The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are just hours away and as always the figure skating competition is set to be one of the main events of the Games. With the legacy of Russian figure skating battling the ever-present threat of American skaters and newcomers from Japan, Korea and China, the competition is going to be tough, and nowhere more so than in the pairs events. Particularly with the new Team event at this year's Olympics, it is going to be, as ever, beautiful, thrilling and full of grace.
1. Jamie Sale & David Pelletier (Canada), 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics --- 'Love Story.' By far the most memorable pairs skating program of all time, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier from Canada gave an incredible, beautiful, impassioned performance in Salt Lake City. Their program was flawless, their synchronicity utter perfection. They brought a new level of class not seen for years. Moreover, the controversy over the judges' bribery scandal was a defining moment in skating history.
2. Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov (Russia), 1993 Skate Canada International, 'Flamenco.' Gordeeva and Grinkov were already the darlings of the figure skating world, having claimed gold in the 1988 Olympics and then retired to start a family. However, in the fall of 1993, they returned to competition, and their Skate Canada routine was simply superb. Their passionate, elegant performance made them legends. Just two years later, Grinkov died on the ice of a heart attack due to a congenital heart defect at the age of 28.
3. Jane Torvill & Christopher Dean (Great Britain), 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, 'Bolero.' Torvill and Dean have remained one of figure skating's most enduring institutions. Their 1984 gold-medal winning skate cemented their place in the history books not for its daring or excitement but for its pure and simple elegant beauty. The routine will remain the highest scoring single program in the history of figure skating under the retired 6.0 system.
4. Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao (China), 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 'Adagio in G Minor.' Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao made history in 2010 by becoming the first Chinese skaters to win the gold medal at a Winter Olympic Games in any figure skating category. And when you see this routine it's not difficult to see why. With their technical brilliance and elegant precision, it was clear why they desrved to be Olympic champions.
5. Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner (United States), 1979 World Championships, 'Free Program.' Babilionia and Gardner were just the scond American team to ever win the World Championships. And with this routine it is not difficult to see why. Though perhaps not as thrilling as contemporary routines, the grace of their clean lines, their incredible speed and unbounded athleticism made them the favorites of the 1980 Olympics. Following the warm-up, however, they withrdew because of injury.
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