SIMON AMMANN, why are you so awesome. :’)

He’s definitely my favorite athlete of the Games. Why? Because this mf sweeped both ski jumping events with the gold, and now he has the record number of medals for any ski jumper. He did the same exact thing in Salt Lake, and I’m so glad that he’s in top form for these Olympic Games. In the Large Hill event (which was today), he got the best jumps in both rounds and he was over 14 points ahead of Adam Malysz, the silver medalist. If that isn’t a testament to how great he is, then I don’t know what is! What an amazing, amazing comeback.*

Can I just say, I freaking LOVE these Olympic Games. A lot of my favourite athletes (Ammann, Kramer, Bilodeau, Kearney, Shen & Zhao, etc.) have been doing so well this time around. My friends and I have been watching the games every single day; we’ll bring our homework and food to the lounge so we can cheer and shout at the TV screen and er, attempt to multitask.

Some thoughts on the men’s free-skate:

• So glad Lysacek won the gold. I love a determined, hardworking athlete, and he’s really deserving of the medal. My heart broke when Takahashi fell in the beginning of his free skate and Oda Nobunari had the bizarre incident with his laces. I’m glad that Takahashi still got a place on the podium, especially since it was his last Olympics. Despite the fact that I’m generally happy with the way the results turned out, the judging on figure skating continues to baffle me (they totally underscored Johnny Weir).
• Speaking of, I was completely turned off by Plushenko. His free skate was quite sloppy, and I’ll be damned to hell if I ever see another pelvic thrust from him. Not only that, the real kicker for me was his sour attitude after he got the silver. A quad does not a gold medal make, especially if you fall or get a wobbly landing. Evan still had the better program, and Plushenko needs to stop calling the wahmbulance. Nobody likes a sore loser.

Anyway, I can’t wait for the 1500m speed skating (GO SVEN!) tonight.

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* — Yes, I’m a huge ski-jumping fan. I wish it got more coverage in the US, because those leaps are AMAZING. Is anybody else a fan?

… the Opening Ceremony! My favourite parts were k.d. lang singing “Hallelujah” and the fiddlers. A pretty good way to kick off the Games, if I do say so myself.

And then the next morning, I watched Simon Ammann ski-jump his way to the gold medal. I’m such a huge fan of Simon; it’s so great to see him make such a strong comeback after Torino. I love how he knew he had the gold once he landed his final jump.

Not long after ski jumps came speed skating. I have two words for you: Sven Kramer. His skate was amaaaazing, and he pretty much blew all his competitors out of the water. Svencouver, indeed.

Alex Bilodeau is also a favourite, not just because he kicked ass on the moguls, but because he seems like a genuinely nice guy who really deserved that gold.

Last night, I was on the very edge of my seat as I watched the pairs figure skating. While I do like watching the free skate programs, the ~scandalous~ judging and the backhanded commentary on TV kind of spoil the figure-skating-watching experience for me. Nevertheless, I was so, so, so anxious for Shen and Zhao. The short program was stunning, and I was absolutely ecstatic when they won gold!

And how adorable is this quote from Zhao after the victory?

“I think it’s kind of hard to continue skating. So maybe it’s time to have a baby.”

I can’t wait until the LH ski jump (SIMON!), the speed skating events, luge, skeleton, and the ladies’ free skate. Expect more incoherent Olympic squeefests from me! In the mean time, let’s bask in the Oly love and tell me about your favourite moments during the Games!