Winter Olympic women's figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa delighted a crowd of almost 10,000 on Saturday with a homecoming performance at a star-studded exhibition in Tokyo.
Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa performs at an exhibition show featuring Olympic medalists in Tokyo.
The last skater to take the ice at the "Theater On Ice," a show featuring Olympic medalists, Arakawa did not disappoint her adoring fans at Ariake Colosseum in her first skate since her victory in Turin.
Performing to a song entitled "You Raise Me Up," Arakawa's gracefulness was edged with power.
She incorporated a one-handed Biellman spin into her skate for the first time and the crowd roared its approval when she did her trademark Ina Bauer, a variation of a spread-eagle that puts her in a full backbend while her toes point in opposite directions.
"It's not often that you have all the medalists together like this so I feel really honored," said Arakawa. "I'm surprised at what a crowd-pleaser the Ina Bauer has become."
Men's gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko of Russia also performed at the show as did Japan's Miki Ando and Daisuke Takahashi but Fumie Suguri, who finished fourth in Turin, was absent with a cold.
In Turin, Arakawa posted career highs in the short program, free skate and total points as the 24-year-old, third after the short program, came from behind to become the first figure skater from Asia to win an Olympic title.