2010 WINTER OLYMPICS PREVIEWS: FIGURE SKATING

Kim Yu-Na

Figure skating is the most in-demand ticket at the Winter Olympics- and with good reason. The most skilled skaters in the world train and compete for years to be here and the unique pressure of the Olympic stage puts them all to the test. American male skaters Evan Lysack, Jeremy Abbott and Johnny Weir will compete against returning Olympic Champion Evgeni Plushenko and additional contenders Patrick Chan of Canada and Brian Joubert of France. On the female side, 17 year-old U.S. Champion Rachel Flatt and 16 year-old former U.S. Champion Mirai Nagasu lead a new generation of American skaters. They’ll take the ice at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum against a tough field led by South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na. The 19 year-old Kim has dominated the event since 2008, winning nine of eleven events in that span, racking up record-breaking scores and a string of standing ovations with her James Bond-themed short program. If she’s on at the Olympics she’ll become one of the stars of the Games. Then again, the women’s favorite hasn’t won gold in this event since 1994. If Kim falters, Japan’s Mao Asada and Miki Ando, both former World Champions, could step up.