Australia's Brooklee Han has finished the free program of the Sochi 2014 Figure Skating competition in 20th place. Han began the second phase of competition in 22nd after earning 49.32 points for her short program. She was the second athlete to take to the ice, following Korea’s Park So Youn. Skating to the soundtrack of the Taiwanese movie Secret, Han produced an elegant program with technically challenging elements, earning 94.52 for a total score of 143.84.

“I felt pretty confident going out onto the ice,” Han said. “The past few weeks of training have been really solid. The program’s been running really well and this morning my practices session was pretty good. So I felt confident and ready to go.

“I popped one jump but everything else was solid and clean and really there. I think I had a couple little iffy landings today and it wasn’t as pristine as it could have been. So hopefully I can fix that before Worlds.”

Han got off to a good start before falling on her second element, the triple lutz.

“I felt pretty good going into the loop, it’s been very good in the program lately so I did that and then the lutzes have been going pretty well so I’m disappointed with the fall on that. I think I was a bit off balance a little too much inside and I wasn’t able to hold onto it but I was able to move on well and do a pretty good rest of the program. The first salchow was a little off but then the rest of it was pretty good.”

Just like in her short program, Han showed determination and composure, not letting the early error affect the rest of her long program.

“Ever since I was a little girl I have worked hard on regaining my composure,” Han said. “I never wanted to be that girl that gave up - I wanted to be a fighter.”

Han was pleased with the top-20 finish, and will leave Sochi with great experience and memories to take with her as she looks to the future.

“I definitely feel like this has been a very special experience,” the 18-year-old said. “Representing Australia at the Olympic Games is something that I have wanted to do since I was very little so finally being able to actualise that dream and skate is incredible.”

The standout performer in the first half of the field was Japan’s Mao Asada. A gold medal favourite, Asada bounced back from the huge disappointment of her short program to produce an incredible free routine that saw her score a new season’s best of 142.71.

Despite this flawless performance and huge score, it would prove impossible for her to challenge for a medal, with her total score sitting on 198.22. It will see her enter the record books as the first woman to land eight triples in competition.

"I may not be able to bring back an Olympic medal to Japan but I feel like I had the best performance I possibly could,” Asada said. “I'm obviously disappointed with myself from yesterday but everything I've been practising for the past four years bore fruit today. I like to think I've matured since Vancouver in my own distinct way."

The battle for the podium came to its climax as the last six skaters took to the ice.The emphatic crowd got was not quite enough to get Russian Yulia Lipnitskaya home with a clean performance, although her score of 135.34 did lift her temporarily into first place. The 15-year-old under-rotated her triple loop and then fell again on her triple salchow. As with her short program however, she scored highly on composition and interpretation, finishing with an overall score of 200.57.

Italy’s Carolina Kostner was elegant in her Bolero-inspired performance, earning 142.61 for a total of 216.73 and taking the top spot on the leaderboard.

Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova, who was second after the short program, followed with a fast-paced performance. Sotnikova was clearly loving the crowd, at one point even motioning to them for more encouragement. Despite a small stumble on her combination, the judges rewarded her with a score of 149.95 for a total of 224.59. Again the top spot was taken by a new contender, and with three skaters left – the medals would soon be known.

The USA’s Gracie Gold didn’t have the perfect routine that she needed to try and climb out of fourth position. A fall on her triple flip cost her, but she still managed a season’s best score for a final total of 205.53.

Gold’s compatriot Ashley Wagner who was sixth coming into the free program would drop a place, finishing on seventh with 193.20.

The moment everyone had been waiting for came as the last skater of the night took to the ice. Korea’s Yuna Kim was out to defend her Olympic title from 2010, knowing she would need to reproduce the magic she delivered in Vancouver four years ago if she was to get the gold.

Kim brought the house down.

Her performance was both flawless and beautiful, with the 23-year-old nailing every element in her program with grace and composure. The judges however forced Kim to settle for silver, awarding her 144.19 for a total of 219.11.

The gold would go to local favourite Sotnikova to the delight of the crowd. Kostner of Italy took the bronze.

Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

Thinking on her feet has seen Australia’s Brooklee Han put together a solid performance in the Ladies’ Individual Figure Skating and qualify her through to free program. A shaky start to Han’s short program meant that she lacked the speed to nail her first jump – a triple toeloop plus double toeloop. The deduction of 2.10 for popping the jump would have proved costly to her score if not for some quick thinking that saw her add the double back in later in her program.

“I had a little wobble at the beginning of the program, Han said. “I don't know what I was thinking. 

“In the crossover into the triple toe I had to pick up speed and unfortunately I wasn't able to get the triple toe perfectly out there. But then I was able to fight through and do a triple loop and tack a combination on there. So I was happy that I could think as I was going.”

Rising to the pressure of the occasion seemed a breeze for the 18-year-old who is based in Redding in the USA.

“I wasn't really all that nervous,” she said. “I was confident in my training and I had trust in myself. I kind of took it in my stride. The cameras following me everywhere, I have never really had that before. I kind of expected that but I had never experienced it before so that was a bit different.”

Han executed all of her other elements smoothly and was rewarded with a score of 49.32 from the judges, putting her in sixth place. With only the top-24 progressing through to free program, Han had done enough to secure a finals berth. 

“The free skate has been going really well in training,” she said. “It's a program that I really enjoy performing and I was really hoping I would get a chance to perform it here so I am excited to go out and skate it tomorrow for everyone and hope that I can skate it like I have been in practice the last few months.”

Despite the errors, Han admitted that her performance was a dream come true.

“It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience - you only get to make your Olympic debut once,” she said.

“It was something that I had dreamed of my whole life. Unfortunately it didn't go exactly how it does in my dreams but it was a good performance so I am happy with that.”

Korea’s darling of figure skating, 23-year-old Yuna Kim, skated in the third group of the night, and delivered her trademark flawless technical execution. The defending Olympic Champion and World Champion, delivered a stunning performance to the sounds of Send in the Clowns, earning 74.92 for her program. Although the score was not as high as her personal best set in Vancouver four years ago, it put her more than comfortably in first place with the second half of the field still to skate.

"In warm-up, I was very nervous, I couldn't jump at all,” Kim said. “But I tried to believe in myself and believed in what I've done before. I always get nervous before competition. I don't feel pressure. I was just nervous."

Gracie Gold of the USA was the best in the following group of skaters, earning 68.63 for her performance which brought her up to second place. Gold looked nervous in her short program but was technically solid and will remain a chance for a podium finish if she can lift in her free program.

The fifth and final group of the night got off to a roaring start, with 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya the first to skate. The baby-faced Russian star, who already has a gold medal from the Team event, had huge crowd support but felt the pressure of the occasion with some shaky elements and then a fall on her triple flip. Despite this, the judges awarded her strongly for composition and interpretation, putting her on 65.23 points.

Italy’s Carolina Kostner put out a clean and elegant skate in her performance to Ave Maria and was strongly rewarded with a season’s best score of 74.12. The score was the second best of the night at that point, and had the 27-year-old sitting just a fraction of a point behind Kim.

The home crowd quickly got a new favourite with Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova giving the performance of her life for a huge season’s best score of 74.64. The score rocketed her into second position with just one skater left on the bill – hot medal favourite Mao Asada of Japan.

Asada provided the biggest shock of the night, under-rotating on her triple axel and falling heavily to the ice for a three-point deduction. The 2010 Olympic silver medallist struggled to regain her composure, making a further mistake on her triple loop/double loop. Despite still showing her graceful lines throughout her program, the mistakes cost Asada heavily, earning just 55.51 from the judges, to leave her in 16th position.

Kim heads into the free program in the lead on 74.92 and will be challenged for the medals by Sotnikova (74.64) and Kostner (74.12), as well as the two American skaters Gold and Wagner and Lipnitskaya.

Han finished in 22nd and will be looking for a personal best in her free program to climb the final rankings.

Competition continues at 7pm local time on Thursday 20 February.



Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

In front of a packed crowd at the Iceberg Skating Palace, Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman have given a strong and entertaining free program. Coming into the Sochi Games, the pair from Sydney had set themselves the goal of making the free program. After achieving that last night, the new goal was set – to have fun.

Performing a routine with choreography and music inspired by the circus, the pair exuded playfulness and enthusiasm from the moment they stepped onto the ice.

“We definitely had fun,” O’Brien said with her trademark dazzling smile. “I think I was having so much fun that I didn’t notice that my legs hurt until I had finished. So that made it a lot easier.”

O’Brien and Merriman were the fifth couple to skate, taking to the ice after Victoria Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin of Russia who had the crowd roaring.

“It was such a buzz skating after the Russian team,” O’Brien said. “I kept thinking they were chanting ‘Danielle’ not ‘Russia’. We didn’t have enough Aussies in the stands to take over the chant so we just caught onto the Russian one.

“It was one of those moments – you rarely get to skate in an arena where people are going so crazy. It was so exciting.”

The Aussies delivered a solid program, with some small deductions for errors in their synchronised twizzle and circular step sequence.

“There were a few mistakes,” Merriman conceded. “I know I dropped at least one level on the twizzles. The steps may have been a bit rough but it was pretty clean technically. We had a little bit of speed off today but I think that’s from the late night and early practice.”

“I was yawning all through the four skaters before us,” O’Brien added, agreeing that the pair had struggled with being tired after last night’s short program.

“Now I’m thankful the lights are so bright because it kept me awake! But as soon as you step out onto that ice, as soon as you step out into the arena you don’t feel tired anymore.”

To the crowd, the pair certainly looked anything but tired, delivering their performance with the energy and emotion that it deserved.

“This is our second year of this program,” Merriman said. “So we know it like the back of our hand. It requires so much energy and theatrics. It looks like the energy drops if we are not theatrical in it so even in practice we do our best to smile. It’s almost our pain reflex now – ‘turn that frown upside down!’”

“Coaches often say - don’t make your smile so fake, but there was no way to fake a smile out there tonight because it was just so fun," O'Brien added.

Their free dance score of 75.85 brought O’Brien and Merriman to a total of 128.53. Although the score is unlikely to see them climb above their short program ranking of 20th, they wrap up their Olympic experience thrilled to have met all their own expectations and had fun along the way.

At 24 and 25 respectively, O’Brien and Merriman are now faced with the decision about their future in the sport.

“We will be going to Worlds and from there we are not really sure what we are going to do,” Merriman said. “Four years would be a really long time, I’ll be almost 30 by then, so it will be a big decision. Australia is home and I want to be at home in the long run. So it’s just a matter of deciding financially and physically what we want to do.”

The defending Olympic Champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, were sitting in second place after the short program. The pair skated a near flawless program to a medley of classical music to score a new season’s best of 114.66 to bring them to a total of 190.99.

Russia had two couples in the final group and at the end of Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov’s performance there were no fewer than 50 bunches of flowers rocketed onto the rink. The standing ovation carried right through from the end of their skate to the results which saw them all but guarantee them a medal on 183.48.

The final couple to take to the arena were Vancouver silver medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the USA. Leading after the short, Davis and White were mesmerising, earning 116.63 for a total of 195.52 and the gold medal.

Their friends and training partners, Virtue and Moir, took the silver medal and the hometown favourites Ilinykh and Katsalapov took the bronze.

Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman have delivered the performance of their careers in the short program of the Ice Dancing on Sunday night in Sochi. It has been 26 years since Australia was represented in Olympic Ice Dancing at the Calgary 1988 Games. 

It was worth the wait.

O’Brien, 24, and Merriman, 25, made their Olympic debut in style, achieving 52.68 for their short dance.

“It was a season’s best score, and a season’s best performance,” O’Brien said, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

Skating to music from the Cotton Club, it was clear from the very first beat that they were having fun, which ultimately translated into a great performance.

“It felt great out there. Every time we did an element, it stuck and it hit perfectly. I knew when we were doing it that it was one of our strongest performances. To have that confirmed by the mark and then to qualify – wow,” she said.

"It's just the icing on the cake of 15 years of dreaming, hoping, waiting and wondering what it would be like. It's all of those things put together. It's the best experience ever."

Needing to finish in the top 20 for a chance to contest the free skate, the score locked the pair into qualification, with four pairs sitting below them on the standings.

“We’ve just been waiting to perform our free dance,” O’Brien said. “Our free dance is all about having fun, but we thought – let’s just have fun today in case we are not here tomorrow.”

“To be out there in the rink and know the weight there is on being at an Olympics was amazing,” Merriman added. “We wanted to put it all out there, show people how much work we have done. It was important for us to take it in as much as possible, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

The performance was just rewards for the hard-working athletes from Sydney whose last Olympic campaign was derailed by illness.

There is no stage bigger for a figure skater than the Olympic Games, and tonight that stage shone with thrills, spills and unheralded shocks as the men’s individual event got underway under the bright lights of the Iceberg Skating Palace. Australia’s Brendan Kerry gave a spirited performance but was disappointed to make some costly errors early in his piece, ending his short program below his best on 47.12.

The 19-year-old was in the second group of skaters, alongside hometown hero and Olympic legend of the sport, Evgeni Plushenko. 

During warm-up, the Russian crowed roared for their local hero who was out to become the most decorated figure skater in history.

It wasn’t to be. 

With less than three minutes before the start of his program, the 31-year-old, who has already won gold at Sochi 2014 in the team event, unsuccessfully attempted a triple axel. After skating around holding his back and then unsuccessfully trying the jump again, Plushenko officially withdrew from the event for medical reasons.

As the announcer told the crowd, you could have heard a pin drop.

Speaking to the media, Plushenko’s coach Alexei Mishin said: "At the end of the free skating (in the team event) he was feeling unsure. I have worked with him for 20 years. We have had lots of success. This is one incident in 20 years when he was not successful. Please be positive to him and respect him."

Plushenko then faced the packed media room to offer explanation of his injury.

"Yesterday, I fell on the quad toe in training and I felt a problem in my back,” he said. “Today I went into training to see what I could do but I couldn't jump."

"In the warm-up I did the triple loop and triple lutz, but after the first triple axel I stepped out and felt terrible pain in my leg and the second one was just a terrible landing. I couldn't feel my legs after it. It hurt and that was it, I had to withdraw."

Plushenko’s withdrawal meant that Kerry was the second skater to take to the ice, but the events did not disrupt the Sydneysider, who said he didn’t really know what had happened until after, and was just thrilled to have had the chance to share the rink with one of his heroes during warm-up.

“That was amazing,” Kerry said of his experience. 

“Practice [for me] has been terrible since getting here. I have been distracted by the cameras and all the people and I wasn’t focusing on what I was doing. But it was strange - as soon as I was on practice with him [Plushenko] I was just focusing on trying to do well, because not many people get to do that in a lifetime so I want to make sure I do it properly.

“I was paranoid, I didn’t want to get in his way! It was amazing, all my friends were jealous.”

Skating to a classical rendition of Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, Kerry got off to shaky start, saying that he let his mind get the better of him before his performance even started.

“I felt really stressed until I got out onto the ice and then I actually felt really comfy,” Kerry said. “But just when I was skating around I kept thinking in my head ‘I’m going to miss this first jump’ and it just kept going that way.”

Despite being disappointed with his performance, Kerry is only young and will take a lot from the experience with him into future competitions and future Olympics. At just 19, Kerry’s talent as a skater is unquestionable, but he has identified that his focus and mental strength is something he will need to work on. 

“In practice, I let it get to me, which I shouldn’t have. I have had the big stadiums and bright lights and crowds before. I actually really enjoyed it when I went out. Everyone was cheering for Plushenko and I felt like I kind of got high off that because it was just unreal seeing so many people support the sport. So I don’t think it was that. I think it was just me playing mind games with myself.

“I’ve got Junior Worlds and then Senior Worlds coming up. I am planning on skating better.

“I’ve learned that every competition is the same. I only felt that when I finished. I have skated well pretty much all year. I have been training fine. I need to remember that every competition is the same. I need to make sure I remember that next time.

With 30 men in total and only 24 progressing to the following day’s free program, the pressure was on.

Yuzuru Hanyu, the 19-year-old Japanese sensation, proved he is the biggest threat for the gold medal, finishing the short program as the overall leader with a huge 101.45 points. 

Hanyu set a record score of 101.45 points, improving his own top score in the short programme and becoming the first man to crack a 100 points.

Hot favourite Patrick Chan of Canada also produced a strong performance, finishing second with 97.52. Spanish skater Javier Fernandez was third with 86.98.

Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au