I couldn’t stand it a second longer. The pressure of Heath’s hand on the back of my neck. His breath on my skin. All those eyes staring at us, wondering what the hell they’d witnessed.
So I scrambled upright and shoved him away from me. He was still gripping my neck, fingers tangled in my hair, caught in the clasp of the choker.
Red beads scattered over the Olympic rings. I had a momentary manic urge to bend down and try to gather them up—perhaps the only way I could’ve made the situation more humiliating.
Instead I left the broken necklace behind, and we skated off without bowing.
Lena waited at the boards. “What was that?” she demanded, her thick German accent turning the question even more severe.
I said nothing. Heath said nothing. What could we say? Four minutes before, we had been the gold medal favorites. Now we had almost certainly fallen the whole way off the podium.
Lena stalked away, letting out a stream of what I could only assume were German expletives. She refused to join us in the kiss and cry, and I didn’t blame her. I had no desire to see our scores either. Until the numbers appeared, I could pretend this was all a bad dream, and I was about to wake up in my uncomfortable Olympic Village bed with a chance to do it over.
Heath and I sat on opposite ends of the kiss and cry bench. I hadn’t bothered to put my Team USA jacket back on, so sweat chilled my bare arms. I grit my teeth to keep from shivering. Heath stared at the floor. A few feet away, Veronika Volkova stood with Yelena and Dmitri, waiting to see what color their medal would be.
“The scores, please, for Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha of the United States of America.”
Garrett Lin:Their free dance was a bit…intense.
Kirk Lockwood:It was unforgettable, that’s for sure.
Ellis Dean:It looked like they were trying to kill each other.
The empty podium sits in the center of the ice at the Pacific Coliseum, awaiting the ice dance medal ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Garrett Lin:Everyone goes to the Olympics dreaming of a gold medal, but you have to be realistic. There can only be one winner.
Kirk Lockwood:Shaw and Rocha had such a big lead coming into the free, and they’d been skating so flawlessly all season, anyone would’ve thought they had it in the bag.
Over the loudspeakers, an announcement, first in French and then in English: “Bronze medalists, representing the United States of America…”
Kirk Lockwood:But that’s why we love this crazy sport, right?
“Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha!” Their free dance program music plays as they skate out. They mount the lowest platform of the podium, without touching or looking at each other.
Veronika Volkova:After that free dance, it was a travesty for Shaw and Rocha to stand on any step of the podium.
Francesca Gaskell:DoIthink they deserved a medal? Well, that’s not for me to say, is it? That’s why we have officials.
Veronika Volkova:Worse still, their dramatics distracted other athletes from skating their best that day.
The announcer introduces the silver medalists: “Representing the Russian Federation, Yelena Volkova and Dmitri Kipriyanov!” Yelena looks miserable, her eyes and nose red from crying.
Garrett Lin:No one could have predicted it would turn out the way it did.
“Gold medalists,” the announcer says, but the names of the winning skaters are drowned out by wild cheering.
Garrett Lin:Bella and I…well, we were both stunned. The whole thing felt surreal.
Canadians Olivia Pelletier and Paul McClory skate out to greet their adoring hometown crowd. Thanks to stumbles by the Americans and the Russians, they pulled off a surprise upset and clinched the gold.
Garrett Lin:We stayed in fourth. Less than a point between our total score and Kat and Heath’s. Between us and the Olympic podium.
Katarina and Heath receive their bronze medals and bouquets. Katarina positions her flowers over the medal, like she doesn’t want anyone to see it.
Jane Currer:You would have thought someone died, from the looks on their faces. Most athletes would be thrilled to win an Olympic medal, no matter the color.
Kirk Lockwood:Sure, Shaw and Rocha could’ve been more gracious.
