All that glitters is not Gold

Day #5 of the Games marked the beginning of the Pair Skating competition. Canada is represented by three duos: Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford, Julianne Seguin & Charlie Bilodeau, and Kirsten Moore-Towers & Michael Marinaro.

Also of note is the pair of Ryom Tae Ok & Kim Ju Sik, from North Korea. Interestingly, Ryom and Kim trained with Canadian coach Bruno Marcotte in Montreal for two months in 2017, and are said to be big fans of two-time World Champions Duhamel & Radford.

The moment the North Koreans took to the ice for their short program, the crowd erupted in support of the pair. The now infamous PRK cheerleading squad was also in full force, with all 229 women seated in the same section of the arena chanting and swaying in unison.

The young skaters seemed to feed off the energy in the building, and delivered a captivating performance which earned them a score of 69.40. By placing among the top 16 teams, they also qualified to advance in the competition.

Next to skate were Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro. Competing for the first time together at the Olympics, the duo earned a score of 65.68. Shortly thereafter, Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau delivered a strong performance of their own, earning a score of 67.52. Both pairs qualified for tomorrow’s free skate.

Seven-time National Champions Megan Duhamel & Eric Radford, who were also part of the squad that earned gold in the Team Event, took to the ice for the third time in PyeongChang. The pair skated beautifully to April Meservy’s interpretation of U2’s “With or Without You” and earned a score of 76.82, placing them in 3rd after the short program.

The Winds of Winter

Not long after the figure skating wrapped-up, a wicked windstorm blew into the Gagneung area. The Venue Media Centre at the GIA, which is actually just a great big tent located outside the arena, started swaying precariously, prompting the PyeongChang Organizing Committee to evacuate the premises. My fellow photographers and I had to relocate to a designated area inside the arena in order to finish editing and uploading our images. Thankfully, in the end, no real harm was done.

Eventually I made my way back to the GMV for a quick nap, before heading to the Mountain Cluster for Wednesday evening’s medal ceremony. I must say, I didn’t quite expect to be making daily trips to the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza (POP), but the hour-long commute is actually quite relaxing. The scenery is beautiful and it’s nice to be able to daydream a little bit between events.

Braving the Storm

For this evening’s ceremony I was granted a spot in the pit directly in front of the stage. (Special thanks to the venue photo manager, Julia Vynokurova, for providing me with such a prime position!) I was very pleased to be able to photograph Kim Boutin receiving her bronze medal for yesterday’s 3rd place finish in the Ladies’ 500m short track event. What I hadn’t anticipated was how emotional the experience would be.

You see, following yesterday’s race, Kim faced unbelievable criticism from Korean fans who felt that she was somehow responsible for Choi Minjeong’s disqualification in the A Final. I first became aware of the severity of the situation last night when I posted and tagged a photo of Kim on my Instagram account, and within seconds people started posting very harsh and derogatory comments. As it happens, on-line trolls went so far as to issue death threats towards the young Olympian, despite the fact that she literally had nothing to do with the judges’ decision to penalize the Korean skater.

When Kim walked on stage for the medal ceremony she was smiling, but you could tell that she was not quite her usual self. She appeared exhausted, overwhelmed and uneasy. As she stood on the podium awaiting her medal, she began to cry. These were not tears of joy, but rather of distress. It was gut wrenching to witness. No one deserves to have their Olympic moment hijacked, in particular a woman who did nothing to merit such vile criticism.

To her credit, Kim put on a brave face when she received her medal, and smiled for me as I took her picture. Nevertheless, I felt badly that she was deprived of the joy that usually accompanies standing on the Olympic podium.

As soon as the medal presentation ended, I made my way to the mixed zone in order to capture some close-up shots and share a few words with the bronze medalist. While I can’t claim to know Kim very well, I felt it was important to let her know that she had the full support of her fellow Canadians.

Once Kim completed a few TV interviews, she made her way towards the area where I was standing and paused long enough for me to take a few pictures. I then offered her some words of encouragement and gave her a big hug. I’m not sure that my actions made much of a difference, but if nothing else hopefully Kim recognizes that we are all very proud of her accomplishments and wish her continued success during the rest of the Games.

Before leaving the POP, I decided to wander around the plaza and capture some photos of the Olympic Cauldron. Eventually, I hopped on a shuttle and made the return trip to the GMV. Upon arrival, I decided to visit Czech House nearby and enjoy a pint of Pilsner Urquell before calling it a night. The Olympics have only been going on for five days, yet I already have memories to last a lifetime. I can’t wait to see what excitement tomorrow brings!

The Olympic Cauldron shines brightly at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Julianne Seguin takes flight as Charlie Bilodeau throws her in the air during the Pair Skating competition. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

First-time Olympians Julianne Seguin & Charlie Bilodeau did Canada proud in the Pair Skating competition. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford performing their short program in the Pair Skating event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kim Boutin displays her Olympic Bronze Medal. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Legendary snowboarder Shaun White shows off his third Olympic Gold Medal in the Men’s Halfpipe competition. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kirsten Moore-Towers & Michael Marinaro performing their short program in the Pair Skating event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

The Olympic Cauldron shines brightly at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford were visibly pleased with their performance. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kirsten Moore-Towers & Michael Marinaro performing their short program in the Pair Skating event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Ryom Tae Ok & Kim Ju Sik wowed the crowd with a charismatic performance in the Pair Skating competition. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kim Boutin wipes away tears during the Olympic Medal Ceremony for the Ladies’ 500m event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Fierce, Fast and Fearless

On Day #4 of the Games, my first assignment wasn’t scheduled to take place until 7:00pm local time, which meant that I had a few hours to catch up on rest and take care of a few items on my to-do list.

I connected with my friend and fellow photographer Danielle Earl, and together we grabbed breakfast at the GMV and then made our way to the Main Press Centre to pick up our tickets for the next round of figure skating events.

While we were at the MPC, we were informed that a press conference was being held in recognition of Canadian freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury, who had won the men’s moguls competition the night before. Since we had a bit of time on our hands, Danielle and I decided to sit in on the media avail.

It’s Good To Be The King!

At just 25 years of age, Mik Kingsbury is without question the most dominant freestyle skier in history. Going into his second Olympics, he already boasts 69 World Cup podium finishes, including 48 victories. In 2016-17 he won his sixth straight Crystal Globe as the overall World Cup champion for both moguls and all of freestyle skiing. Four years ago, he earned an Olympic silver medal at the Sochi 2014 Games. The only item missing from his trophy case was an Olympic gold medal… that is, until now!

I’ve known Mik for a few years, and I’ve always been impressed by how well he carries himself. He’s supremely confident, but not the slightest bit arrogant. You can tell that he is highly competitive and extremely driven, but also very down-to-earth and cognisant of others. Articulate in both French and English, Mik always gives honest and well though-out answers to the questions he’s asked, and today’s press conference was no exception.

Winning gold at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics was no fluke. During the press conference, Mik talked about how he had been preparing for this occasion for most of his life. In fact, he recounted how, at just 9 years of age, he drew a picture of the Olympic rings along with the words “I will win” and placed it above his bed. 15 years later, his mission statement was realized.

Mik’s parents, Julie and Robert, were also in attendance at the press conference. It was wonderful to see them sharing such a proud moment with their son. I was very pleased to be able to personally congratulate Mik and his family on such a momentous accomplishment. There’s clearly no disputing the slogan on Mik’s lucky t-shirt, which reads, “It’s Good To Be The King!”

Fast and Fearless

Once the press conference wrapped up, Danielle and I decided to venture to the Olympic Sliding Centre, located within walking distance of the MPC. Once we arrived at the venue, a volunteer spotted the two of us attempting the trek up to the top of the mountain, and kindly offered us a ride to the start gate.

(At a length of nearly 1.4 kilometers, at an average incline of 9.48%, and an altitude difference of 116.32m from bottom to top, walking the entire track with all our camera gear in tow would have been a serious workout that neither one of us was especially prepared for!)

It was rather brisk and windy at the top of the track, but the sun was shining, and I could barely contain my excitement when I realized that we’d arrived in time to watch a skeleton training session.

Here’s the thing… if I could pick only one Olympic sport to participate in, it would be, without question, skeleton. After all, what could possibly be more exciting than plummeting head-first down a steep and treacherous track of ice on a tiny sled at speeds in excess of 130km/hr?!?

In this particular instance, since I’d left my spandex race suit at home, and this was actually a women’s training session, I had to settle on taking pictures rather than participating.

Being less than 4 feet away from the racers as they blazed past was such a rush! In fact, I must have had a silly grin on my face the entire time I was at the track. Thankfully, despite my exuberance, I was still able to capture some cool photos of these fearless women making it from start to finish in less than 53 seconds.

By comparison, it took me and Danielle nearly 90mins to walk the entire length of the track (with plenty of stops along the way). By the time we made it to the finish line, we decided it was time to hop on a shuttle and head back to the GMV.

Short but Sweet

After a quick bite to eat and a brief nap, it was time for me to head to the GIA for an evening of short track speed skating. Once again, I was fortunate to be granted a photo position at ice-level. Events on the schedule included the Ladies’ 500m (Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals), as well as the Men’s 1,000m (Heats) and Men’s 5,000m (Heats).

In the Men’s 1,000m heats, Canadians Samuel Girard and Charles Hamelin both qualified for the quarterfinals, which will be held on February 17^th. Unfortunately, Charle Cournoyer did not advance.

On the upside, Charle is a member of the Men’s 5000m relay squad (along with Samuel Girard, Charles Hamelin, and Pascal Dion) which did qualify for the ‘A’ Final, which will take place on February 22^nd.

Canada had two athletes competing in the Ladies’ 500m: Kim Boutin and Marianne St-Gelais. (Jamie Macdonald did not advance past the heats earlier in the week.)

Sadly, Marianne was penalized in her quarterfinal race, thus eliminating her from the competition. This meant that Canada’s medal hopes in the Ladies’ 500m now rested on Kim’s shoulders.

It’s worth noting that the 23-year-old from Sherbrooke, Quebec, is competing in her first Olympics. If Kim was feeling any pressure, then it certainly didn’t seem to be affecting her performance on the ice. She finished 2^nd in her quarterfinal, and then in the semi-final, judges deemed that Kim was impeded by a Chinese skater during the race, so she was granted a spot in the ‘A’ Final.

In addition to Kim Boutin, the ‘A’ Final included the current World Record holder (Elise Christie), the current Olympic Record holder (Choi Minjeong), as well as a 5-time Olympic medalist (Arianna Fontana) and a top-10 ranked Dutch skater (Yara Van Kerkhof). In other words, the field was stacked!

The race itself only lasted about 42 seconds, but there was no shortage of action. Kim finished the race in 4^th place. However, following a lengthy review, judges deemed that Choi Minjeong (who originally finished in 2^nd place) had impeded another skater, and therefore she was disqualified. As a result, Kim was bumped up to 3^rdplace.

As luck would have it, I happened to be in the perfect position to capture Kim’s reaction the moment she found out that she had just won an Olympic Bronze medal. The look on her face was one of total exhilaration and disbelief. Within seconds Marianne St-Gelais came to embrace her teammate, and Kim’s coach soon followed.

It was total bedlam in the arena, as the Korean fans realized that their skater had been denied a medal, but Canadian fans (myself included) couldn’t have been happier!

As the saying goes, you have to be good to be lucky, and lucky to be good. It would seem that the adage is as applicable to speed skaters as it is for photographers.

Olympic Champion Mikael Kingsbury addresses the media. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Mik’s parents, Julie and Robert, are interviewed by TVA Sports. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

A skeleton athlete sprints from the starting line during a training session. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

A slider keeps her eyes on the track during a skeleton training session. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s Mirela Rahneva speeds down the track during a skeleton training session. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Skeleton racers can reach speeds of up to 130 km/hr. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Charle Cournoyer in action during the Men’s 1,000m heats. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Medal hopeful Samuel Girard leading the way during the Men’s 1,000m heats. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kim Boutin showing no fear during her first Olympic Games. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Pascal Dion keeping Canada in contention during the Men’s 5,000m Relay heats. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Pascal Dion receiving a push from teammate Samuel Girard during the Men’s 5,000m heats. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Charles Hamelin receiving a push from teammate Charle Cournoyer during the Men’s 5,000m Relay heats. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

23-year-old Kim Boutin the moment she realizes she’s won her first Olympic medal! (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kim Boutin receives a giant hug from teammate Marianne St-Gelais in celebration of Boutin’s 3rd place finish in the Ladies’ 500m Final. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Kim Boutin celebrates her bronze medal in the Ladies’ 500m Final with her coach Frederic Blackburn. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada strikes Gold!

Day #3 of the Games began bright and early, with a complete and (somewhat) healthy breakfast in the main dining hall at the GMV, followed by a relatively short (but blazing hot) shuttle ride to the GIA to photograph the final day of the figure skating Team Event.

For this session, I was seated directly behind the judging panel in what was known as Section ‘B’ (Adios, Section ‘X’!) . It was a slightly elevated position, but offered an excellent perspective of the entire ice surface. I honestly couldn’t have hoped for a better spot to photograph the free programs in the Men’s, Ladies’ and Ice Dance categories.

Based on the previous day’s results, Canada was solidly positioned in 1^st place overall. Once the competition resumed, strong performances by Patrick Chan and Gabby Daleman, who finished 1^st and 3^rd in their respective categories, ensured that Canada would remain in the gold medal position.

A mesmerizing performance by the team co-captains, Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, was icing on the proverbial cake. In the end, Canada finished with a total of 73 points, ahead of OAR (66 points), and USA (62 points).

I cannot describe how thrilling it was to witness and document Canada’s very first gold medal of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games!

Going into the competition, Canada did not veil the fact that they were aiming for gold in the Team Event, and legitimately felt they had the best possible squad to make that happen. I’m no expert, but based on the end result, it would seem to me that their plan was executed to perfection.

I must say, I was particularly proud of Patrick Chan, who showcased a terrific free program, and finally realized his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.

It was also terrific to see the Canadian figure skaters supporting one another throughout the Team Event. Many of the skaters have grown up together, and I’m sure that the Olympics have already proven to be an incredible shared experience that they will always cherish.

Immediately following the conclusion of the ice dance category, there was a venue ceremony to recognize and applaud the top three teams overall. After the podium presentation, the medalists skated around the ice and posed for pictures. By this time, I had already made my way down to ice level and was able to capture some terrific shots of the Canadian skaters celebrating their gold medal victory.

Once the venue ceremony wrapped-up, I quickly sorted, edited, and uploaded a series of photos. I then had to make my way to PyeongChang Olympic Plaza (POP) for the medal ceremony.

In this case, getting to the venue required me to take three separate shuttle buses (GIA->GMV->IBC->POP). Upon arrival, I then had to make my way through the security, register at the venue media centre, toss my belongings in a locker, and get into position for the ceremony…

Owning the Podium

For those who may be wondering, medal ceremonies are scheduled to take place every evening throughout the Games, at PyeongChang Olympic Plaza, beginning at 7:00pm local time.

During the outdoor ceremony, the top three competitors from each event the previous day (or in some cases, the same day) are feted on the podium, and presented with their medals by officials from the International Olympic Committee. Next, the flags are raised while the national anthem of the victor is played. The medalists are then ushered across the stage to allow media and spectators to take photos of the athletes with their new hardware.

Following the ceremony, the athletes are brought down a ramp to the mixed zone area, where accredited journalists have the opportunity to interview them. EP Photographers are also able to position themselves in a designated area of the mixed zone to snap close-up shots of the athletes with their shiny new medals, which is always fun.

On this particular evening, I had the pleasure of photographing several Canadian medalists, including Justine Dufour-Lapointe (Silver – Women’s Moguls), Laurie Blouin (Silver – Slopestyle Snowboard), Ted-Jan Bloemen (Silver – Men’s 5,000m), and of course, the seven figure skaters who participated in the Team Event and earned our country its first gold medal of the Games.

For the ceremony itself, rather than requesting a photo position in the pit (a narrow moat between the stage and the audience), I opted instead for a position on a riser situated at the soundboard behind the crowd. I did this to ensure that I could capture photos of the entire figure skating team. I had a hunch that they would jump onto the podium in unison (as they had done in Sochi four years ago), so I wanted to make sure that I was ready when the moment came. Thankfully, the preparation paid off, and I made the shot!

Afterwards, I ventured to the mixed zone to capture a few shots of the Olympic Champions with their medals. I then had to pack up my gear, and make my way back to Gangneung as quickly as possible, in order to photograph the Canadians competing in the Women’s 1,500m long track speed skating event.

Life is a Korean Highway

It took me about an hour to get to the Gangneung Oval. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the venue, two of the three Canadian speed skaters (Josie Morrison & Kali Christ) had already completed their races. On the upside, I still managed to capture some decent shots of Brianne Tutt in action, so all was not lost.

So, to re-cap… I started my day at 6:00am, I ended up photographing a total of 11 Canadian athletes at 3 different venues, in 2 different clusters, requiring me to take no fewer than 8 separate shuttle buses, and eventually managed to make it back to the GMV just in time to grab dinner (4-cheese pizza) before the dining hall closed at 1:00am.

Now the time has come to sort and edit a few photos, head to bed, and start all over again in less than 5 hours.

Remember kids: Sleep is for the weak!

Canada’s Brianne Tutt flashes a smile before competing in the Ladies’ 1,500m race. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir wow the crowd during the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canadian freestyle skier Justine Dufour-Lapointe shows off her Olympic silver medal. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

The medallists in the figure skating Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Jan-Ted Bloemen receives his Olympic silver medal for a 2nd place finish in the men’s 5,000m speed skating event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters jump atop the podium during the Team Event medal ceremony. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir strike their final pose. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters cheer on Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir during the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Brianne Tutt competing in the Ladies’ 1,500m. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters celebrate a gold medal victory in the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters celebrate their gold medal victory in the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Gabrielle Daleman skates to a 3rd place finish in the Ladies’ Free Skate. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters own the podium following the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Laurie Blouin celebrates her Olympic silver medal in Ladies’ Slopestyle alongside Enni Rukajarvi of Finland and Jamie Anderson of USA. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Canada’s figure skaters celebrate their victory in the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Gabrielle Daleman skated to a 3rd place finish in the Ladies’ free program. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Patrick Chan skates to a 1st place finish in the Men’s free skate. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir share an embrace during the medal ceremony for the Team Event. (Photo: Greg Kolz)

Members of Canada’s figure skating team celebrate Patrick Chan’s 1st place finish in the men’s free skate. (Photo: Greg Kolz)