« Golden opportunity | Home | What do Patrick Ewing, Dan Marino, Barry Bonds, and Sasha Cohen all have in common? »

When Hell freezes over

The above picture is Emily Hughes performing a death drop last night at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Less than two weeks ago, she was back home watching the Olympic opening ceremonies on television with her family. Deflecting media questions about her apparent snub by Team USA in favor of the injured Michelle Kwan, Emily graciously slid into her role as an Olympic alternate. A relatively inexperienced international competitor, Hughes’ biggest accomplishment so far in her career has been winning the bronze in this year’s United States Figure Skating Championships. Last year, she finished 6th among the American women. Hardly a threat to perform anywhere near the level of her decorated older sister, Hughes was brushed aside in favor of the more-recognizable Kwan.

After Kwan withdrew, Hughes was rushed over to Torino to fill her spot. With a field rich in both American and international talent, Hughes’ chances of performing well have pretty much been dismissed by all the so-called experts. Few give her even the slightest chance of breaking the top ten, and a medal seems impossible with the likes of Cohen, Slutskaya, and Meissner in the mix.

Here’s the standings after one of two programs:

1. Sasha Cohen
2. Irina Slutskaya
3. Shizuka Arakawa
4. Fumie Suguri
5. Kimmie Meissner
6. Elene Gedevanishvili
7. Emily Hughes
8. Miko Ando
9. Joannie Rochette
10. Sarah Meier
11. Carolina Kostner
12. Susanna Poykio
13. Elena Liashenko
14. Mira Leung
15. Yan Liu
16. Julia Sebestyen
17. Idora Hegel
18. Elena Sokolova
19. Viktoria Pavuk
20. Kiira Korpi
21. Fleur Maxwell
22. Tugba Karademir
23. Silvia Fontana
24. Galina Efremenko
25. Joanne Carter
26. Roxana Luca
27. Yong Suk Kim
28. Elena Glebova
29. Anastasia Gimazetdinova

Yeah, that’s right. 7th out of 29. In golf, they call that the front page of the leader board. In 2002, Emily’s sister Sarah struck gold after entering the free skate in 4th place. Granted, the short program is apparently Hughes’ best event, but hey - 22 other skaters can only wish they held the position she does right now. Realistically, the free skate will most likely be a bridge too far for young Hughes, but she’s gotta love the fact that she’s at least given herself a chance for one Hail Mary play.

Not bad for someone who was supposed to be home on the couch right now.