4. Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, China (2010 Olympic champions, three timeworld champions)
申雪赵宏博,中国(2010年冬奥会冠军,3次世锦赛冠军)
Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao are the firstChinese pair to have won Olympic gold. I remember seeing them for the firsttime at worlds in 1996 in Edmonton where I was thePA announcer for the pairs event. They were rough and raw but were equallydynamic. Unfortunately, their best performance was left in practice that year.I passed Lloyd Eisler backstage and told him I had been watching future worldchampions. He said "It'll never happen." It didn't - until 2002 thatis in Nagano, Japan.
申雪赵宏博是中国第一对获得奥运会冠军的双人滑运动员。我记得第一次见到他们是在96年的埃德蒙顿世锦赛上,我是那时的播音员。他们那时很粗糙,需要打磨,但两个人都充满了活力。不幸的是,那次他们只是在训练时发挥出了节目的最好水平。我在后台遇到了Lloyd Eisler(按:94年冬奥会双人滑季军,出自维基百科),告诉他我刚刚在看未来的世界冠军滑冰。他说永远不可能。但是,在2002年的日本长野,这的确变成了现实。
5. Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Russia (1992 Olympic champions)Artur Dmitriev is theonly other skater aside from Irina Rodnina to win Olympic gold with twodifferent partners. He competed with Natalia Mishkutenok from 1987 to1994, winning the Olympics in 1992 and Olympic silver in 1994, plus two worldtitles. Skating with Oksana Kazakova from 1994 until 1998, they took the Olympictitle in 1998.
With both partners, Dmitriev's charm and passion reached way up into theaudience. All skating aside his old world way of kissing his partner'shand as a thank you gesture was positively disarming!
6. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Russia (2002 Olympic champions, 1998 Olympicsilver medallists, two-time world champions)Before skating with Sikharulidze, Berezhnaya skated for Latvia withOleg Shliakov. In a spin mishap in early 1996, Shliakov's blade crackedopen Berezhnaya's skull, leaving her initially unable to speak and temporarilyparalyzed while she recovered. By late 1996, she started skating withSikharulidze and by 1998 they won their first of two consecutive world titles.In person their speed, unison and technical wizardry made me stop what I wasdoing to watch them.
7. Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Canada(2002 Olympic champions, 2001world champions)I am a sucker for a love story. Watching Sale and Pelletier's choreography to thesoundtrack of the same name was one of those rare times when time stood still.It is an iconic Lori Nichol program. Whenever I hear this music used in skatingby someone else, I want to whisper gently in their ear: 'This music has beenretired. Do yourself a favour and find something else to skate to."
8. Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Canada (Two-time Olympic bronze medallists in1992 and '94, 1993 world champions)There is something about Brasseur and Eisler's athleticism thatwas always so exciting. I remember seeing them as competitors and marvelling atelements like their lateral twist, which was huge. Their relationship reflectedtheir commitment to a common goal and they respected what each offered to thepartnership. They connected on the ice without being 'connected,' which was themagic of this team.
9. Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, Germany (2010 Olympic bronze medallists,three-time world champions)Savchenko and Szolkowy represent a new breed of pairs skaterrevered for their technical prowess. I have been critical in the past of theirlack of connection on the ice with the exception of their Out of Africa freeprogram, which marries their technical side with an emotion worthy of any Hollywood masterpiece. I can watch it again and again. Itleaves me wanting more from this team.
10. Barb Underhill and Paul Martini, Canada (1984 world champions)I will likely be accused of bias by including Underhill andMartini in this list. I can live with that. They are included because theyrepresent to me the best lesson that sport can teach an athlete. It isn'talways about the results. It's about the journey. Hard work does count forsomething and perseverance is key. Hats off to Underhill and Martini fornot throwing in the towel when faced with numerous disastrous skating results.Their victory in Ottawain 1984 was that much sweeter.