Figure Skating: Evora excels in Vancouver

Photo by Getty Images

Amanda Evora, a Filipino-American woman, together with partner Mark Ladwig, competed in the figure skating pairs competition in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

They didn’t win a medal but came up with personal bests in their first ever Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old Filipina who trains in Florida and Ladwig posted a personal best score during the competition.

Their score of 114.06 points, based on difficulty of elements and grades of execution, was their best of the season by more than 15 points. Combined with their personal best in the short program Sunday, their total score of 171.92 points put them in 10th place.

The gold medal went to Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China, who ended a string of dominance by Soviet and Russian skaters dating back to the 1960s. Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China won the silver and Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany the bronze.

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Evora and Ladwig set personal best

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig scored 57.86 points, easily surpassing their personal best 51.48 from 2008 Cup of China, to place 10th, the highest among American pairs. “All week, I’ve really felt like Mark and I really deserve to be here,” Evora said after the performance.

The judges felt the same way. All eight required elements in their performance to the “Portuguese Love Theme” received a positive grade of execution, helping them to an element score of 33.10 and program components mark of 24.76.

Evora and Ladwig started their program with a triple twist then landed side-by-side triple toes and the throw triple loop, the highest scoring element of their performance. They were nearly flawless in their Level 3 change foot combination spin, their Level 2 circular step sequence and their group 4 lift, which also rated Level 4. Their program concluded with a death spiral and a combination spin.

Links: Official Website,

Fil-Am Athletes Olympic Schedule

JR CELSKI

Event: Short Track

Saturday, Feb 13   NBC

17:00   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Heats

18:24   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Semifinals*

19:18    Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Finals* (MEDAL EVENT)

Wednesday, Feb 17

17:27   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Heats

18:35   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 5000 m Relay Semifinals**

Saturday, Feb 20

18:29   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Quarterfinals

19:28   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Semifinals

20:15   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Finals (MEDAL EVENT)

Friday, Feb 26

19:52   Shirt Track Speedskating – Men’s 5000 m Relay Finals (MEDAL EVENT)

*have to qualify to advance

AMANDA EVORA & MARK LADWIG

Event: Figure Skating Pairs

16:30   Figure Skating Pairs – Short Program

U.S. pairs skaters’ date with destiny?

by Martin Rogers, Yahoo Sports

Jeremy Barrett has dated Amanda Evora for the past five years, yet he’s happy to let her spend Valentine’s Day evening in the arms of another man. There’ll be soft music, close contact and the potential for jealousy – and what’s more the whole world will get to see it.

Welcome to the complicated lives of the United States pairs figure skating team, where the term “partner” means one thing on the ice and a totally different one away from it.

Barrett and Evora have made their home together in Bradenton, Fla., and will make their first appearance at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 14 – that love-struck date on the calendar where Cupid fires off his indiscriminate arrows. And they’ll be doing it separately.

Photo by Getty Images

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