Olympic Figure Skater Prayed While Suffering a Televised Wardrobe Malfunction
An Olympic figure skater says she immediately began praying after she realized her dress came undone during a performance at the Winter Olympics in South Korea this week.
Gabriella Papadakis and her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, were competing during the international televised competition in Pyeongchang when the fastening on her glittering green costume became unhooked in the middle of her routine.
The skater kept her composure throughout the performance but during her final moves of the routine, Papadakis' chest became exposed.
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After the ordeal, the 22-year-old from France told USA Today Sports her feelings were "not great."
"I felt it right away and then I prayed," Papadakis said, revealing she turned to God to help her get through the rest of the routine.
She and Cizeron kept a brave face and persevered, which awarded them a score of 81.93, landing them in second place overall with a silver medal in ice dance. The figure skating couple only trailed behind Canadian competitors Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
However, Papadakis appeared to be almost in tears when she spoke to reporters after the routine.
"It was pretty distracting, kind of my worst nightmare happening at the Olympics," she said.
According to the regulations state, losing any part of a costume can result in a one-point deduction but It is unclear whether the couple were penalized for the wardrobe issues.
Papadakis' partner, Cizeron, commented, "It's a little bit frustrating to know that it's not because of something that we did."
"It's just a costume issue, something as stupid as that, so it's a little bit disappointing."
The young athlete appeared a bit more cheerful once realizing that she still had a shot at receiving a medal, despite the mishap.
"I told myself I didn't have a choice and that I had to keep going," Papadakis continued. "I think we should be proud we were able to deliver a strong performance with that happening."
As stated in Papadakis' Winter Olympics profile, the duo were the first to break 200 total points in an ice dancing competition while competing in the 2017 Cup of China in Beijing, China. Papadakis and Cizeron have also won several gold medals in the Gran Prix series, and are two-time world champions (2015-2016) and four-time European champions (2015-2018).
