Leaders tumble, and Arakawa wins Gold
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-24 08:49

TURIN, Italy - She was elegance on ice, her spirals superb, her skating sublime. That she was standing in the end didn't hurt, either.

(L-R) Silver medallist Sasha Cohen from the U.S., gold medal winner Shizuka Arakawa (C) from Japan and bronze medallist Irina Slutskaya of Russia pose during a medal ceremony for the women's Figure Skating competition at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, February 23, 2006. [Reuters]

"I'm just surprised right now," Arakawa said. "I can't find the words for it."

Try mesmerizing, even spellbinding.

Everything American champion Sasha Cohen and Russian star Irina Slutskaya were not. They gave Arakawa plenty of help by tumbling to the ice often enough to make it a rout.

After the three were separated by a mere .71 points in the short program, Arakawa won the first figure skating gold ever for Japan by nearly eight points.

The 2004 world champion did it with a beauty and technical excellence that even had two-time Olympic winner Katarina Witt standing and applauding before she finished. Cohen fell twice and finished with a silver; Slutskaya fell once and took bronze.

"I think it was a gift," Cohen said. "I'm very pleased."

The Japanese team has struggled in the mountains and on the ice in Turin. But Arakawa, third after the short program behind Cohen and Slutskaya, was magnificent. Her spectacular spirals thrilled the crowd and, more importantly, impressed the judges.

"I didn't feel so much pressure about that," Arakawa said, referring to Japan's disappointing games. "I am very happy that I am the one who won it."

Emotionless for most of her four-minute routine, Arakawa broke into a smile that only got bigger when the scores were flashed. When her personal best of 125.32 points for the free skate were displayed, she flashed a "V" for victory sign then pumped her fist when she moved into first place with 191.34 points.

Cohen already flubbed her first two jumps — and her shot at gold.