True Grit

Is there anyone who was watching the Olympic pairs figure skating yesterday who wasn't first horrified, and then thrilled, by the experience of the last pair to skate? Chinese skaters Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao were in second place coming in to the long program last night. They were planning to execute a throw quadruple jump at the beginning of their program, hoping that the successful completion of some high-difficulty elements like this would move them into first place. The throw was the first big ticket item in the program, and Zhang Dan fell on it. Falls happen in figure skating, but this fall was so bad that they had to stop their program. She could barely move after the fall—Zhang Hao had to help her (see photo) over to the side of the rink. In a breathtaking display of courage and perseverance, however, Zhang Dan decided to try to complete the program. I'm sure everyone watching held their collective breaths for each of the elements that followed, but the pair went on to skate so well that they won the Olympic silver medal. They also received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the fans in the rink, and I don't think I've ever seen a performance that deserved it more just on the basis of courage.