Friday, February 22, 2002
Wait worth it for Hughes
By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- Sarah made everyone smile last night.
In a wonderful night of women's figure skating, Sarah Hughes of the United States moved all the way from fourth after the short program to win the Olympic gold medal on the strength of the one of the greatest freeskate programs ever performed by a female skater.
Hughes, 16, went out and nailed seven perfect triples, including two triple/triple combinations.
As she landed her final jump, a triple toe, the Great Neck, N.Y. native, who has deep Canadian roots, screamed with joy and the packed house at the Salt Lake Ice Centre erupted in joy.
But before she could celebrate too much, Hughes was forced to wait for the top three skaters ahead of her after the short, teammates Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya of Russia, to skate.
Cohen, 17, skated first and landed six triples, although no triple triple combos. The Laguna Nigel, Calif. native skated a marvelous long to the My Sweet and Tender Beast soundtrack, but couldn't stay ahead of her teammate.
Next came four-time world champion Kwan, who has taken on professional athlete superstar status in the U.S. The Torrance, Calif. native is the total package. Not only is she immensely talented, but she is also a very good sport, tight with her family, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, the American dream.
Having lost the 1998 Olympics to teammate Tara Lipinski, it seemed everyone was pulling for her to win here.
However, skating to Sheherazade by the Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov, Kwan put together her usual dramatic routine, but fell attempting a triple flip.
The last skater was three-time world silver medallist Slutskaya, who skated to Tosca by Puccini.
Slutskaya, 23, is known for her athleticism and jumps and last night she did pull out seven triples, but her program wasn't up to her usual snuff. And when the final scores were read, Hughes and her coach, Robin Wagner, collapsed to the floor with joy.
Hughes won the long program and was placed first, followed by Slutskaya and Kwan. Cohen dropped to fourth.
"In the past, I've held back, not always giving it my all," she said. "Tonight, I just said, 'I have nothing to lose.' I've never skated like that in my life.
"I just went out and did everything I could. I just had the greatest time," Hughes added. "It was a moment I'll never forget."
Hughes comes from good Canadian stock. Her dad, John, is a Toronto native and played college hockey at Cornell University with Maple Leafs president and hall of fame goaltender Ken Dryden.
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2002 Games Figure Skating Coverage
