Figure skating meets Star Wars in new hope for fans

Figure skating may not hold a candle to Star Wars when it comes to viewership, but it found a new hope for fandom after a little-known Frenchman worked the iconic science-fiction franchise into his program at the Beijing Olympics.

Donning a Jedi-themed outfit at the men's competition on Tuesday, Adam Siao Him Fa opened his short program to the sound of Darth Vader's breathing, his score arranged with the Imperial March and other snippets of Star Wars music.

Sprinkling dueling scenes in between, Siao Him Fa concluded with a raised hand to the sound of an extending lightsaber.

"It feels good that even people who are not figure skating fans liked the program because they love Star Wars," the 21-year-old said on Wednesday after a practice session.

Star Wars die-hards took to social media to celebrate.

"Rock on, French Star Wars figure skating guy. Hell yeah," tweeted Michael Baumann, a staff writer at sports and pop culture website The Ringer who has nearly 19,000 followers.

It was a mission accomplished for Siao Him Fa, himself a fan－his favorite is the 1977 original, Episode IV: A New Hope－who said it was a no-brainer when his choreographer suggested the selection.

"That was the idea－to make a short program that can be loved by people who watch figure skating and also people who don't," he said.

"It feels good, and I was happy with my performance."

Star Wars also featured in Chinese pair dancers Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao's performance at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.

The Bordeaux-born Siao Him Fa finished 14th to qualify for the final free skate on Thursday.

When asked whether he had a favorite Star Wars TV series, he said: "I haven't watched them yet. I just got Disney Plus so I'm going to watch it when I get back to France."

Reuters