8 must-see costumes from Sochi's figure skating gala
There's nothing like a figure skating exhibition gala, really. There's no biathlon gala, or Dutch speed skating gala, or even slopestyle gala.
A gala is reserved for the most outrageous costumes and the unrestricted sounds of Rihanna or Black Eyed Peas over the Olympic loudspeaker system that you won't see in a regular competition from these athletes. It's a who's who of the figure skating circuit that seems out of place at the Olympic Games, but nevertheless, it happened on Saturday, as it does after most major events in the sport.
Canadian Patrick Chan, who walked away a silver medalist, thanked the crowd and Olympic officials -- in both English and French -- on behalf of all of the athletes, finishing with: "Hot, cool, yours, and now ours."
No, thank you figure skating.
Russian pair Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov in matching Rolling Stones t-shirts
Stolbova and Klimov took the silver medal in the pairs event and skated their exhibition program in his and her Rolling Stones t-shirts. Hers - sequins. Aside: are jean skaters the same thing as jean skiers?
Spain's Javier 'Superman' Fernandez
Fernandez narrowly missed becoming his country's first medalist in figure skating, but he made it up to the fans by wearing this American Apparel-inspired superhero costume.
Canada's Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch take the Sochi Selfie to new levels
The Canadian pair didn't land on the podium, but they win serious points for being near and dear to our social-media loving hearts.
Japan's Tatsuki Machida schools crowd in air guitar
Keep in mind that Tatsuki Machida got into this air guitar pose by sliding on his knees across the ice.
Russia's Maksim Trankov as modern Tudor
To be fair, Trankov's hair is always like this, though he surely underestimated how much he'd look like he was attending a casting for a modern remake of The Tudors (on ice) with his gala costume. More jean skiers skaters, guys.
Russian juniors Lina Fedorova and Maxim Miroshkin for next team mascot
This is the future of pairs figure skating in Russia, so needless to say, it's in great hands.
Adelina Sotnikova of Russia gets tangled in her wings
Sotnikova skated to the women's title with the help of a couple of judges, but the new Olympic champion had some trouble adapting to her wings at the gala skate. She caught her blades on the rhythmic gymnastic accessories and nearly tripped.
Japan's Mao Asada as the Paper Bag Princess
Mao Asada is one of figure skating's most beautiful gifts, and she said that Sochi will be her last Olympics. Seems a little crazy to show up at your big retirement party in a paper bag, but okay Mao. You can do a triple axel, so you can do whatever you want.
