Seoul and Tokyo came to a standstill on Wednesday as skating fans crowded around television screens to watch rivals Kim Yuna and Mao Asada compete for Olympic gold in Vancouver.
Koreans were entranced by the skating performance of Kim Yuna, who scored a record breaking 78.50 points, 4.72 points ahead of her Japanese rival Asado Mao, who came in second.
[Choi Kyu-Dong, Korean Fan]:
"She's great just like I expected! Nobody can compete against her, I think. She was really great!"
Meantime, there was disappointment on the streets of Tokyo, as residents watched the figure skating competition in stores and on their mobile phones.
[Shima Shiozawa, Japanese Banker]:
"I had such big hopes for her. It's such a pity."
[Haruko Yonekubo, Housewife]:
"I like Kim Yu-na very much, but of course, I hope Asada Mao wins the competition because she is Japanese."
The final medal will be awarded after the total scores are tallied from both the short program on Wednesday and the freestyle program on Friday.
