The men’s competition is another story. There are several skaters with gold in their sites, and with the new judging system, the way to the top of the podium has opened up. The two favourites are Yevgeny Plushenko, coming out of retirement to attempt to match his gold from Torino in 2006. Back to back Olympic Gold medal in Men’s has not been accomplished in almost six decades. Plushenko is 27, and he rose to fame and gold medals in a time when great jumping, especially the ability to do a quad jump, was applauded over spins, steps and transitions. The new judging system might not be in his favour.
Another skater likely to be in the medals is Evan Lysacek from the United States. He is the reigning world champion and he focuses less on jumps and more on other elements. So it will be old versus new, but with others also looking for gold. Two other former world champions, Stephane Lambiel and Brian Joubert can do quads and they are both planning two of them in their free program, matching what Plushenko plans. The last two mens’ world champions have not done quads, so that gold is up for grabs, spins and jumps.
In Ice Dancing, the Russian couple of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin won the 2009 World Ice Dance Championships. They seem favoured to win, but will face the French couple of Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder, who won the championships in 2008, but did not compete in 2009. The surprise here might be the United States 2009 and 2010 Ice Dance Champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. And the couple with home ice advantage, Canadian Ice Dance Champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are ready for gold.
In the women’s competition, 19 year old Kim Yu-Na, of South Korea is heavily favoured. She is the 2009 World Figure Skating Champion and the 2009 Four Continents champion. She won the South Korean National figure skating title five times and has a string of other successes. She is the 2007 and 2008 World figure skating bronze medallist, the 2007 Grand Prix Final champion, and in 2006 she was the World Junior figure skating champion and the Junior Grand Prix Final Champion. Kin Yu-Na might be hard to beat, with her unique Yu-Na spin, and perhaps cheered on by Canadians, since she has been training in Toronto with 1988 Men’s Silver Medallist, Canadian, Brian Orser.
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