I must say that Sarah Hughes absolutely deserved the Gold Medal she won last night. Her long program and Sasha Cohen's short program were the highlights of Olympic skating for me. As a fan of the sport, I was a little disappointed and sorry for Michelle not realizing her dream of a Gold. She's a phenomenal skater with a fantastic career. I still think she should have taken the Gold four years ago, but that judgement was not in my hands.
I think the plastic replica was just a sign of affection and respect, not a commentary stating she should have won the Gold. It's like when you lose something irreplacable and are very upset, and then your 5-year-old comes up and hands you a crude replica of whatever you lost made out of construction paper:)