Tonight's coverage of the Olympics is all about the men's figure skating free skate. With the top three skaters so close they're in a virtual tie, whoever wins the free skate will likely win the gold.
In first place is Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia with 90.85. He is no doubt a talented skater, however, he relies heavily on his technical abilities which leaves him vulnerable artistically.
In second place is reigning world champion Evan Lysacek of the US with 90.30. He is much stronger than Plushenko artistically and has solid technical skills. If he can put them both together, he will win gold.
Finally, in third place is Daisuke Takahashi of Japan with 90.25. He skated the short program of his life to put himself in contention for gold. He is a beautiful skater who often leaves all his emotions on the ice. If Lysacek and Plushenko falter and he skates clean, look for him to get the gold.
Since the short program Plushenko and Lysacek have exchanged trash talk in the media, with Plushenko questioning why Lysacek didn't do a quad in his short and Lysacek questioning Plushenko's artistry.
This gamesmanship has led many analysts to dub this new rivalry a new cold war.
The other part to this story is that the skaters in fourth through seventh place are only six to eight points back. So if they skate clean and one of the top skaters messes up, they have a chance to make the podium.
These skaters include Nobunari Oda of Japan, former world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, charismatic US skater Johnny Weir and Canada's own Patrick Chan.
Any one of these men is capable of winning a medal. This kind of close competition is what makes the Olympics so exciting.
The real surprise of this is that in recent years the women's competition has been the marquee event. However, I think after the excitement of the men, it will feel anti-climatic.
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