How Olympic determine skaters soar after stumbling on the ice : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4815x3282+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fea%2F3d%2Fb1046e1b48419dc6951401c5da99%2Fgettyimages-2260215321.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4815x3282+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fea%2F3d%2Fb1046e1b48419dc6951401c5da99%2Fgettyimages-2260215321.jpg" class="img" alt="Ellie Kam and partner Danny O'Shea of Team United States compete in the Pair Skating - Short Program at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 06, 2026 in Milan, Italy." fetchpriority="high"/> Ellie Kam and associate Danny O'Shea of Staff United States compete within the Pair Skating - Brief Program on the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic video games at Milano Ice Skating Area on February 06, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Matthew Stockman/Getty Photographs Europe cover caption

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Matthew Stockman/Getty Photographs Europe MILAN - After many years of observe and competitors, American skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea have been lastly on Olympic ice Friday, floating and twisting in good concord within the group pair quick program. Then it occurred. Quicker than you possibly can snap your fingers, Kam fell with a bump.

"We want we have been good each single time we step out on the ice," the 21-year-old Kam stated after the efficiency with a melancholy smile. "However you understand, ice is slippery."

What's fascinating about Kam and O'Shea's efficiency in Milan is not that they stumbled. No quantity of labor or coaching can take away each variable each time. The historical past of Olympic determine skating is formed virtually as a lot by epic falls as by hovering pirouettes.

What's outstanding is how briskly they recovered. In one other snap of the fingers, with ok.d. Lang's model of "Hallelujah" as their soundtrack, Kam leapt again off the laborious ice, spinning into rhythm with O'Shea.

"(Kam) did not want me to select her up. She obtained up and went after the following factor," stated O'Shea, who's 34. "We put the previous prior to now, and stepped proper into the following aspect."

How do skaters do it? How do they discover grace within the moments after the bodily and emotional punishment of an Olympic fall?

"I imply it is plenty of observe, for certain," Kam stated. "We focus [in training], in order that if one thing does go improper in competitors, we do not have to query something. I will be the place he's."

There's additionally communication: "We undoubtedly take a look at one another," O'Shea stated. "I do plenty of speaking all through our program. In that second, it is a deep breath. It is like, all proper, calm, yet one more factor, spin."

"We simply fell down, it's extremely unusual" They weren't the one ones to hit the ice on Friday. China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong received a gold medal in pairs determine skating on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

However throughout their group pair skating program, Sui Wenjing landed laborious after flipping by way of the air.

"We fell down this time," Han Cong stated. "We have skated nicely just lately, however we simply fell down, it's extremely unusual. We now have time now to arrange for the following [event]." Nodding confidently, Sui Wenjing stated, "We must always get extra time to observe and get well from jet lag."

Typically, bouncing again from that sort of stumble can result in triumph.

After the crash: Olympic triumph On the 2006 Winter Video games in Torino, China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao tried a technical, dangerous throw that on the time had by no means been landed in a significant worldwide competitors. It did not work.

Zhang Dan landed laborious, falling into an ungainly splits. She left the ice with an injured knee whereas Zhang Hou held her up. Remarkably, the pair returned to the ice a short while later and went on to win a silver medal.

"When the music began once more we did not know the place to start out our parts, however we gave a gesture after which we carried on," stated Zhang Dan, then 20 years previous, to the China.org information service. "Steadily, after we restarted we grew to become increasingly more clear in our minds easy methods to do these parts. We wished to go on."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2092x1299+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff0%2F6b%2Fb622d4c644929c9927d21d87e250%2Fap18047190398366.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2092x1299+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff0%2F6b%2Fb622d4c644929c9927d21d87e250%2Fap18047190398366.jpg" class="img" alt="Nathan Chen of the United States falls while performing during the men's short program figure skating in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea." loading="lazy"/> Nathan Chen of the US falls whereas performing throughout the males's quick program determine skating within the Gangneung Ice Area on the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. David J. Phillip/AP cover caption

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David J. Phillip/AP In 2018, American Nathan Chen pulled off an analogous restoration. After falling repeatedly on the Winter Video games in South Korea, he made Olympic historical past by being the primary skater to nail six quadruple jumps in a single free skate program.

"I used to be like, I already fell so many occasions, I'd as nicely exit and throw all the things down and see what occurs," Chen, the two-time Olympic gold medal winner, advised NPR on the time. "Screw it, I've nothing to lose."

The purpose, after all, is to keep away from falls of that magnitude and get well with as little drama as potential.

"I used to be like, whoopsies!" - Alysa Liu, age 20, talking after her first outing on the Milan Cortina Winter Video games

Throughout Friday's group ladies's single skating competitors in Milan, American Alysa Liu, age 20, did simply that. She might be seen grimacing after making a small error throughout her efficiency, touchdown awkwardly off a spinning double axel.

"I used to be like, whoopsies!" Liu stated, laughing. "My touchdown was actually ahead, proper?" She stated she felt assured in her routine and was in a position to rapidly get well, sticking the landings on her subsequent jumps confidently. "It is all good, proper?"

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3113x2076+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcc%2Fb8%2Fa074657a47b5b2f000b346b1749b%2Fap26037500451098.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3113x2076+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcc%2Fb8%2Fa074657a47b5b2f000b346b1749b%2Fap26037500451098.jpg" class="img" alt="Alysa Liu of the United States competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)" loading="lazy"/> Alysa Liu of the US competes throughout the determine skating ladies's group occasion on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Picture/Francisco Seco) Francisco Seco/AP cover caption

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Francisco Seco/AP Liu completed sturdy, capturing second place for her portion of the group occasion, whereas serving to raise the U.S. group into first place for the general group skating competitors that continues by way of Sunday.