Olympic women's figure skating: A memorable opening night

Olympic women's figure skating is often thought of as the signature event of the Winter Olympics, and Tuesday night's short program certainly did little to let that reputation down.

The games began with plenty of hype, with Yu-Na Kim of Korea pegged as a gold medal favorite and Canadian skater Joannie Rochette fighting through the emotion after her mother's death a week ago. Rarely do events live up to that kind of hype.

Not so on Tuesday. First on the ice of the favorite was Kim, whose performance was preceded by a video highlighting her celebrity in her home country, where she makes as much as $9 million a year through endorsements and other ventures.

But she lived up to the hype. Kim skated a near-perfect routine, recording a new world record for a short program under the current scoring system.

Also making a splash was Mao Asada of China, who scored a 73.78, normally all but assured to be a top score.

But the most emotional effort of the night came from Rochette, who battled through tears to wow the home crowd, which gave her a stirring ovation at the conclusion of her routine. Rochette skated in front of her teary-eyed father and turned in an effort to remember for a liftime, willing herself into the top three.

If the remainder of the Olympic women's figure skating events are anything like Tuesday night's, the usual large audience ought to have plenty to talk about.