Japanese people, from the prime minister down, Friday celebrated their nation's first gold medal at the Turin Olympics, won by figure skater Shizuka Arakawa.
Eager to show Japan's first medal of any color at this year's Winter Olympic Games, the semi-official television station NHK televised live the entire figure skating freestyle competition, which ran from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m., Japan time.
From third place following Tuesday's short program, Arakawa out-skated the United States' Sasha Cohen and Russia's Irina Slutskaya with a personal best score of 191.34.
Japanese newspapers distributed special editions for commuters at dawn, while all TV stations repeatedly showed her performance, which earned the first standing ovation in the competition.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi applauded her achievement, saying, "It was an excellent performance and heart-moving."
Throughout the day, as if to release 10 days of medal-less frustration, Japanese TV stations showed a variety of programs depicting Arakawa's history as a skater, her mother's dedication and many related stories behind her victory.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
