What is the most heartbreaking moment in skating competition | Page 9 | Golden Skate

What is the most heartbreaking moment in skating competition

slowparade

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 9, 2017
A lot of you guys have mentioned this already but yeah..... Mao Asada's performances at Sochi, especially after she hit the ending pose in her FS. The big sweeping music of Rach 2, her Face.... I still get goosebumps. Another recent one that comes to mind is Sui Wenjing and Han Cong at Pyeongchang. Their placement isn't the most heartbreaking—they still got Silver, which is a massive accomplishment—but to see Wenjing cry on the podium during the ceremony and Cong trying to cheer her up felt like a punch in the gut. They really wanted the Gold, but it just wasn't their time.
 

narcissa

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
For me, Sochi result was not heart-broken. It simply made me sick. It was a definite proof that the judging system at the time was not working well, and scores could be easily manipulated (via some bad, selective technical calls and unacceptable PCS scores.) At least we got rid of the anonimous judging after that.

Looking back that's the only thing that's changed.
 

narcissa

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
I don't find a so-called more matured and more decorated skater failing to win Olympic Gold heart-breaking at all. I remember Michelle Kwan gave comment on Sochi Men Free event saying Patrick spent so many years "blood, sweat and tears" just for an Olympic moment but lost to Hanyu with 2 falls. Hanyu started skating at four, he also worked for 15 years "blood, sweat and tears" for his Olympic moment.

Blood, sweat, tears, health, both ankles, his home, his native language, his native culture, a childhood, an adulthood, relationships, friendships, family...the list goes on...
 

StephenGfan

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
-Tessa/scott getting lowballed in sochi. They definitely should have won the SD.
- Michelle losing to Tara in Nagano
- Yuna getting robbed in Sochi
- Yuna getting disgusting racist hate from Russian nationalists after Sochi on top of the Sochi crowd being incredibly rude towards her and other skaters who weren't Russian. (worst skating audience EVER!)
- Yulias last performance made my heart hurt :(
- Alina getting hate after winning gold
 

tjskate

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Tai and Randy. So heartbreaking, their golden opportunity; Tai totally baffled as to what is going on, Dick Button's voice breaking as he said "they have withdrawn."

And Kurt Browning. I remember him in the K&C that last time at the Olympics saying "I guess the Olympics just aren't my thing." So ironic that he was 4x World champion but could not get any color medal at the Olympics.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Felt pretty heartbroken for Mirai when she didn't make the Olympics. But then it made her comeback in 2018 that much sweeter. Also felt bad for Zagitova bombing at Worlds last year but happy to see her win the title this year. :)

I know a lot of people are saying Kim in Sochi but I didn't exactly see that as heartbreaking - she had already won an Olympic gold and she skated amazingly.
 

brens78

Medalist
Joined
Jun 15, 2016
Country
Australia
No heartbreak for Yuna tho I'll always believe she should have won, however, Adelina did not deserve the widespread hate for it and that in itself is heartbreaking.
 

MiraiFan

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Parsons free dance at nationals this year was pretty heartbreaking, especially given everything going on below the surface.
Gutted for Mao in Sochi and still believe she should have been higher in the standings after her FS.
Will always be sad for Caryn Kadavy who was too sick to compete in Calgary. What an awful thing to happen when you have worked so hard and made it to the Olympics.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
For me, it was both Michelle and Irina failing to rise to the occasion at the SLC Olympics. Either would have been worthy Olympic champions.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Watching Elvis limp up to the podium at the Olympics. It broke my heart.
 

labgoat

I have no words
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 3, 2007
Country
United-States
Tai and Randy. So heartbreaking, their golden opportunity; Tai totally baffled as to what is going on, Dick Button's voice breaking as he said "they have withdrawn."

And Kurt Browning. I remember him in the K&C that last time at the Olympics saying "I guess the Olympics just aren't my thing." So ironic that he was 4x World champion but could not get any color medal at the Olympics.

Tai & Randy was the worst, to be so ready and to not even get to try. I also felt for Caryn Kadavy a bit as she skated the SP with a high temperature and was throwing up with a high fever the night of the free skate. ABC has a brief shot of her in her room sick and watching the event.

I also felt for Elvis Stojko skating in pain with an injury similar to Randy Gardner's and fellow Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon having to withdraw after a painful hip injury on a rotational lift.

I am also sympathetic for the almost skaters Michelle, Mao, Orser, and Evgenia. Also for Kurt Browning who at least skated brilliantly in his Olympic debut in Calgary skating to Grand Canyon Suite showing off a quad and early skates of character skating as a cowboy and his own special creative footwork.
 

labgoat

I have no words
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 3, 2007
Country
United-States
For me, it was both Michelle and Irina failing to rise to the occasion at the SLC Olympics. Either would have been worthy Olympic champions.

Oh yes, I felt for Irina as well. I wonder if Michelle & her had a moment where they looked at each other thinking how did we both lose. In my mind they are both winners as I loved watching their great rivalry beginning as junior skaters.

It seems that the winner is often not the favorite, but the unexpected champion. So many thought Midori over Kristi, Nancy over Oksana, Michelle over Tara, Michelle or Irina over Sarah, Sasha over Shizuka, Yuna over Adelina, Evgenia over Alina. I think I will predict the challenger for the next Olympics. It is like the Miss America pageants of old where the favorite almost never won.
 

lariko

Medalist
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Country
Canada
I did not even see it, but I remember thinking ‘whatever happened to that girl?’ before Pyan Chang Olympics, and reading the heartbreaking account of Lipnitskaya’s last competition.

I did watch PC though, and hung in there since. This year, I got sad when after 4CC Uno under-rotated in the Worlds. It was not the most heartbreaking thing ever, but still... Kovtun’s sad statement in his retirement letter, when he calls himself that guy who did not make it into Olympics. And, despite real high of Tursynbaeva landing that quad at the Worlds, I feel sad for the juniors that did it prior to that, and now will get a little asterisk...
 

musicfan80

Medalist
Joined
May 20, 2015
Tai & Randy in the 1980 Olympics was heartbreaking.

Has anyone else mentioned what happened to Caryn Kadavy in the 1988 Olympics? It’s so awful to see someone not be able to complete their competition, especially at the Olympics.
 

KwanIsALegend

Fly On
Medalist
Joined
Feb 2, 2011
There are lots of them, but Michelle Kwan 2002 Olympics was just too much.
I can accept 1998 a lot more than I can 2002.
When they showed her brother & sister in the audience with their heads down. uggg.
It was a bad bad day.
 

VenusHalley

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 6, 2018
True... more "infuriating" than heartbreaking really.

The heart breaking moment of this for me was... that after she left ice... crowds started screeching "ROSSSIJAAAA" as if it was an icehockey game. Not just losing unfairly, but also not getting the deserved appreciation... it must have felt horrible for Yuna.

Thankfully, she is still appreciated and loved now.
 
Top