By the time this post is read, the pairs teams to compete in the Turin Olympics will already be known. One of the hopefuls is Naomi Nari Nam, along with her partner, Themistocles Leftheris.
In 1997, as an 11 year old, Nam won the novice division in ladies skating. Two years later, at her first senior nationals, she finished second to Kwan. She was expected to compete in the Salt Lake City Olympics and, possibly, to medal.
But injuries prevented her from competing in the 2001 nationals. She thought she was suffering from a stress fracture in her hip. It wasn’t a stress fracture. She had popped the hip out of its socket and tore cartilage — an injury like the one Tara Lipinski suffered.
After having the same surgery Lipinski had, Nam found herself faced with a dilemna– what to do abou skating. While she still loved skating, she was unsure whether her body could handle the rigors of singles skating anymore. So, her thoughts turned to pairs.
She has been with her partner since only June. After Wednesday’s short program, they were in third. The top two pairs teams will go to the Olympics in Turin. After this weekend, we’ll update you on whether Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris will be packing their bags to compete for Olympic gold.
Update– Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris barely placed fifth, overall. Considering they’ve only been skating together for a few months, I would say that their chances of doing well in future events is good.