Albertville 1992 Women's FS | Stylish Kristi Yamaguchi Takes Gold; Courageous Midori Ito Silver

SydFigSka edit, Canadian commentators: Chris Cuthbert, Paul Martini, Barbara Underhill Performances shown marked with (*) below. Ladies'/Women's free skate (FS) from the 1992 Albertville Winter Games: Rank Name Nation SP FS* TFP 1 Kristi Yamaguchi United States 1 1* 1.5 2 Midori Ito 伊藤みどり Japan 4 2* 4.0 3 Nancy Kerrigan United States 2 3* 4.0 4 Tonya Harding United States 6 4* 7.0 5 Surya Bonaly France 3 6* 7.5 (with preceding"fluff" profile piece) 6 Chen Lu China 陈露 11 5* 10.5 7 Yuka Sato 佐藤 有香 Japan 7 7* 10.5 sources & acknowledgments: Australian/Canadian coverage, special thanks to Mintaka Alnilam and Vintage Ice Skating on YT. special thanks also to Kim! ------------------------- [Excerpts from Time Magazine] When Dreams Come True. Words by M. Duffy - March 2, 1992 “It’s something I’ve dreamed of ever since I put on skates as a little girl.” (She is still little, shoe size 3.) At age 20, Kristi Yamaguchi, of Fremont, Calif., faced the international press, blissfully fingering her gold medal. She had nothing else to say. No thoughts about what she would do next year, or what she would do tomorrow. She had just made it through the arduous course of a fairy tale: pluck vs. luck. The competition ended exactly as it should have. Yamaguchi was the most consistent athlete and freshest stylist. Skating to Lecuona’s Malaguena, she showed the delicacy and pace that make her a joy to watch. In the long — 4- min. — format she fumbled one triple jump, but everyone else in contention did at least that. In the current high-vaulting, teeter-totter world of skating, to jump is to survive, to land upright is to prevail. Yamaguchi withstood a strong challenge from Japan’s Midori Ito, who lifted the crowd as she courageously hurtled her way to a silver medal after placing a disappointing fourth in the original program. The most famous athlete in her country, Ito had earlier seemed almost crushed by the weight of her flag and the expectations back home. The bronze went to Nancy Kerrigan of Stoneham, Mass., an elegant, imperturbable skater who made a characteristic decision to scale back her jumps in her long program. Not all the week’s highlights were produced by medalists. France made a particularly strong and colorful showing, giving notice that the country is building a formidable ice machine. .. the crowd pleaser was Surya Bonaly, whose style — or lack of it — is sure to start arguments. Attired by couturier Christian Lacroix in bullfighting red and black, she tore through a toreador program that was flawed but feisty. Bonaly doesn’t so much skate as pump her way around the ice. Her jumps are frequent and fearless; her spins, often with the free leg extended at a rakish angle, are — well, unorthodox. She makes careful skaters look dull. To a disappointing degree the women’s contest turned on triple jumps, especially the Axel. Ito’s losing struggle with this nemesis cost her any chance of a gold medal. The best U.S. jumper, Tonya Harding, may have lost her ability to land one. In pursuing this icy grail, both women gave up a lot of their natural poise and fizz. Are the mighty jumps skewing solo competitions? A few routines, such as Yamaguchi’s short program, still explore the possibilities of blades on ice. But too often the spins and footwork look like connections between jumps. ------------------------- (from Sports Illustrated - https://vault.si.com/vault/1992/03/02...) "But the judges—and there was no U.S. judge among the nine who arbitrated the women's competition—hadn't needed to wait to see the fate of the triple Axelers to make up their minds. They had made it clear the direction they wanted to see skating proceed. They loved Yamaguchi's grace and carriage. They loved her speed, her consistency under pressure, the variety of skills displayed within her program. And, yes, they loved her artistry. God never gave anyone everything, but Yamaguchi, without the triple Axel, is as close to a complete package as women's skating ever has seen." ------------------------- #figureskating #フィギュアスケート #eiskunstlauf #фигурноекатание #pattinaggioartistico #patinageartistique