Shooting From the Lip-Russian Female Gold Pairs Skater Leaves Salt Lake, Whines Over Sharing Medal

The Canada National Post ^ | February 25, 2002 | National Post Staff

[codebreaker]

'You know...

Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are good skaters and good guys.

But then, why don't we have three gold medals? (at the Olympics)

Russian skater Elena Berezhnaya, after she and partner Anton Sikhardulidze were forced to share pairs figure skating gold.

[Stavka2]

Oh, please, the Canadians are a bunch of whining babies...if you didn't notice, 4 other judges also voted against them. I'm sure if this was the US and not Russia, the bloody lot of you would be screaming to invade Canada or incinerate them with nukes....love the hypocracy. Russia's only fault is that it is not rich enough to bribe judges on the scale of Western countries.

[kayak]

I will join you in that protest!!!

[Stavka2]

Yeah, to bad 4 other judges voted for Russia...but then again, you'd sing a different song if it was the US getting screwed, wouldn't you?

[gjenkins]

someone should say ... "Ok then, the americans skated better than you, so they will get the gold and you get the silver."

[FixitGuy]

You really need to go back and see which judges voted for the Russians.

It was a block vote, just like in the good 'ol Cold War days.

[monday]

"Fair enough... but don't you wonder why you're the 1-in-100 who thinks the Russians won? ;)"

More then 1 in 100, I liked the Russian performance better too.

[bvw]

I just want to know when my own olympic figure skating gold medal is arriving. After all, we are all victims of bad judging at some point, and dag-nab-it, I'm sure had the judgements gone my way, I'd be having MSNBC filming me in my tight black jockey shorts.

[Utah Girl]

The French judge needs to get her story straight. Why didn't she say something about being pressured by the Canadians earlier? She left SLC after giving her version of the story, and didn't mention pressure by the Canadians, just by the Russians. That was the official story. She got home to France and all of a sudden, it was the mean Canadians pressuring her.

[Utah Girl]

I've also read that the female Russian skater is very reserved in personality, she didn't smile much before the competition either.

[united1000]

Can I file a protest? I am extraordinarily perturbed that not one freeper captured a screen shot of NBC showing skater Alexei Yagudin dropping his drawers. ;)

 

I'll join your protest too:-)  I knew there had to be a way to hold their shirts tucked in their britches.  What I found interesting as the cameraman followed him inside I knew what Alexei was doing, and what was going to happen, but was surprised the cameraman did not!  

[michigander]

-- more fluid, natural.

Yep, when that guy almost fell on his butt trying to land that double axel, the technical fluidity was something to behold.
The natural artistry, absoutely spellbinding.
I was in awe!

[FixitGuy]

"I'd be having MSNBC filming me in my tight black jockey shorts."

LOL....You're gonna have to get some SERIOUS style points to overcome THAT picture! =;^)

[1rudeboy]

They were making snide comments from the night this whole mess started.

Oh, really. What would happen to you if the press kept shoving microphones in your face and English was your second language? The female half of the Russian pair could barely speak English at all. How can you be sure that you understand what she meant?

I watched them get interviewed in the NBC studio. The male half basically said, "Hey, we're just skaters, we did not pressure the judge, this mess is not our fault, and this controversy has ruined our Olympic experience because we cannot go anywhere without being assaulted by reporters seeking a comment." What did NBC report later? That the Russians were disgruntled and unhappy.

[CathyRyan]

I watched the games this year because I wanted to support SLC. I do not plan to watch the summer or the winter games in the future.

[Utah Girl]

Time.com has a side-by-side slide show of the Canadian and Russian figure skaters. And NBC also did a split screen, of the two pairs doing their jumps. The Canadians were clean, the Russians were not. Here is the link to the Time.com slides.

Side by side comparisons

[FixitGuy]

"What would happen to you if the press kept shoving microphones in your face and English was your second language?"

Very good point. She did complain, but the media kept addding fuel to the fire!

"Oh Ratings, Oh Ratings" (NBC Anthem)

[Utah Girl]

Thanks! I watched more Olympics this time than I ever have before. I even watched curling one afternoon when I was taking care of my grandmother.

[kayak]

Great find, Utah Girl! A picture is worth a thousand words .... and better than a thousand recollections of split-second events!