Manley and Witt Reunited at Robson Square
Last weekend I went to Robson Square to see Elizabeth Manley and Katarina Witt reunited 22 years after the Calgary Olympics. Hundreds of fans came out to get a glimpse of the figure skating icons. For so many Canadians, Manley’s flawless free program in Calgary was the highlight of the ‘88 Games.
Manley and Witt certainly seemed to enjoy the reunion as they skated around the rink, waving to fans and even trying a few spins and spirals. Truth be told, Manley looked more at home on the ice than Witt. That’s no surprise as Manley coaches in Ottawa. Witt is in Vancouver as part of a German broadcasting team covering the Games. She admitted it had been a long time since she’d been in her skates.
After the reunion skate, I was able to get to the front of the media scrum to ask Manley about her predictions for Canada’s chances for a gold medal. Here’s what she had to say:
“Patrick Chan. And I’ll tell you something, everyone is saying no one can beat Yu-Na Kim from Korea. But, in ‘88 everybody said no one could beat her (pointing to Katarina) in the free style and I did. So I tell everybody that Joannie can beat her. It’s who puts it out there.”
Listen to my short interview with Elizabeth Manley (MP3).
The experience was exhilarating. While interviewing Manley it struck me just how rare it is to meet your heroes in person. To my surprise I was starstruck, even a little nervous!
In case you’ve forgotten just how remarkable these competitors were at the peak of their careers, here is that iconic Liz Manley freeskate from Calgary:
And Witt’s dramatic Carmen. Enjoy!
February 10th, 2010 at 7:13 am
She was really great skater!Thanks for posting that!
February 10th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Awesome! Great pics and sound. Fun to be there, too!