The Olympic Bronze

Thursday night, I slept before the start of Women Figure Skating event, praying for Irina Slutskaya. Wishing she will skate as good as 2005 Worlds.

Friday morning, the video showed Irina in red. Heavy steps, she looked stressed. Nervously the music began.

Then she fell, on the triple lutz. Arakawa won the gold.

I saw she stepped down the kiss&cry corner with sorrow, sorrow for one single jump which she landed perfectly in practice, but this particular competition.

Then it came the award ceremony. Hurtfully she turned away when Cohen received the silver medal. She stared at the gold medal with a thousand thought in mind when Samaranch present it to Arakawa. She did not cry, but everyone could see the tears in her heart. One jump, only one jump, that could have make her remembered by the history.

However, it was Janpanese national anthem that played, not Russian.

She coughed on the podium. She was illed, and tired. Vasculitis has gotten her.

And then it was the Gala. She was saying good-bye. A sad good-bye.

I wish I could freeze the moment before her long program start. Give her another chance to be ready. Give her full health. For this wonderful lady to skate a skate that can represent her whole career instead of this under average performance. If the Olympics is the competition for the best skater, then she would be the champion. The only one who can compare with her is Michelle Kwan. But Kwan was not there. Irina deserve the recognition of Olympics, which most people only judge by the color of the medal. But she is the six times European champion. Will people remember her?

There is never an athelet I care about so much. So strange, I thought hooked on an athelet is silly, but I am so much hooked on her that it hurts me too when seeing her on the podium. The emotion affected me.

Maybe the medal around her neck is bronze. She is forever the champion in my heart. The rink would be dull without her. Wish you all the best, Irina Slutskaya. Maybe in this universe you did not receive the gold, you still have opened the door to the summer in another universe. Happy retiring and good health!