21 pop culture moments from 2018 we’re celebrating
By Amy Woolsey
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 23: Alina Zagitova of Olympic Athlete from Russia competes during the Ladies Single Skating Free Skating on day fourteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 23, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Winter Olympics ice skating
Since their revival in the 1800s, the Olympic Games have occupied a fraught place on the world stage. In theory, they’re meant to symbolize peace and international unity, yet in reality, they tend to function as platforms for nationalism and political conflict. Throughout their history, the Games have been subject to numerous controversies, from doping scandals and protests to boycotts and terrorist attacks.
In the end, the spectacle of countries competing and staging elaborate ceremonies comes second in terms of entertainment value to the spectacle of athletes performing. And boy did they put on a show this year in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The figure skating events were particularly thrilling. For Team USA, 24-year-old Mirai Nagasu became the first American woman ever to land a triple axel in the Olympics, and Adam Rippon charmed audiences with his lively routines and snarky commentary. Meanwhile, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu made Rippon look downright subdued with a technically ambitious, artistically dazzling short program that prompted his legions of fans to bombard the rink with stuffed Pooh bears and feverish screams. And who could forget the smoldering chemistry shared by Canadian ice dance duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir?
Yes, there was also competition, as the rivalry between Russian prodigies Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova came right down to the wire. Try as NBC’s commentators might, their efforts at manufacturing drama paled in comparison to the tension generated organically by the skaters themselves, who kept one-upping each other with jaw-dropping displays of beauty and precision. Now excuse me while I watch their silver and gold medal-winning free skate performances, set, respectively, to Dario Marinelli’s Anna Karenina score and Ludwig Minkus’s Don Quixote, on a loop for the rest of the day.