Japan Wins Gold!

Woke up at 3:30am to watch the Torino 2006 Women's Figure Skating competition. And Shizuka Arakawa of Japan gave a wowing performance which earned her a standing ovation and the gold medal.

It was a perfect performance! Garnering high scores in both the technical and program components. Sasha Cohen (USA) and Irina Slutskaya (Russia) earned second and third place, respectively, and were favorites for the gold during the early part of the competition.

However, Sasha Cohen fell twice on the ice. While Slutskaya, who has been known for her almost effortless executions of her jumps, stumbled and fell, to the big surprise of the audience.

Even without these mishaps, however, I think Arakawa still would have won the gold. Her performance was strong both technically and artistically, the choreography filled with dramatic sweeps and acrobatic arches, which impressed the audience and the judges enough to give her that standing ovation. I myself was watching with mouth agape, amazed and enthralled by her dance on the ice.

Congratulations, Arakawa-san!! And congratulations to Japan for winning their first medal in the Torino 2006 Olympics.