Ukrainian ice skater Oksana Baiul was the picture of grace and elegance in her "Swan" routine from the 1994 Winter Olympics. Enjoy this classic throwback performance. It remains just as mesmerizing today as it was then!
Held in Lillehammer, Norway, the 1994 Winter Olympics were tainted for American figure skating participants and fans. The conflict and scandal between American competitors, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, 24 and 23 years old at the time, had been in all the headlines and all over the television news—definitely a sad chapter for U.S.A. figure skating.
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For Ukraine, though, they had a rising star with 16-year-old Oksana Baiul!
Watch as she glides inaudibly across the ice with the grace of an angel. Even after a jump, she lands on the ice as lightly as if a feather has fallen from her white costume. Each movement is supremely delicate and dainty without reliance on a favorite pop song or a flashy piece of fashion. It is just pure artistry and talent that makes the performance so lovely!
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It’s not just lovely. It’s gold-medal-worthy. However, this isn’t the performance that won Oksana Baiul the gold medal; it’s the one that she skated after the awards ceremony during the 1994 Olympics Exhibition.
Notice how Oksana uses her arms in such an expressive way. Even though they aren’t decorated or covered like wings, her fluent movements make it seem like she could take flight.
Oksana started out her athletic endeavors with ballet, which is certainly demonstrated in her skating. Ultimately, she chose figure skating over ballet, and what a great choice that was!
Oksana Baiul’s routine to “The Swan,” one of 14 movements in Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saëns, must be among the most beautiful figure skating routines ever performed. Oksana was the first Olympic Gold Medalist in any sport from independent Ukraine!
Ukraine had won their independence only a few years before Oksana’s Olympic win. Since that time, Ukraine has earned 148 Olympic medals. That’s quite an accomplishment. How many other “wins” has Ukraine had in the last 30 years? How many more are ahead for them?
Hopefully, the leaders and the people of Ukraine have many more victories waiting—in sports and so much more.
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h/t: Godtube
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/Mintaka Alnilam
Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at http://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.