Four figure skating events were held at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, at the Palavela venue. Image File history File links Figure_skating_2006. ... Figure skating is an ice skating sporting event where individuals, mixed couples, or groups perform spins, jumps, and other moves on the ice, often to music. ... Neve and Gliz, the 2006 Olympics mascots, on display in Turin The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were held in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. ... Turin (Italian: ; Piedmontese: Turin) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. ... Torino Palavela is an arena in Turin, Italy, on the bank of the River Po. ...

Medal table

Pos.	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Russia	3	0	1	4
2	Japan	1	0	0	1
3	United States	0	2	0	2
4	China	0	1	1	2
5	Switzerland	0	1	0	1
6T	Canada	0	0	1	1
6T	Ukraine	0	0	1	1

Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Canada. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ukraine. ...

Pairs

See http://www.isufs.org/results/owg2006/ for detailed results

This event is performed by partners consisting of a female and male skater. The competition consists of two segments. A short program is skated first, with eight required elements performed within 2 minutes and 50 seconds. All pairs progress to the free skate, where each pair skates for 4 minutes and 30 seconds. There were 20 pairs who competed at the 2006 Games.

Short Program

The pairs short program was the first figure skating event of the Olympics, and took place on 11 February, with the free skate completed on 13 February. Two-time World Champions and Russians Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin were the pre-tournament favorites to win^[1]. They were expected to be challenged by two-time World Champions and reigning Olympic bronze medalists Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, but an injury to Zhao initially kept them out of contention for the gold medal. However, the team was able to get back into shape for the Olympics ^[2]. Tatiana Totmianina (born November 2, 1981) in Perm, Russia, is a figure skater and Olympic Champion. ... Maxim Marinin (born March 23, 1977) is a Russian figure skater. ... Shen Xue (Chinese: 申雪, Pinyin: Shēn Xǔe, born November 13, 1978 in Harbin, China) is a pairs figure skater from China. ... Hongbo Zhao (Chinese: 赵宏博 Pinyin: Zhào Hóngbó, born September 22, 1973, is a pairs figure skater from China. ...

Totmianina and Marinin took the lead after the short program, with a score of 68.64 pts. Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China, skating to Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir, ranked second with 64.72 pts, followed closely by Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov of Russia with 64.27 pts. Close behind were two other Chinese pairs, Pang Qing and Tong Jian (63.19 pts) and Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo (62.32 pts)^[3]. Americans Rena Inoue and John Baldwin made history in the short program by landing the first throw triple axel in Olympic competition, putting them in sixth place^[4]. Zhang Dan (Chinese: 张丹, Pinyin: Zhāng Dān, born October 4, 1985 in Harbin, China) is a Chinese figure skater. ... Zhang and Zhang at the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund. ... Led Zeppelin was a British rock band that became one of the most popular and influential musical ensembles ever. ... Kashmir is a song by the rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Maria Petrova cyrillic Мария Петрова was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 1975 and is regarded as one of the finest rhythmic gymnasts of all time. ... Alexei Tikhonov (born November 1, 1971 in Leningrad (now St. ... Qing Pang (born December 24, 1979 in Harbin, China) is an Chinese figure skater. ... Jian Tong (born August 15, 1979 in Harbin, China) is an Chinese figure skater. ... Rena Inoue (born October 17, 1976 in Hyougo, Japan) is an American figure skater. ... John Baldwin (born October 18, 1973 in Dallas, Texas) is an American figure skater. ... Tonya Harding performs a triple Axel jump at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. ...

Free Skate

In the free skating, Totmianina and Marinin were described by NBC as "untouchable"^[5], and the pair scored a personal best 135.84 points in this segment for a combined score of 204.48. Their victory was described as "a rout"^[5] The pair had suffered a setback in 2004 when Marinin dropped Totmianina during a lift, putting her in the hospital with a concussion.

The Chinese pair of Zhang and Zhang were the last to take the ice on the night of the free skate^[6]. In trying to surpass the Russian pair, Zhang and Zhang attempted a throw quadruple salchow jump, never before completed successfully in competition. However, Zhang Dan fell on this element and suffered a painful injury to her knee. Since she was temporarily unable to continue, the music was stopped by the event referee. Upon the trainer's approval for Zhang Dan to continue, the couple continued their routine, "nail[ing] every other element" for the remaining four minutes^[5]. NBC reported that the entire crowd gave the pair a standing ovation and showed shots of their fellow competitors, including Totmianiana and Marinin, also standing^[7]. Finishing second in both parts of the competition, Zhang and Zhang received silver medals with an overall score of 189.73 pts. The salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot after one or more rotations in the air. ...

Their countrymen, Shen and Zhao, who were in fifth place after the short program, pulled up two places in the free skate to take the bronze medals, as they did at Salt Lake City four years earlier, with a total score of 186.91. They edged the third Chinese couple, Pang Qing and Tong Jian out of the podium by just 0.24 pts.

Petrova and Tikhonov, who were in third place after the short program, dropped to fifth place overall. Germans Aljona Sawtschenko and Robin Szolkowy, who were in seventh after the short, scored the fifth best total of the free skate competition to go up on spot. Inoue and Baldwin were unable to complete their throw triple axel in the long and dropped to seventh overall. Aljona Sawtschenko (originally ukrainian Олена Савченко/Olena Savtchenko; German spelling: Aljona Sawtschenko; born 19 January 1984 in Kiev, Ukraine) is now a German figure skater. ... Aljona Sawtschenko and Robin Szolkowy at the German nationals 2006 in Berlin at their free program Robin Szolkowy (born 17 July 1979 in Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) is a German pair figure skater. ...

While Totmianina and Marinin extended the streak of gold medals in pairs for Russia and former Soviet Union to 12 consecutive Olympics, dating back to 1964, the silver medals for Zhang and Zhang are China's best ever achievement in Olympic figure skating. Up until this point, China had three bronze medals in figure skating: two from China's Lu Chen and one from Shen and Zhao. Lu Chen (Simplified Chinese: 陈露, pinyin: Chén Lù) (born 24 November 1976 in Changchun, China) is a Chinese figure skater. ...

Medals

Medal	Athletes	Total Score
Gold	Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin (RUS)	204.48
Silver	Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao (CHN)	189.73
Bronze	Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo (CHN)	186.91

Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Tatiana Totmianina (born November 2, 1981) in Perm, Russia, is a figure skater and Olympic Champion. ... Maxim Marinin (born March 23, 1977) is a Russian figure skater. ... The Russian Federation Russia will participate at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Zhang Dan (Chinese: 张丹, Pinyin: Zhāng Dān, born October 4, 1985 in Harbin, China) is a Chinese figure skater. ... Zhang and Zhang at the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund. ... Flag of the Peoples Republic of China Team China (IOC Designation: Peoples Republic of China) sent 78 athletes to the Winter Olympics in 2006, in Turin, Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Shen Xue (Chinese: 申雪, Pinyin: Shēn Xǔe, born November 13, 1978 in Harbin, China) is a pairs figure skater from China. ... Hongbo Zhao (Chinese: 赵宏博 Pinyin: Zhào Hóngbó, born September 22, 1973, is a pairs figure skater from China. ... Flag of the Peoples Republic of China Team China (IOC Designation: Peoples Republic of China) sent 78 athletes to the Winter Olympics in 2006, in Turin, Italy. ...

Men

See http://www.isufs.org/results/owg2006/ fore detailed results

This individual event was structured in a similar manner to the pairs event, with a short program and a free skate. 30 skaters entered the short program, but only the top 24 competitors continued to the free skate.

The clear favorite before the competition was three-time world champion Evgeny Plushenko, who missed the 2005 World Championships due to injury. Reigning world champion Stéphane Lambiel was considered Plushenko's main competition for the gold. Other notable competitors coming into the event included Canadians Jeffrey Buttle (the reigning world silver medalist) and Emanuel Sandhu, France's Brian Joubert, Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, and the strong American team of Johnny Weir, Evan Lysacek (reigning world bronze medalist), and Matt Savoie. Russian figure skater Evgeny Plushenko (in fact: Evgeny Plushchenko, Евгений Плющенко) (born November 3, 1982 in Siberia) is the six-time National Champion, four-time European Champion, three-time world champion, and 2002 Winter Olympics silver medallist. ... Stéphane Lambiel (born April 2, 1985 in Martigny, Switzerland) is a five-time Swiss national figure skating champion and is the current World Figure Skating Champion (2005). ... Jeffrey Buttle (born September 1, 1982 in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Emanuel Sandhu (born November 18, 1980) is a Canadian ice skater. ... Brian Joubert (born September 20, 1984 in Poitiers, France) is a French figure skater. ... Daisuke Takahashi (高橋 大輔, Takahashi Daisuke, born March 16, 1986 in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) competes in Mens Figure Skating. ... John G. Johnny Weir (born July 2, 1984 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania) is an American figure skater. ... Evan Lysacek (born June 4, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American figure skater. ... Matthew Savoie (born September 12, 1980, in Peoria, Illinois), is an American figure skater. ...

Short Program

The short program took place on February 14. Plushenko easily took the lead after the short program. He bettered his personal best (also the world record) score with a massive 90.66 pts, over 10 points ahead of Weir, who finished in second with 80.00 pts. Lambiel doubled his planned triple axel but still ended up in third place with a score of 79.04 pts, less than a point behind Weir. Joubert was ranked fourth with 77.77 pts, followed by Takahashi and Buttle with 73.77 and 73.29 pts respectively. Buttle and fellow Canadian Sandhu, who ranked seventh, both had trouble with their jumps, but their high program component scores kept them in contention for medals. Savoie had a solid skate to finish eighth, while teammate Lysacek fell on his triple axel and doubled his triple flip to finish a disappointing tenth in this phase of the competition. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Free Skate

In the free skate, completed on February 16, Plushenko set another world record by garnering 167.67 pts. for his free program. He started his program off with quad-triple-double and had only one flaw, doubling his triple flip. He finished with the highest technical and program component scores of the night. February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Despite a few jump errors in his free, Lambiel's opening quad combination and exquisite spins kept him in second overall, though he finished only fourth in the free skate. Though Buttle started his free skate with a mistake on his quad, he made a huge comeback in the second half with nice jumps and lovely artistry, finishing second in the free skate and third overall. Joubert had a crowd-pleasing free skate but made several jump errors and finished a disappointing seventh in the free and sixth overall.

The Americans had a solid night of skating in the free led by Lysacek. He skated his best free of the year and landed two triple axels, getting 152.28 pts. This was the third best free of the night and a huge improvement from his short, moving him up to fourth overall. Weir omitted his planned quad toe and only had one jump combination, which left him short on technical content and in sixth place in the free skate. Overall, he finished right behind Lysacek in fifth. Savoie had a solid skate with gorgeous transitions and jumps, though he doubled his two final planned triples to finish fifth in the free and seventh overall.

Takahashi skated fairly strongly in his free but was penalized in the marking for repeating too many jumps and underrotating others. He finished ninth in the free and eighth overall. Belgium's Kevin Van Der Perren made huge leaps in the free with 132.03 pts and moving up from thirteenth in the short to ninth overall. Sandhu, on the other hand, fell apart in his free skate, falling twice and singling a couple of jumps. His high program component scores couldn't keep him in the top ten. He finished thirteenth overall.

Medals

Medal	Athlete	Score
Gold	Evgeny Plushenko (RUS)	258.33
Silver	Stéphane Lambiel (SUI)	231.21
Bronze	Jeffrey Buttle (CAN)	227.59

Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Russian figure skater Evgeny Plushenko (in fact: Evgeny Plushchenko, Евгений Плющенко) (born November 3, 1982 in Siberia) is the six-time National Champion, four-time European Champion, three-time world champion, and 2002 Winter Olympics silver medallist. ... The word Rus or Rus (Русь in Cyrillic Alphabet) may refer to: the Rus (people) of disputed origin who were at the roots of the statehood of Eastern Slavic peoples; the territories they ruled, also known by the Latinized name, Ruthenia; Kievan Rus, the most powerful of early Ruthenian (Eastern... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... Stéphane Lambiel (born April 2, 1985 in Martigny, Switzerland) is a five-time Swiss national figure skating champion and is the current World Figure Skating Champion (2005). ... The Sui Dynasty (隋朝 Hanyu Pinyin: Suí, 581-618) followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Canada. ... Jeffrey Buttle (born September 1, 1982 in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Look up Can in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Can may refer to: A usually cylindrically shaped object used for storing other materials, especially liquids and foodstuffs. ...

Ice Dancing

See http://www.isufs.org/results/owg2006/ for detailed results

This competition began with a compulsory dance (Ravensburg Waltz) on February 17, in which all couples performed the same dance. The original dance, in which skaters performed to a designated set of rhythms (Latin combination), was held two days later, and the 4-minute free dance concluded the competition on February 20. 24 couples entered the competition, and all of them continued through to the free dance. Coming into the competition, Russians Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, the reigning world champions, were the clear favorites. Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, who won silver medals at the last World Championships, aimed to win the first Olympic medals in ice dance for USA since 1976. Teams from Ukraine, France, Canada, Israel, Lithuania, Italy, and Bulgaria were also vieing for a medal. February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Tatiana Navka (born April 13, 1975) is a Russian ice dancer. ... Roman Kostomarov (born February 8, 1977) is a Russian ice dancer. ... Tanith Belbin (born July 11, 1984, Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian-American figure skater with dual-citizenship. ... Benjamin Agosto (born January 15, 1982, Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American skater. ...

Compulsory Dance

There were a few surprises during the Compulsory Dance, which saw reigning world champions (undefeated this season) Navka and Kostomarov finishing second to the Italian team of Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. The Italians, who were bronze medalists at the Figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, decided to make a comeback at these Olympic Games and had not competed at any international events since the last Games. They edged the Russians in the techincal score and tied them in propram components. Bulgaria's Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviyski were another surprise finishing in third after the CD, followed by Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. Reigning world bronze medalists, Ukranians Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov, finished in fifth. The biggest surprise was the sixth place finish of Belbin & Agosto, who were originally seen as the main pair who could really challenge the Russian domination of Navka & Kostomarov. The French team of Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder follow, while another team making a comeback, Lithuanians Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, who finished third at the 2006 European Championships, sit in eighth. The Israeli team of Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski found themselves in thirteenth after a fall during a step sequence. It is interesting to note that the Italian leaders and sixth placed Belbin and Agosto were separated by just over a point, so the Americans could easily make up that difference. Barbara Fusar-Poli (born February 6, 1972) is an Italian ice dancer. ... Maurizio Margaglio (born November 16, 1974) is an Italian ice dancer. ... Albena Denkova (born December 3, 1974 in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian figure skater and specialized in ice dancing. ... Maxim Staviysky (born November 16th, 1977 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia) is a Bulgarian figure skater in Ice dancing. ... Marie-France Dubreuil (born August 11, 1974 in Montreal, QC) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Patrice Lauzon (born November 26, 1975 in Montreal, QC) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Elena Grushina (born January 8, 1975 in Odessa, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian figure skater. ... Ruslan Goncharov (born January 20, 1973 in Odessa, Ukraine) is a Ukranian figure skater. ... Isabelle Delobel (born June 17, 1978) is a French figure skater. ... Olivier Schoenfelder (born November 30, 1977 in Belfort, France) is a French figure skater. ... hello my name is margarita DrobiazkoMedia:Example. ... Povilas Vanagas (born July 23, 1970) is a Lithuanian figure skater. ... Galit Chait (born on January 29, 1975 in Kfar Saba, Israel) is an Israeli ice dancer with partner Sergei Sakhnovski. ... Sergei Sakhnovski (born on May 15, 1975 in Moscow, Russia) is an Israeli ice dancer with partner Galit Chait. ...

Original Dance

In the second portion of the dance competition, mistakes prevailed. Navka and Kostomarov did not seem to be affected by this and gave a solid performance to finish first in this portion and overall. Belbin and Agosto gave a crowd-pleasing performance which was placed second by the judges, putting them just over 1 point behind the Russians overall.

CD leaders Fusar-Poli and Margaglio had a very disappointing skate with Margaglio losing his balance causing both to fall. They finished tenth in the the OD, keeping them well out of contention for a gold medal with Navka and Kostomarov almost 10 points ahead of them. At the end of the performance, Fusar-Poli gave her partner a withering glare and broke down in tears in the "kiss and cry" area just offstage. They were seventh overall heading into the free dance.

Grushina and Goncharov were good enough to finish third in the OD and overall, while Delobel and Schoenfelder were right behind. Despite troubles on their combination spin, Denkova and Staviyski were able to land in the top five. Chait and Sakhnovski finished sixth in the OD and ninth overall, followed by Dubreuil and Lauzon who received a 2-point deduction for a painful fall that required Lauzon to carry his partner off the ice. Drobiazko and Vanagas also received deductions for a fall and for holding a lift for too long.

Free Dance

Dubreuil and Lauzon announced they would withdraw from the free dance portion of the competition after Dubreuil's nasty fall on a rotational lift in the original dance, leaving them out of medal contention. Dubreuil had fallen on her right hip during the original dance, leaving her too badly injured to compete effectively.

Navka and Kostomarov were clearly in a class above their competition. Skating their passionate dance to Carmen, the Russian favorites received the highest technical and program components scores. Finishing behind them in the free dance and fourth overall were Delobel and Schoenfelder, with strong elements as well. Bronze medalists Grushina and Goncharov finished third in the free dance with a clean, yet slow skate. Belbin and Agosto captured the audience's attention with a powerful and exciting skate as they danced to flamenco music, but made tiny mistakes in their final twizzles and step sequence. This put them in fourth for the free dance but second overall. Their silver medal is the first for the Americans in 30 years. Fifth in the free and overall, Denkova and Staviyski had strong technical content, but lost two points because of extending one of their lifts. Drobiazko and Vanagas finished sixth in the free, followed by Chait and Sakhnovski, skating to the classic dance music Bolero. Fusar-Poli and Margaglio finished eighth in the free with a solid program, but the most memorable moment of their skate was at the end, when Fusar-Poli fell to her knees in tears, forgiving her partner for the fall in the OD. Poster from the 1875 premiere of Carmen Carmen is a French opera by Georges Bizet. ... The bolero is a type of dance and musical form. ...

Medals

Medal	Athletes	Score
Gold	Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov	200.64
Silver	Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto	196.06
Bronze	Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov	195.85

Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Tatiana Navka (born April 13, 1975) is a Russian ice dancer. ... Roman Kostomarov (born February 8, 1977) is a Russian ice dancer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Tanith Belbin (born July 11, 1984, Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian-American figure skater with dual-citizenship. ... Benjamin Agosto (born January 15, 1982, Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American skater. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ukraine. ... Elena Grushina (born January 8, 1975 in Odessa, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian figure skater. ... Ruslan Goncharov (born January 20, 1973 in Odessa, Ukraine) is a Ukranian figure skater. ...

Ladies

See http://www.isufs.org/results/owg2006/ for detailed results

The ladies' individual event was conducted in the same way as the men's, except that the free skate is only 4 minutes long. The short program was held on February 21 and the free skate on February 23. February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The leading contender heading into the Olympics was 2005 world champion Irina Slutskaya, the first woman to win the European Championship seven times. Prior to the Olympic Games, she had only been beaten once this season, by Japan's Mao Asada, who was too young to compete at these Olympics. Irina Slutskaya (ru: Ирина Слуцкая), born February 9, 1979 in Moscow, Russia is a Russian figure skater. ... Mao Asada （浅田真央 Asada Mao, born 25 September 1990 in Nagoya, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. ...

Favorite Michelle Kwan, who had previously won silver at the 1998 Winter Olympics and bronze at the 2002 Winter Olympics, was forced to withdraw due to a groin injury. As a 5-time world champion and 9-time U.S. champion, the Olympic gold was the only major title missing from her resume. Reigning U.S. bronze medalist Emily Hughes (the younger sister of the last Olympic champion Sarah Hughes) took her place on the American team, joining two-time world silver medalist Sasha Cohen and Kimmie Meissner, the second American woman to ever land the triple axel in competition. Michelle Wing Kwan (Traditional Chinese:關穎珊, Simplified Chinese: 关颖珊, born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. ... The XVIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. ... The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... Emily Hughes (born January 26, 1989) is a United States figure skater and member of the U.S. Figure Skating Team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. ... for the United States District Court judge, see Sarah T. Hughes Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985 in Great Neck, New York) was the Olympic gold medalist in womens figure skating in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... This article is about Sasha Cohen, a figure skater. ... Kimberly Kimmie Meissner (born October 4, 1989 in Towson, Maryland) is an American figure skater. ... Tonya Harding performs a triple Axel jump at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. ...

Japan also sent a very strong ladies contingent to Turin with 2004 world champion Shizuka Arakawa, two-time world medalist Fumie Suguri and 2004 world junior champion Miki Ando. Other potential medal contenders included Russia's Elena Sokolova, who won world silver in 2003; two-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette; 2005 world bronze medalist Carolina Kostner; 2005 european silver medalist Susanna Pöykiö; five-time Swiss champion Sarah Meier; 2005 european bronze medalist Elena Liashenko; and 2004 European champion Julia Sebestyen. Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香 Arakawa Shizuka, born December 29, 1981) is a figure skater who won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Ladies Singles in Turin, Italy on February 23, 2006, and the 2004 World Figure Skating Championship. ... Fumie Suguri (村主章枝; Suguri Fumie, born December 31, 1980) is a Japanese figure skater. ... Miki Ando (安藤美姫, Andō Miki, born on December 18, 1987) is a Japanese figure skater. ... Elena Sokolova (born February 15, 1980 in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian figure skater. ... Joannie Rochette (born January 13, 1986 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Carolina Kostner, (nickname: Caro), born 8 February 1987 in Bozen-Bolzano (Italy), is an Italian figure skater. ... Susanna Pöykiö (born February 22, 1982 in Oulu) is Finnish figure skater. ... Sarah Meier (born May 4, 1984 in Bülach, Switzerland) is a Swiss figure skater. ... Born August 9, 1976 in Kiev, Ukraine Married to Ukrainian pentathlete Andrei Efremenko Competitive Highlights 1994 Olympics - 19th 1995 European Championships - 3rd 1998 Olympics - 9th 1999 European Championships - 7th World Championships - 8th 2000 Ukranian Championships - 1st European Championships - 5th World Championships - 10th 2001 Ukranian Championships - 1st European Championships - 4th World... Júlia Sebestyén [] (born May 14, 1981 in Budapest, Hungary) is a Hungarian figure skater and the first lady representing Hungary, who won the gold medal at the Europeans. ...

Short Program

Skating last in the short, Cohen wowed the crowd and the judges with a flawless, fiery program. Nailing her three jump elements and having the best spins and spirals of the night, Cohen blasted through her step sequence and into first place. Slutskaya, beating Cohen technically but not artistically, finished behind Cohen by just 0.03 points. Arakawa also had a clean skate, finishing behind Slutskaya by only 0.70 points. The top three being so close, the winner of the free would likely win the gold.

Suguri had a strong skate but a lack of level 4 spins and spirals kept her out of the top three. Meissner, the second skater in the short and finishing fifth in the short, skated beautifully in her first major international event with a triple lutz - triple toe combination, one of the few landed in the competition. The surprise in the top six was Georgia's Elene Gedevanishvili, who also performed a triple - triple combination. Elene Gedevanishvili, born January 7, 1990 in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a young figure skater who represents Georgia in Ladies competition. ...

Besides a slight stumble in her serpentine steps, Hughes also had a brilliant debut at her first major international event, finishing seventh in the short. Her sister Sarah was in the stands cheering her on. Rounding out the top ten was Ando, stepping out of her combination; Rochette, putting her hand down on the triple flip; and Sarah Meier, who skated a clean program. Kostner had an unfortunate fall on her triple flip and finished just out of the top ten, but had strong program component marks and the support of the crowd. Skating early in the competition, Sokolova took herself out of the running for a medal when she fell out of her lutz and singled a loop. She finished 18th in the short. Sarah Meier (born May 4, 1984 in Bülach, Switzerland) is a Swiss figure skater. ...

Free Skate

Though only landing five triple jumps, Arakawa was clearly the best of the night and easily won the gold medal. Skating right after Cohen and realizing she wasn't perfect, Arakawa decided to scale back her technical content and played it safe, not attempting her triple - triple combinations. Her only error was doubling a loop. Skating with elegance and power, Arakawa had the highest technical and program component scores of the night.

Cohen, looking much more nervous than in the short and having her groin wrapped due to an injury, fell on her opening triple lutz, then fell out of the triple flip, her next jump. Despite these early mistakes, Cohen was able to pull herself together and land the rest of her jumps and execute her trademark spins and spirals. Her only other flaw in the skate was two-footing the second jump of her triple toe - triple salchow sequence.

Slutskaya, skating last in the free like she did in 2002, had the chance to take the gold from a conservative Arakawa and a flawed Cohen. However, she was unable to capitalize, doubling a flip, then falling on a triple loop. Lower grades of execution on her spirals and steps and lower program component scores kept Slutskaya behind Cohen in both technical and program component scores.

Besides doubling a flip, Suguri had a solid skate that left her in tears and placed her fourth overall. Technically, she was stronger than Slutskaya, but finished behind her in program components. Rochette had one of the best skates of the night, completeing six clean triples, the most of the top ladies during the free skate. Combined with strong choreography, Rochette's skate was able to move her up to fifth in the free and overall. Meissner was unable to complete her triple - triple combinations in the free and fell to sixth overall, while Hughes finished in seventh, despite a fall on the triple loop. Despite not accomplishing what American teens Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes did before them (winning Olympic gold), Meissner and Hughes had respectable debuts at the Olympics. Tara Lipinski Tara Kristen Lipinski (born June 10, 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) of Sugar Land, Texas is an accomplished figure skater and media celebrity. ... for the United States District Court judge, see Sarah T. Hughes Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985 in Great Neck, New York) was the Olympic gold medalist in womens figure skating in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

Meier finished eighth with a relatively clean skate, but Kostner, finishing in ninth overall, made several mistakes. Gedevanishvilli's program was marred by mistakes, but she was able to squeak into the top ten. Sokolova made a comeback in the free, but still finished a disappointing 14th overall.

Medals

Arakawa made history by winning Japan's first ever ladies' figure skating gold in the Winter Olympics and the only medal for Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Flag of Japan Japan has sent 113 athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics in 2006, held in Torino, Italy. ...

Medal	Athlete	Score
Gold	Shizuka Arakawa (JPN)	191.34
Silver	Sasha Cohen (USA)	183.36
Bronze	Irina Slutskaya (RUS)	181.44

Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香 Arakawa Shizuka, born December 29, 1981) is a figure skater who won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Ladies Singles in Turin, Italy on February 23, 2006, and the 2004 World Figure Skating Championship. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... This article is about Sasha Cohen, a figure skater. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Irina Slutskaya (ru: Ирина Слуцкая), born February 9, 1979 in Moscow, Russia is a Russian figure skater. ... The word Rus or Rus (Русь in Cyrillic Alphabet) may refer to: the Rus (people) of disputed origin who were at the roots of the statehood of Eastern Slavic peoples; the territories they ruled, also known by the Latinized name, Ruthenia; Kievan Rus, the most powerful of early Ruthenian (Eastern...

Champions Gala

The traditional Figure Skating Champions Gala took place on February 24 at Palavela, featuring exhibition performances by the top five placers in the four figure skating events and all the Italian skaters. Pairs skaters Zhang and Zhang (second in pairs) did not participate in the gala.

The following is a partial list of skaters who appeared in the Champions Gala (in order of skate):

Faiella and Scali (Italian dance team), Karel Zelenka (Italian men skater), Silvia Fontana (Italian ladies skater), Denkova and Staviyski (fifth in dance), Joannie Rochette (fifth in ladies), Inoue and Baldwin (seventh in pairs), Johnny Weir (fifth in men), Delobel and Schoenfelder (fourth in dance), Fumie Suguri (fourth in ladies), Petrova and Tikhonov (fifth in pairs), Evan Lysacek (fourth in men), Grushina and Goncharov (third in dance), Irina Slutskaya (third in ladies), Fusar-Poli and Margaglio (Italian dance team), Carolina Kostner (Italian ladies skater), Pang and Tong (fourth in pairs), Jeffrey Buttle (third in men), Belbin and Agosto (second in dance), Sasha Cohen (second in ladies), Shen and Zhao (third in pairs), Stéphane Lambiel (second in men), Navka and Kostomarov (first in dance), Shizuka Arakawa (first in ladies), Totmianina and Marinin (first in pairs), and Evgeni Plushenko (first in men). Born December 3, 1976 in New York, NY Competitive Highlights 1999 Italian Championships - 1st European Championships - 13th World Championships - 16th 2000 Italian Championships - 1st European Championships - 8th World Championships - 19th 2001 Italian Championships - 2nd European Championships - 11th World Championships - 10th 2002 Italian Championships - 1st European Championships - 7th Olympics - 10th World... Albena Denkova (born December 3, 1974 in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian figure skater and specialized in ice dancing. ... Maxim Staviysky (born November 16th, 1977 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia) is a Bulgarian figure skater in Ice dancing. ... Joannie Rochette (born January 13, 1986 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Rena Inoue (born October 17, 1976 in Hyougo, Japan) is an American figure skater. ... John Brown Baldwin Air Marshal Sir John Eustice Arthur Baldwin, Royal Air Force officer John Paul Jones pseudonym of John Baldwin who was the bassist and keyboard player for Led Zeppelin. ... John G. Johnny Weir (born July 2, 1984 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania) is an American figure skater. ... Isabelle Delobel (born June 17, 1978) is a French figure skater. ... Olivier Schoenfelder (born November 30, 1977 in Belfort, France) is a French figure skater. ... Fumie Suguri (村主章枝; Suguri Fumie, born December 31, 1980) is a Japanese figure skater. ... Maria Petrova (born November 29, 1977 in Leningrad (now St. ... Alexei Tikhonov (born November 1, 1971 in Leningrad (now St. ... Evan Lysacek (born June 4, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American figure skater. ... Barbara Fusar-Poli (born February 6, 1972) is an Italian ice dancer. ... Maurizio Margaglio (born November 16, 1974) is an Italian ice dancer. ... Carolina Kostner, (nickname: Caro), born 8 February 1987 in Bozen-Bolzano (Italy), is an Italian figure skater. ... Qing Pang (born December 24, 1979 in Harbin, China) is an Chinese figure skater. ... Jian Tong (born August 15, 1979 in Harbin, China) is an Chinese figure skater. ...

Russian pair Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin and Evgeni Plushenko skate accompanied by Edwin Marton at the violin, playing from the ice. Tatiana Totmianina (born November 2, 1981) in Perm, Russia, is a figure skater and Olympic Champion. ... Maxim Marinin (born March 23, 1977) is a Russian figure skater. ... Russian figure skater Evgeny Plushenko (in fact: Evgeny Plushchenko, Евгений Плющенко) (born November 3, 1982 in Siberia) is the 6-time National Champion, 4-time European Champion, 3-time world champion, and 2002 Winter Olympics silver medallist. ... Edwin Marton is a violonist. ...

At the end of the gala, the skaters all gathered together to close the show with their bows.

References

• Torino 2006 - Figure skating, from torino2006.org, retrieved 30 January 2006
• Detailed results from the ISU

January 31 goooz booz Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further notes and references

1. ↑ Russian pairs favorites ready to compete, from Reuters, retrieved 15 February 2006
2. ↑ China's Zhao back beaming after injury, from Reuters, retrieved 12 February 2006
3. ↑ Pairs Figure Skating - Pairs Short Program, from torino2006.org, retrieved 15 February 2006
4. ↑ U.S. pair does first Olympic 'throw triple axel', from Associated Press, retrieved 15 February 2006
5. ↑ ^a b c Russian roll continues in a rout, from Associated Press, retrieved 15 February 2006
6. ↑ Chinese skater delivers gutsy performance, from Reuters, retrieved 15 February 2006
7. ↑ TURIN 2006: NBC deserves gold for capturing Olympic drama, from The London Free Press

February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...