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Did you or did you not gasp as loudly as NBC commentator Sandra Bezic when China's Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao bobbled on that lift? They finally got their gold medal, China's first in figure skating, and ended the Russian domination of the pairs discipline that lasted for 12 straight Games. (Yuko Kavaguti and Aleksandr Smirnov finished fourth, but he gets the gold in men's thighs, if it's any consolation.) Almost as long a wait, the time it took for Shen and Zhao to realize they'd won. If they hadn't screamed like they did, I would have felt like such a...

A dream that started 18 years ago culminated in Olympic gold, while one of the longest streaks in sports ended.

China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won the figure skating pairs title Monday at the Winter Olympics, capturing the one honor that had eluded them since they first started skating together in 1992. With 216.57 points, they became the first pairs winners from China — and snapped Russia's 46-year reign in the event, a run that spanned 12 Olympics.

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Russia was shut out altogether as Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov finished ...

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Presumably not just so the world's figure skating commentators could keep discussing how poetic it was for the pairs to take the ice on Valentine's Day, competition got underway Sunday at the Vancouver Games. China's married two-time Olympic bronze medalists Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (pictured, far left), who came out of retirement in their thirties (!) to go for gold, performed first and set a new short program record. NBC's package on their 18-year partnership and dorm-room marriage made me emotionally vulnerable, so yes, I got chills when they hit their perfect side-by-side triple toe loops. They were skating to...

Dah! Dah! Dah-duh-duh-dah-dah! It's time for the Winter Olympics, PopWatchers, so strap on those skis, zip up that spandex, and grab your majestic torches. Tonight's Opening Ceremonies start at 7:30 Et, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just kidding, there's no iceberg -- it hasn't snowed enough in Vancouver. Anyway, the days ahead are jam-packed with events, so here's a guide for your viewing pleasure that'll take you through the three-day weekend: Saturday, February 13 NBC 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Men’s Speed Skating – 5000m Gold Medal Final Keep an eye out for the Colbert Nation's Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick.