South Korea Take First Gold Medal, Canadian Women Dominate Hockey

The Favorite Kim Yu-Na of South Korea grabbed the gold medal in figure skating last night, shattering her former record of point totals and beating the silver medalist by a 23-point margin. The 19-year-old Kim, who is known as “Queen Yu-Na” by her fans, sealed the deal with a total score of 228.56. That is a new record for Kim, and it gives South Korea their first gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

Japan’s Mao Asada took home the silver medal, and bronze went to Canada’s Joannie Rochette, who was skating just days after her mother died tragically of a heart attack.

Kim Yu-Na skated to Gershwin’s “concerto in F”, which she performed nearly flawlessly. That performance gave her a score of 150.06 points, which brought her total to 228.56.

In women’s hockey news, the Canadian team defeated the U.S. team 2-0 to win the gold medal. The match-up paired the only two serious contenders in women’s hockey against each other, setting up a fiery rivalry.

Two early goals from Canada’s Marie-Phillip Poulin in the first period would put the Canadians on top, a deficit that the American would never come back from. The shutout was held intact by a sensational performance by Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados, who made 28 consecutive saves in the game.

"We played a great game and this is an incredible moment," Szabados said. "It was unbelievable. I just had to be calm and poised. I just tried to relax and have fun. You always want to be confident out there."

The U.S.-Canada rivalry in hockey extends back to 1998 when the sport was introduced to the Winter Olympics. The Americans won the first gold medal in 1998, followed by Canadian victories in 2002 and 2006. With 2010 under their belt, that makes three gold medals in a row for the Canadian women. With the exception of the 2006 games when the U.S. was upset early by Sweden, the Canadians and Americans have met in every single gold medal game.

Of course, that rivalry also extends to the U.S. and Canada’s men’s hockey teams. In the semifinal games today, the U.S. will play Finland and Canada will play Slovakia. It is very likely that the U.S. and Canada will both win their games today, setting up a final game in men’s hockey for Canada to play the United States. Not only would this an interesting parallel to the women’s hockey tournament, but it would set up a rematch for the early round upset when the U.S. beat Canada.

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