I just love watching the Olympics, witnessing the numerous feats of athleticism, skill, courage, endurance and passion. Athletes have to hone their bodies as well as their minds and, on the day, it is often the individual who has greatest control over their mind that wins. Major championships are always dramatic and what occurred during the Pairs Figure Skating Programme in the 2006 Winter Olympics at the Turino Palavela was certainly that.

The last couple to skate was Xhang and Xhang from China, one of three pairs of Chinese skaters in this particular contest. Totomania and Marinin from Russia had produced a sublime performance and were tipped for gold. For Xhang and Xhang to succeed in their quest for the major prize their skating would have to be impeccable as well as encapsulating the difficult technical elements such as the quad jump where the skater makes four revolutions mid-air. This is a situation where potential does not come into the equation – only what you do on the occasion can be marked and with the new scoring system this was never more the case.

It wasn’t that long ago that the quad jump was executed for the first time in competition and now, just like what followed when Roger Bannister broke the 4min mile barrier in 1954, any skater of merit has a quad jump in their bag of tricks. When we see skaters gliding seemingly effortlessly over the ice we forget just how technical, acrobatic and even dangerous much of what they are doing is.

In pairs skating one of the required elements is a throw jump. Imagine being tossed into the air, whipping yourself around a few times with feet and body perfectly aligned and then touching down for a flawless landing.

For a chance at the gold medal, Xhang and Xhang had to go for broke. The opening moments of their routine included a throw jump involving a quad Salchow. Xhang performed the quad but couldn’t control the landing. She ended in an awkward box split, twisting and banging her left knee in the process. If that sounds painful, imagine how it must have felt! With her legs splayed and still out of control she crashed into the barriers. Apart from feeling empathy for the pain Xhang must have felt as she crash-landed one could not help but also feel sympathy for this skater so graceful one second and then sprawled on the ice, like a fledgling learning the rudiments of flight, the next. The audience gasped and the British commentator Barry Davies said resignedly:

“…Tough on them because they are going to end with nothing and she clearly is in considerable pain…What a shame!”

Xhang was in obviously discomfort. If she didn’t continue the programme she and her partner would walk away with nothing yet if she did skate she risked permanent injury. There was a brief consultation with their coach but no medical treatment. It felt as though time stood still as Xhang continued to move gingerly around the ice watched anxiously by her concerned partner. Then to everyone’s surprise the skaters moved into position to resume their performance. The usually eloquent Barry Davies was incredulous:

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