MILAN, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Canadian figure skater Madeline Schizas said a problem with her music — and not nerves — was the reason why she did not immediately begin her performance at the Milano Cortina Olympics, insisting the interruption did not affect her skate.
Schizas got into her starting pose for her women’s singles short programme as part of the team event on Friday but then did not start skating when the music kicked off.
“The music didn’t start at the beginning of my programme,” she said.
“When it’s not your fault, you can ask for a restart of the music. So I’m happy I went over and asked them to restart it, because it wasn’t just me that didn’t hear.”
Schizas said she had encountered similar issues before in her career, especially at smaller events.
“So I’ve had this happen before in my career, especially as a younger athlete, so I knew exactly what to do,” she said.
Asked whether the interruption affected her performance, Schizas said it did not make a difference.
“I think I would have skated the same either way,” she said, adding athletes are prepared for unexpected issues even on the sport’s biggest stage.
“Obviously, at the Olympics, you hope things like this don’t happen, but we all as athletes know how to deal with it,” she said.
Even though she finished sixth in the competition, Schizas said she was satisfied with how she skated. She ended her set with a big smile and a fist pump.
“I skated my elements very well and ultimately as well as I could have,” she said, but added she wanted to review the judges’ breakdown of scores.
“I need to look at the sheets. I’m sure there’s a reason the score … (is) lower than I was expecting for a clean performance,” the 22-year-old said.
Asked about the women’s individual competition which begins on February 17, Schizas said: “I’m just excited every time I get to skate on Olympic ice.
“At this point, my focus is on the team event. So that’s really what I’m focused on.”
Team Canada sit fifth in the standings after three of the four short programme segments. The top five teams will progress to the free skate to battle it out for the medals.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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