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Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Pair skating

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pair skating
at the XXI Olympic Winter Games
Figure skating pictogram
VenuePacific Coliseum
Vancouver, Canada
Dates14–15 February 2010
Competitors20 teams from 12 nations
Winning score216.57 points
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Shen Xue
and Zhao Hongbo		  China
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Pang Qing
and Tong Jian		  China
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Aljona Savchenko
and Robin Szolkowy		  Germany
← 2006
2014 →
Pang Qing, Tong Jian, Shen Xue, Zhao Hongbo, Aljona Savchenko, and Robin Szolkowy pose on the medalists' podium.
The medalists from the pairs' event at the 2010 Winter Olympics (from left to right): Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China (silver); Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China (gold); and Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany (bronze)
The Pacific Coliseum as seen from the outside
All of the figure skating events at the 2010 Winter Olympics were held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada.[1]

The pair skating competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held from 14 to 15 February at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada, and featured 20 teams from 12 different nations. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China won the gold medals, while Pang Qing and Tong Jian, also of China, won the silver, and Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany won the bronze. Both Chinese pairs set new world record scores in addition to their gold and silver medals. This was the first time since 1960 that a Soviet or Russian team didn't win the pairs' event at the Winter Olympics.[a]

Background

[edit]

The pair skating competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held from 14 to 15 February at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada.[3][1] 20 teams representing 12 nations entered the competition. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China were considered the favorites to win the gold medals.[4] Shen and Zhao had won bronze medals at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, and were three-time world champions (2002–2003, 2007), three-time Four Continents champions (1999, 2003, 2007), six-time Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final champions (1998–1999, 2003–2004, 2006, 2009), and eight-time Chinese national champions (1993–1994, 1996–1999, 2001–2002).[5] They had retired after the 2007 World Championships, after which they got married, but they returned to competition in 2009 with the intention of competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Shen and Zhao were undefeated since returning to competition, and held the world record scores in both the short program and overall total. They had held the record score in the free skate[6] until Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia beat that score at the 2010 European Championships.[7] Their strongest competition was expected to be Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany.[8] Savchenko and Szolkowy were two-time world champions (2008–2009), three-time European champions (2007–2009), and six-time German national champions (2004–2009).[9]

Qualification

[edit]

Sixteen quota spots in the pairs' event were awarded based on the results at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.[10] Four additional quota spots were made available at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy.[11]

Qualifying nations in pairs[10][11]
Event Teams
per NOC		 Qualifying NOCs Total
teams
2009 World Championships 3  China
 Russia		 16
2  Canada
 Germany
 Ukraine
 United States
1  France
 Great Britain
2009 Nebelhorn Trophy 1  Estonia
 Italy
 Poland
 Switzerland		 4
Total 20

Required performance elements

[edit]

Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on 14 February.[3] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[12] the short program had to include the following elements: one hand-to-hand lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one pair spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence.[13]

All twenty couples after completion of the short program moved on to the free skating, which was performed on 15 February.[3] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes 30 seconds,[14] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, two twist lifts, two different throw jumps, one solo jump, one jump combination or sequence, one solo spin combination, one pair spin combination, one death spiral, and a spiral sequence.[15]

Judging

[edit]

Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on five program components (skating skills, transitions/linking footwork and movement, performance/execution, choreography/composition, and musical interpretation). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −3 to +3 based on the quality of its execution.[16] Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –3 to +3 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values. For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.20 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 3.00 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 11.20 points.[17] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score.[18] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.[19]

Program component factoring[20]
Discipline Short program Free skate
Pairs 0.80 1.60

Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[21] The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[22]

Records

[edit]

The following new record high scores were set during this competition.

Record high scores
Date Skater Segment Score Ref.
14 February
  • China
 Short program 76.66 [23]
15 February Free skating 141.81 [24]
Total score 216.57

Results

[edit]
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Pang Qing and Tong Jian at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy at the 2010 Winter Olympics
The gold, silver, and bronze medalists from the pairs event at the 2010 Winter Olympics (from left to right):
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China (gold); Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China (silver); and Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany (bronze)
Code key

Short program

[edit]

The pairs' short program was held on 14 February.[25] Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China, performing to "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen,[6] finished in first place, setting a new world record with a score of 76.66. They beat the previous record,[25] which had been set by them at the 2009–10 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.[26] At 31 (Shen) and 36 (Zhao), they were the oldest skaters at the Olympics. Their performance featured side-by-side triple toe loops and a triple twist lift.[25] Their performance "oozed elegance",[23] and they skated as if they were one person, with perfect timing and unity.[23] Their score was a mere 0.70 points ahead of Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany.[25] Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia finished in third place, while Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China finished fourth, and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, also of China, finished fifth.[23]

Pairs' short program results[27]
Pl. Skater Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CH IN
1  China 76.66 42.42 34.24 8.60 8.30 8.70 8.60 8.60
2  Germany 75.96 42.24 33.72 8.40 8.25 8.55 8.50 8.45
3  Russia 74.16 40.92 33.24 8.25 8.10 8.45 8.30 8.45
4  China 71.50 39.90 32.60 8.25 7.90 8.25 8.15 8.20
5  China 71.28 41.08 30.20 7.70 7.40 7.55 7.65 7.45
6  Canada 65.36 36.16 30.20 7.60 7.30 7.60 7.65 7.60
7  Canada 64.20 37.60 26.60 6.70 6.30 6.75 6.80 6.70
8  Russia 63.44 34.24 30.20 7.65 7.40 7.50 7.65 7.55
9  Ukraine 62.14 34.62 27.52 7.05 6.70 6.85 7.00 6.80
10  United States 57.86 33.10 24.76 6.30 5.95 6.35 6.20 6.15
11  Italy 56.82 31.90 24.92 6.40 6.10 6.15 6.40 6.10
12  Russia 56.54 31.74 24.80 6.25 5.90 6.30 6.35 6.20
13  Switzerland 55.34 32.70 22.64 5.85 5.40 5.80 5.75 5.50
14  United States 53.26 29.86 23.40 6.00 5.60 5.95 5.95 5.75
15  France 51.16 28.56 22.60 5.75 5.40 5.65 5.80 5.65
16  Great Britain 48.28 27.72 20.56 5.25 4.90 5.25 5.15 5.15
17  Germany 45.46 23.54 21.92 5.60 5.25 5.35 5.55 5.65
18  Estonia 42.18 23.70 19.48 5.15 4.60 4.85 5.00 4.75
19  Ukraine 39.54 21.74 18.80 4.85 4.50 4.65 4.85 4.65
20  Poland 39.30 23.26 18.04 4.75 4.25 4.40 4.55 4.60

Free skating

[edit]

The pairs' free skate was held on 15 February. Though Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo finished second in the free skate, their total score of 216.57 was enough to secure them the gold medals which had lured them out of retirement a year earlier. They finished more than three points ahead of Pang Qing and Tong Jian, who won the silver. Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy had a flawed free skate and finished in third place.[28] Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov finished in fourth place after a free skate that Philip Hersh of The Los Angeles Times described as "messy from start to finish".[24] This was the first time since 1960 that a Soviet or Russian team did not win the pairs' event at the Winter Olympics,[a][28] and marked the first Olympic gold medal for China in figure skating.[24]

Shen and Zhao's performance to Adagio in G minor by Tomaso Albinoni featured mesmerizing choreography and flawless throw jumps. Writing for The Associated Press, Nancy Armour described their throw triple Salchow as "so massive, [Shen] ought to get frequent flier points".[28] They finished their routine with a carry lift that circled half the ice, bringing the audience to a standing ovation before the music even concluded.[28] However, their free skate still scored below that of Pang Qing and Tong Jian. Pang and Tong's routine, set to "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, set a new world record score in the free skate with 141.81.[24]

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig of the United States finished in tenth place, while Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, also of the United States, finished in thirteenth place. Evora and Ladwig's total score of 171.92 was the worst highest performance by an American pairs team in the Olympic history, as was the aggregate finish of the two American pairs teams.[24]

Pairs' free skate results[29]
Pl. Skater Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CH IN
1  China 141.81 70.53 71.28 8.90 8.70 9.00 8.90 9.05
2  China 139.91 67.51 72.40 8.95 8.85 9.10 9.10 9.25
3  Germany 134.64 65.08 70.56 8.85 8.60 8.85 8.85 8.95
4  China 123.06 65.42 58.64 7.50 7.15 7.35 7.40 7.25
5  Russia 122.35 61.27 62.08 7.80 7.55 7.80 7.85 7.80
6  Canada 121.75 60.99 61.76 7.70 7.60 7.70 7.85 7.75
7  Russia 120.61 57.13 64.48 8.05 7.85 8.05 8.10 8.25
8  Ukraine 119.64 64.64 56.00 7.15 6.75 7.05 7.05 7.00
9  Canada 115.77 60.45 56.32 7.10 6.80 7.05 7.10 7.15
10  United States 114.06 62.06 52.00 6.45 6.45 6.65 6.45 6.50
11  Russia 106.96 57.72 50.24 6.40 6.10 6.20 6.40 6.30
12  United States 105.07 56.27 48.80 6.20 5.85 6.25 6.15 6.05
13  Italy 104.78 54.34 51.44 6.65 6.30 6.35 6.55 6.30
14  France 93.94 48.34 45.60 5.90 5.45 5.75 5.75 5.65
15  Germany 93.28 51.08 43.20 5.50 5.20 5.60 5.35 5.35
16  Great Britain 91.66 49.90 41.76 5.25 5.10 5.30 5.30 5.15
17  Switzerland 89.08 48.44 42.64 5.40 5.25 5.15 5.45 5.40
18  Poland 86.52 49.44 38.08 4.90 4.40 4.75 4.90 4.85
19  Estonia 82.72 43.92 38.80 5.05 4.65 4.90 4.95 4.70
20  Ukraine 81.44 45.52 35.92 4.65 4.20 4.65 4.50 4.45

Overall

[edit]
Pairs' results[30]
Rank Team Nation Total SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  China 216.57 1 76.66 2 139.91
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  China 213.31 4 71.50 1 141.81
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Germany 210.60 2 75.96 3 134.64
4  Russia 194.77 3 74.16 7 120.61
5  China 194.34 5 71.28 4 123.06
6  Canada 187.11 6 65.36 6 121.75
7  Russia 185.79 8 63.44 5 122.35
8  Ukraine 181.78 9 62.14 8 119.64
9  Canada 179.97 7 64.20 9 115.77
10  United States 171.92 10 57.86 10 114.06
11  Russia 163.50 12 56.54 11 106.96
12  Italy 161.60 11 56.82 13 104.78
13  United States 158.33 14 53.26 12 105.07
14  France 145.10 15 51.16 14 93.94
15  Switzerland 144.42 13 55.34 17 89.08
16  Great Britain 139.94 16 48.28 16 91.66
17  Germany 138.74 17 45.46 15 93.28
18  Poland 125.82 20 39.30 18 86.52
19  Estonia 124.90 18 42.18 19 82.72
20  Ukraine 120.98 19 39.54 20 81.44

Note

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Two teams were ultimately awarded gold medals in the pairs' event at the 2002 Winter Olympics: Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia, and Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Pacific Coliseum". Vancouver2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  2. ↑ "2002 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs". International Skating Union. 18 February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Olympics – Event Schedule". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Winter Olympic broadcast schedule". The Bellingham Herald. 7 February 2010. p. F4. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Competition Results – Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao". International Skating Union. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Beverley (11 February 2010). "Chinese duo aims to renew Canadian love story". The Globe and Mail. p. S2. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Kondakova, Anna (20 January 2010). "Kavaguti and Smirnov win gold, Germans second". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Milton, Steve (11 February 2010). "One leg up for a medal". The Hamilton Spectator. p. SP8. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Competition Results – Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy". International Skating Union. 28 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Communication No. 1568: Entries/Participation 2010 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) – Single & Pair Skating/Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. 25 May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Olympic Qualifying Competition – Oberstdorf (GER) – Review". International Skating Union. 27 September 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  12. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 85.
  13. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, pp. 93–94.
  14. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 86.
  15. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 104.
  16. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, pp. 109–112.
  17. ↑ "Communication No. 1494: Single and Pair Skating – Scale of Values, Guidelines for marking GOE and Levels for the season 2008–2009" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  18. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 20.
  19. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, pp. 21–22.
  20. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 22.
  21. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 23.
  22. ↑ S&P/ID 2008, p. 24.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Armour, Nancy (15 February 2010). "Chinese pair notch skating world record". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Associated Press. pp. C2. Retrieved 10 June 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 Hersh, Philip (16 February 2010). "Fourth time's the right time". The Los Angeles Times. p. V3. Retrieved 10 June 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Chinese skaters set pairs world record". The Tennessean. 15 February 2010. p. 4C. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "ISU Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Day 1". International Skating Union. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  27. ↑ "Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs Short Program – Result Details". International Skating Union. 14 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Armour, Nancy (16 February 2010). "Chinese pair captures gold; Russians get shut out". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Associated Press. p. 3D. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs Free Skating – Result Details". International Skating Union. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  30. ↑ "2010 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2026.

Works cited

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figure_skating_at_the_2010_Winter_Olympics_–_Pair_skating&oldid=1369118163"