Day 2 - Olympic performances that have made me cry
This is the first Olympic program I ever saw and I saw it live on TV. At the time (2006) I liked figure skating very much but after watching this performance I really fell in love with the sport.
Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao (he is still competing!!!) performed their LP in the 2006 Olympics when their first element, a quad throw, went awfully wrong. Zhang Dan crashed on the ice in a very nasty fall and could hardly stand up. But she did stand up and after a few moments went on to continue the program on her bruised leg and completed it beautifully. This program got them the Silver medal.
I will always remember that feeling I had when I watched her continue - I was in awe and had tears in my eyes. To me it was inspiring, a true example of how the mind can conquer the body. I was even more emotional when I watched Zhang Dan in the medal ceremony (watch here) - she could barely stand on the injured leg she landed jumps on just minutes before.
It was the first time I saw how tough women (and men but especially women) in figure skating really are. Later on I had many more examples - Tessa Virtue winning Olympic gold when she could barely walk, Aliona Savchenko tearing a ligament in her ankle mid program and still finishing it and taking the gold in that competition, are just two out of many more inspiring examples.
