Women`s Figure Skating Olympics 2010

Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 5:16 pm

VANCOUVER : Figure-skating’s revised scoring system, the one designed to remove subjectivity and emotion from the judging process, may face its sternest test tonight.

That’s when Joannie Rochette will compete in the women’s free skate.

The Canadian lost her mother earlier this week. Tonight, the Pacific Coliseum crowd, the figure-skating community, most of the world, probably, will be hoping she doesn’t lose a medal, too.

But what about the judges? Will they be strong enough to ignore the emotional tug of Rochette’s heartbreaking story?

There’s no way to know, of course. Until someone develops a machine to grade skating, there will always be an imperfect human component.

But a women’s competition that, for Americans anyway, had lacked a compelling drama has one now.

The 24-year-old Canadian, biting her lip, holding herself together until her elegant and deft short program was complete, earned the highest marks of her life – 71.36 – at the start of what is typically the Winter Olympics’ marquee event.

The 11,000 fans were on their feet when the routine ended. As Rochette bowed, her eyes welled with tears. Finally, she skated to coach Manon Perron, laid her head on the older woman’s shoulder and wept.

She is in third place, from where a bronze, silver or – should Korean leader Kim Yu-Na unexpectedly fall flat – perhaps even a gold medal are within reach.

Skating in tonight’s final group, along with Yu-Na (78.50) and second-place Mao Asada of Japan (73.78), Rochette figures to mesmerize the spectators here, as well as a worldwide television audience.

There will be tears and cheers. And, just as the judges begin tabulating their scores, a long and heartfelt ovation.

Rochette, of course, is the 2009 world silver medalist and fully capable of winning this event on her own merits, as her stirring short routine displayed.

That skate, in fact, was likely a relief for the mourning athlete. And as difficult as it must have been for her, it was no easier for the audience.

As one American reporter wrote of her short program, “Technically, it was almost perfect. Emotionally, it was exhausting.”

They met briefly and then her parents went to their rented apartment.

Sometime later, her father found Therese, 55, unconscious. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead of a heart attack. Norman then went to the athletes’ village where, at 6 a.m. he broke the news to his daughter.

While Canadian officials had assumed she would depart these 2010 Winter Games, Rochette decided to stay and skate through her grief.