво 👍👏👏👏🌺🌺🌺

[@whitecat3923]

Особенно за артистичность их срезали оценками...жесть!!👎🏼

[@stanislavmachouse8821]

Лена с Антоном все таки получше смотрелись

[@user-ii3qb5te1h]

@@whitecat3923 потому, что артистичности здесь реально мало. Сплошная акробатика. Но это веяние времени, сейчас практически ни у кого нет артистизма, лишь аксели, шмаксели, тулупы, тройные, четверные прыжки, кто выше, кто дальше..... 🤷🤷🤷

[@user-ii3qb5te1h]

@@stanislavmachouse8821 наша школа всегда была лучшей. Лена и Антон АРТИСТЫ, а остальные просто вкробаты

[@sinocha888]

​@@user-ii3qb5te1h

[@HausdorffLover]

no way such empty program has won an Olympic gold!

[@raylindholm5622]

I saw it live and it was mesmerizing and still is! I think they should have won the Gold outright!

[@corinnamattison]

Have been watching this since I saw it live as a kid and it never gets old. Anyone know what vertion/proformance of the love story sound track this is? Love it and can't find it anywhere??

[@thislightful]

54 seconds in you can see that bond between them. In my opinion, this is the most incredible couple skating to the perfect song of Love Story there ever has been. He is so kind and careful with her and she is so in love with him completely. They could not have picked a better song or a better ice-skating routine. I do remember that the Russian skaters made quite a few mistakes yet received higher scores. All the while these 2 Canadians were literally flawless. Sorry the Russians held no candle to this!

[@mammac4333]

One of the best most beautiful pairs long program ever!

[@VWYL900802]

This scandal changed the judging system in the sport of figure skating, but the ISI system is even more technical, and if these two pairs team did the exact same performances in the new system, the Russian team would win, because their performance was more technically difficult. The new ISI rewards more technical difficulty as opposed to emotional heartfelt performances. Jamie and David almost quit because their career was at a dead end and they haven't even partnered yet two years ago. It was their coach that encouraged them to do one more season, which was the year before the Olympics and that year's success was what made them believe they may have a chance in the Olympics.

[@L1623VP]

I so dislike when people take skating routines out of the era in which they were skated and say, " Under the COP they wouldn't have won." The fact is that under the judging system that was in place at the time...they did enough to win. If the judging system had been different, they would have skated a very different program. So it makes no sense to take a nearly 20-year-old LP and place it under today's scoring protocol. You have to watch old skating competitions like period dramas; they're products of the time in which they were created. Taking them out of the chronological context doesn't make sense.

[@DJDiegoGarcia]

@@L1623VP i completely agree with you. The routines must be judged according to the rules at the time. But I still can't understand why people think the Canadians should have won over the Russians. I am not very well acquainted with figure skating judging rules but, as far as I understand, there was only one French judge embroiled into the scandal and, if she have placed the Canadians first, they would tie and, then, the tie-breaker would be whoever had the higher scores in the artistic presentation. And the Russians had higher marks and still would have won the gold over the Canadians. Is this right or is there something I am missing? Could you clarify it for me? I am honestly confused.

[@L1623VP]

​@@DJDiegoGarcia The cheating scandal involved more than just the French judge. The story was that she agreed via pressure from the French Skating Federation to mark the Russians higher than the Canadians regardless of how they skated in return for the Russian judge doing the same for the French ice dancing team during the dance competition. Still, two out of nine judges can’t influence the outcome. The cheating scandal was broader than that. There were four communist or Eastern Bloc judges on the panel (Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and China). In order for the Russian pair to win, they needed one western nation to consent to their plan. That ended up being France. This is clear when you see that all the communist / Eastern Bloc judges gave the Canadians 5.8 for presentation (coincidence?), along with the odd-country-out, France. That’s what outed the French judge, but she wasn’t working alone and yet, none of the other judges were accused of anything. More to your point no, the French judge couldn't have ranked the Canadians over the Russians and still had the Russians win in a broken tie because giving the Canadians the higher presentation score would have resulted in five out of nine first place ordinals for them to the Russians' four, resulting in a victory for the Canadians. Under the 6.0 system, ordinals or placements were assigned to skaters based on the scores each of the nine judges gave them with the presentation score carrying more weight. For example, if a judge gives Pair A 5.8/tech and 5.9/pres. and Pair B 5.9/tech and 5.8/pres., Pair A gets a first place ordinal from that judge because he has given them the higher presentation mark. In the case where the presentation mark is the same, the higher technical mark makes the difference. So, what defined the winner under the 6.0 system was getting a majority of judges to place/rank you or your team first, not necessarily how high the scores were or the total of them. It was a simple majority rule wins setup. That's why any skater in the top three going into the long program could win the gold medal. It was about the ordinals given by the judges based on their scores, not the total sum of the scores. Personally, I can't see how, even with Anton's mistake on the double axel in the long program how the Canadians had higher technical marks with a flawless but less difficult program. That being said, I felt the Russians should not have received such high performance marks. Not only did Anton's mistake affect the aesthetics of the performance, but both he and Elena were very reserved and "tight" in their skate. They were nervous being within grasp of the gold, but I felt they let it show in their performance with little to no connection between them. I could see them thinking the program through instead of being in the moment. Elena landed her throw jumps on a stiff leg, and neither of them seemed really relaxed. You could see it in their faces at the end of the program. They weren't thrilled with their performance, and I think they knew they could have done much better, and were just relieved it was over. On the other hand, the Canadians were totally free in their performance. Their connection to each other was apparent immediately. I think they benefited greatly by having a story built into their program. There were characters they played that required emotional connection and a story to be told. Everyone knows the story of Love Story, and so that immediately drew the audience into their interaction. In contrast, the Russians had a more abstract program, so it was more challenging to generate emotional energy, especially when they were nervous. I can admit that the Russians had the more technically difficult program, and even with Anton's mistake should have had the higher tech scores, even though they didn't. Still, I believe even with a simpler program, the Canadians easily should have earned more higher presentation scores even though they didn't, which would have given them the win anyway. In any competition but especially the Olympics, a winning program is all about delivering a complete program, and that includes more than the technical. It requires a skating pair to not only connect with each other but for both of them to connect with the audience. The Canadians did that much better than the Russians that night. Although less difficult, theirs was the program that was most complete, that touched the audience more, and was flawless at the same time. So, taking all things together, I felt the Canadians should have won, but not with the higher technical mark. Regardless of how anyone feels about this competition and how it turned out, I'm so glad that this marked the end of the awful 6.0 system because it was FAR too subjective and so much easier to cheat.

[@whitecat3923]

@@L1623VP 👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼

[@grigol101]

@@L1623VP What other communist bloc, and even with Ukraine and Poland in 2002? This is nonsense, you are out of your mind. Of course it was not you who invented it, but the Russophobic American media.

[@Sergigrinkovvolponyfan]

I want this version of the song does anyone know where I can find it?

[@ahphodg260]

Had to check both performances after the netflix show. And honestly the russian did make some mistakes but the routine was much harder. also the Canadians sopposedly used thr same routine 3 consecuitve years?? why wasnt that mentioned in Netflix. sus.

[@szh5025]

also they did a significant mistake in short program

[@rbishop95]

I’ve been trying to find this music, many songs are called love story, does anyone know what this is from?

[@3Axel1996]

Love Story, by Francis Lai, Motion Picture Soundtrack (1970)

[@rosasegura7960]

Thank you, me too!

[@mishellpatino3292]

So. I don't know much about figure skating, but does this explains why now the PCS are related to the consistency of the technical elements? I'm asking myself this because besides the facts that the Russians were first in the SP, I see a lot of opinions stating that the Russians program was more demanding technically and artistically lately I've noticed that as soon as skaters do something more difficult or risky, even if it's not perfect or has good quality the artistic mark goes up. (Except Ice Dancing, I still don't understand that discipline) I don't know. Just wondering.

[@sst6601]

you are right. Russians were better, they program was much more difficult and they got the Gold fair and square

[@jaclyndee3760]

I always cry during the Netflix documentary when Jamie’s Mother said “I was just so proud.”

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

Партнершей залюбуешься как у них все красиво с музыкой

[@jasminelopez4080]

What was the name of the song?

[@musicjunkie274]

Theme for Love Story

[@juancarlossaavedra6757]

Brilliant golden performance, but Gold is not vin in a one off Olympic performance, is more than that.

[@stevebayt145]

it's been two decades. Love means Never Having to Say... you're sorry... too bad the judges never really apoligized.

[@agnesflorsalm4452]

this was one of the most perfect pair skating ever.

[@taskerduable]

Their routine gives me chills. Well done 👍

[@coldenbluu]

They did skate cleanly, but their program was way simpler than the Russians.

[@whitecat3923]

Everyone knows today about the judges scandal at that Olympics!! 😉

[@pamelahermano9298]

It’s funny, back when I watched this live, I was still relatively new to figure skating as a fan. Immediately my first reaction was that S&P were robbed. But after many years, I realized that B&S although didn’t have a program that resonated with me as much, they deserved the gold and shouldn’t have had to share it. Technically they were superb and the choreography was more difficult, not to mention they were faster. I mean really, it was the 1994 Olympics being played out again except in 1994 the judges got it right. It basically came down to what was more accessible to the general public as opposed to what was better skating skills and more complex and more difficult choreography.

[@mikrokosmosoobin]

both programs were beautiful and done as best as they each could. I do enjoy this, but it wouldn’t win in today’s figure skating either. I mean look at Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot’s program. They definitely deserved their gold. The one figure skating pairs that will always be the best and memorable is G&G. B&S did wonderful and the scandal shouldn’t be the reason for people to say they didn’t deserve the gold. Just my random opinion

[@pamelahermano9298]

@@mikrokosmosoobin G&G to this day would still be head and shoulders above any pairs teams minus the jumps. Their unison has never been matched, their speed, their fluidity, their technical perfection. I mean, take their split twist… why does the split twist look clunky today than when they did it? Anyway, figure skating is so subjective there’s really no correct opinion.

[@mikrokosmosoobin]

@@pamelahermano9298 I couldn’t agree more. I’m curious, in your opinion which G&G program was better, their 1988 one or 1994? I enjoyed both and could watch their programs over and over again. For me 1988>>1994

[@pamelahermano9298]

@@mikrokosmosoobin their 1994 program is superior in every way to their 1988 one. That being said, their performance of their ‘88 one is one of the best Olympics performance by a pairs team ever. Sadly, they have never had a perfect skate of their 94 program…. In fact had they skated that perfectly, I have no doubt they would have been the second team after Torvill and Dean to score perfect 6.0s across the board.

[@1chienandalou]

Thank you. But of course this is more accessible and people didn’t know that they’ve been hamming it out to this for three years at the time.. everybody can go to the judging but with the new scoring system There would’ve been an even bigger gap between the Russians and them.

[@sarahsi8211]

What a mesmerizing program 😭

[@sunshinesun101]

Sandra Bezic having a cow in the background...Hahahah

[@BOTzerker]

Showmanship is a lost art not found in todays ice skating competitions of figure skating, pair skating, and ice dancing.

[@aureljacquinet]

Juste parfait, juste parfait!

[@crgaillee]

When God calls people out he holds nothing back. I watched this performance and was astounded at the discipline and harmony between them. It was quite flawless in my opinion. Exposing the truth behind the situation was sorely needed.

[@user-uo5zx2ol2i]

Позорная золотая медаль!!

[@dsprenger13]

this makes me wanna cry.

[@scottw6704]

Still my favorite pairs' program of all time. I love coming back and watching this.

[@robertsoslow733]

Perfectly skated. But I wonder whether European audiences (and therefore judges) would have connected to the music, choreography and story they potrayed. To me, this has similarities to the Gordeeva/Grinkov vs Mishkutienok/Dimitriev battle. If S/P were significantly more "electric" than B/S live in the stadium, then the comparison would be something like Lipinski/Kwan. Apples and oranges. I'm glad they both got medals.

[@bnkundwa]

A moment of immense beauty

[@ericballi4701]

My wife and I are watching the Hulu documentary 'Meddling' right now. After watching the long programs of both the Russians and Canadians there, it would seem it was a slam-dunk gold for Sale and Pelletier; the commentators and the (mostly) Western audience at the event were sure of it. But I just watched both programs here on KZbin and I have to say--the Russians program was better. More fluid, more artistic, and it was a newer and more difficult program than the Canadians. Unfortunately, the corruption with the ISU and certain judges involved tainted the outcome which was, in my opinion, correct the first time. Gold for Russians, Silver for Canadians.

[@1chienandalou]

Me too. And the artistic side/affecting the second mark (that broke the tie) was not even close. I was kind of disappointed meddling did not question North American media’s slanting of the story against the Russians from the beginning and ongoing - like their performance was tentative or whatever ... (And I’m from the US) if you tell people from the beginning that they’re seeing the best thing ever and the Russians just made a mistake so the Canadians will now beat them for the first time in 40 years… Then give them likable fluff.. Sure they will be led to an expectation/confirmation bias. While the Russian pair were doing new programs, full of elements, transitions and both elegance and power, what if this is a favorite of the Western crowd (who supports Canada and knows the music)? That was to be expected… That is not how it’s determined. This was not even their best performance of this routine (that they had been doing on and on for three years and they had already won win this and then milking it for more at the Olympics. Plus they fell in the short and seemingly were helped up to be in the top three that skates of the free at all! Of course nobody even mentions that) I know the Canadians come across super compelling in documentaries and stuff, likely because they truly believe it, like they felt entitled to a gold medal... It’s kind of interesting because like Moskvina says, I don’t see much love here in the end. There were 5 judges that ranked Russians ahead and nobody gave them under 5.8 in the second mark. Bloc voting can only do so much if things had not been very close. They had a likable but less difficult program that the media and the crowd talked up too much, but they lost. They would lose with a bigger margin today. The Russians deserved their gold medal even with the (minor) mistake.

[@1chienandalou]

Also the basic summary of the scandal seems to be that they found some tapes to link some Russian meddling to the ice dance event via the French dance team* but there was no evidence to link it to the pairs event basically. 🤷🏻‍♀️ * edit to add: French team had a Russian skater, and it was her name/team involved plus some residency shenanigans. There was no need to involve the pairs event or the French judge for them to cheat as there was enough motive; *and* they had recently had potential cheating prior Olympics with those shady French guys involved and the Ukrainian judge had tried to whistle blow on them… Meddling muddied this narrative up too but that was basically it when I went back and watched again. So the whole thing fell on the French judge lady but the shady evidence didn’t involve her at all…

[@derikshopinski5651]

Agreed. S/P earned that Gold !! They deserved it..:alone

[@derikshopinski5651]

Artistically, the superior program

[@life-1978]

@@derikshopinski5651 they did not. THE FACT THAT THAT GIRL CHEATED IS A BIG BIG MUSTAKE. WORST THAN A WOBBLE. if u insist she didnt explain the crushing of anton at the warm up. How on earth she ended up hitting anton coming from the other side of the rink? That would show her character as an athlete. Cant handle the preasure? I guess so coz they didnt even live up to their "owning an olympic gold medal" when doing ice shows and events. You cant be a champion for a night, champions are forever great because they mastered their craft with skills and knowledge. I am just stating FACTS.

[@larainevanetten5311]

It told the story. Beautifully done Love Story❤

[@user-cd4ki4dd1u]

예술적 기술적으로도 이팀은 러시아팀을 절대로 이길수없는 경기였다 공동금메달은 억지라고본다 이팀때문에 신체점제가 생겼다고 생가하니 한탄스럽다

[@roydlchen2004]

When Sandra says "accesible", that tells you everything. Translation: simple.

[@shirazimmerman9931]

ר

[@purrformance]

@@shirazimmerman9931 L

[@samwarrilow2881]

Agreed, formulaic and actually rather sterile

[@veronikazimova6848]

it’s a shame for sports, medal beggars, misbehavior of the skaters !!! I remember well this Olympiad, the unpleasant residue remained.

[@whitecat3923]

DON'T WRITE DOWN SUCH BULLSHIT!!!!🙈😂👎🏼

[@whitecat3923]

ТЕБЕ, ДИВАННАЯ ЭКСПЕРТКА-ДУБИНА, НЕПЛОХО БЫ СПЕРВА ПРОГУГЛИТЬСЯ НАСЧЁТ СКАНДАЛА В СУДЕЙСКОМ СОСТАВЕ НА ТОЙ ОЛИМПИАДЕ!!!))🙂

[@roydlchen2004]

they are nowhere near the level of Sikharulidze and Berezhnaya

[@flyguy179179]

You are a technical specialist? Otherwise, its a subjective opinion.

[@PayneToTheMax]

You're absolutely clueless if you think this, Lol

[@annaliese9453]

@@PayneToTheMax what kind of skaters fall on their ending pose...

[@crazyasianman07]

Seeing this reminds me the same kind of connection Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov had as pair Figure Skaters.

[@HausdorffLover]

😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

[@1chienandalou]

Not even close. In fact the Russian team was so much better than them.

[@crazyasianman07]

@@1chienandalou I just meant by the way they appear through their music selection since it was about love. I didn't mean it literally....🙄

[@christineforbing5302]

This is one of the Best ice skating routines I have ever seen besides Gordeeva & Grinkov. 😄

[@whitecat3923]

Me too! 👍🏼👌🏼

[@1chienandalou]

It was not even close I’m sorry

[@Kreatures100]

Exquisite. That was amazing storytelling with brilliant choreography and superb skating. Lori Nicols created this masterpiece.

[@Person-mh6xq]

Brilliant choreography. All the right nuances - not too much and not too little. Transitions in and out of everything were just superb.

[@CUPCAKE0809]

This was technically perfect, but nothing spectacular. Russians deserved the Gold and Canada Silver. Sorry.

[@life-1978]

I wonder how she was able to collect herself after the collision as if nothing happened. I mean with that collision it would surely rattle you.. Im just wondering why it never affected her. Just wondering...

[@blackswan3542]

Wowww ..amazing

[@thislightful]

I just don’t understand! They were to me like Nadia on the bars! IT WAS FLAWLESS AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@jean-lucpradels5554]

Whatever! Their skate was "just an exercise", to quote a commentator. Three years old., at that point. The snowball throwing part was sweet. But the basic skating of B&S is so much better. These commentators are so biased and unprofessional. "A triple throw and the gold is their's", who in their right mind would say that so far from the end of a long programme? My mother taught not to whine and whinge but it worked for this two.

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

Красота какая

[@julianneremley4430]

Beautiful

[@RicanOnARant]

wooooooooooooow (watched this after watching the doc on netflix about it)

[@OMGemgc]

I just remembered the 2014 Sochi Olympics (for ladies) here since, the Russian skater one even if she did not deserve it. The judge who cheated here, is one of the judges of that 2014 Sochi Olympics.

[@TheGeographyWatch]

Wait really? I thought the judge here was barred from judging future ISU competitions

[@TheGeographyWatch]

That’s not true, Marie-Reine Le Gougne stopped judging after this scandal

[@mht4908]

That's false, Le Gougne did not judge after Salt Lake. Adelina Sotnikova, the Russian girl, if you look at her scores from the 2013 World Championships and compare them to her Sochi scores, it was so blatantly obvious that score inflations had taken place - Short program: 59.62 --> 74.64 - Free skate: 116.36 (I'll give her around 120-125 without the mistake) --> 149.95

[@mht4908]

Even if you don't look at the scores from worlds, her teammate, Yulia Lipnitskaya skated a very clean free skate in the team event (she had issues with her technique, but the landings were clean) and scored a 141.5. Adelina scored 149.95 with a similar content and with mistakes, someone tell me why she should have an 8 point lead over Yulia?

[@keti.rg.editzzz]

So beautiful 🥺💓

[@tiffanyhilgendorf3356]

Whose here after the Netflix show?

[@barbara8756]

anton and elena were better

[@stmartinshirt]

Here after Netflix

[@tatianav.2018]

No denying, they were great , but definitely the second that time

[@whitecat3923]

DEFINITELY THE FIRST THAT TIME!!! 😉

[@user-hh4um7cm8l]

Найкраща програма у парному катанні

[@user-nf6ov1qp1y]

Оц молодцы оба молодцы красавицы

[@APG19912009]

I was 10 years old at the time. Watching it on TV live with my family. And when the “2” came out I remember raging, throwing a pillow, shouting how they didn’t win! Even my family members were all shocked and outraged. I remember the next day at school it was all we could talk about, front page of every paper, talked about on the news of “another screw out! Elvis Stykco all over again”. Canada was collectively outraged. And even after the truth came out, many people still felt bitter and justice wasn’t done. Even 20 years later many still see it as a black eye on the sport. Canada is still paranoid in figure skating that of “when is the next screw job coming?”

[@mht4908]

I guess the answer was Adelina Sotnikova in Sochi

[@falloutman1843]

Sheet beauty. We love you 🇨🇦

[@user-gnocchi]

この2人大好きです❤️

[@xxwhispersxx2856]

Today this would not win. The elements were easier, the choreography was simple and it just wouldn’t rack up the points it needed. I miss the 6.0 system so much.

[@stevebbuk]

Yes the French judge has a lot to answer for.

[@royberridge9039]

It's a very shallow program. I can't believe people love it.

[@Person-mh6xq]

@@royberridge9039 The program was brilliantly conceived!

[@leotorres6190]

Even they got the gold at the end..... i know that they won the GOLD first and not the russian

[@user-sr2jv2nn3z]

🇷🇺🥇🥇🥇

[@sdingeswho]

I tear-up everytime i watch this moving performance! Recently, i came to know someone in real life who was in a similar situation, only in her case it was her husband who crossed over, leaving her to carry on . Adds meaning, to know someone who knows this pain in real life. 😢 At the Celebration of Life for her husband, my friend had a couple of dancers perform choreography very reminiscent of this show, including the way the departed one fades away, leaving the remaining one to continue.

[@nenihandayani4015]

Perfect❤