Canadian ice dancing duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won over hearts around the world (not to mention a pair of gold medals) during their final Olympic run in Pyeongchang, but before they return home, they'll pay homage to another great Canuck.
The decorated duo will perform a routine to the Tragically Hip's "Long Time Running" in tribute to the late Gord Downie at this Sunday's (February 25) figure skating exhibition gala. The traditional Olympic-closing event features performances by the sport's medal winners, uninhibited by typical competition rules.
UPDATE (2/24, 10:30 p.m. EST): Watch footage from the performance here.
"When I think about Gord and I think about the Hip and what they've been able to do, it's kind of the soundtrack to being Canadian almost," Moir told the Canadian Press. "It's special for us that we get to skate to the Hip, and it's our tribute to one of my heroes and a guy who was so wonderfully weird, and just how he embraced life."
Virtue added, "We're both huge fans, and Scott just asked if we could somehow choreograph a little tribute and we thought maybe it would only be for that one competition, but it's been lovely to take the ice and to celebrate a Canadian hero, and it means a lot to us. The lyrics of 'Long Time Running' also are easy for us to connect with for our career, but we're really looking forward to performing that on Olympic ice."
The ice dancers previously honoured Downie and the Hip with a routine set to the same Road Apples song this past October. Following the news of Downie's passing that same month, Virtue and Moir changed their program choreography to fit with one of his band's most beloved songs.
They performed the routine at the Skate Canada International competition on October 29. Revisit footage of the routine down below.
The decorated duo will perform a routine to the Tragically Hip's "Long Time Running" in tribute to the late Gord Downie at this Sunday's (February 25) figure skating exhibition gala. The traditional Olympic-closing event features performances by the sport's medal winners, uninhibited by typical competition rules.
UPDATE (2/24, 10:30 p.m. EST): Watch footage from the performance here.
"When I think about Gord and I think about the Hip and what they've been able to do, it's kind of the soundtrack to being Canadian almost," Moir told the Canadian Press. "It's special for us that we get to skate to the Hip, and it's our tribute to one of my heroes and a guy who was so wonderfully weird, and just how he embraced life."
Virtue added, "We're both huge fans, and Scott just asked if we could somehow choreograph a little tribute and we thought maybe it would only be for that one competition, but it's been lovely to take the ice and to celebrate a Canadian hero, and it means a lot to us. The lyrics of 'Long Time Running' also are easy for us to connect with for our career, but we're really looking forward to performing that on Olympic ice."
The ice dancers previously honoured Downie and the Hip with a routine set to the same Road Apples song this past October. Following the news of Downie's passing that same month, Virtue and Moir changed their program choreography to fit with one of his band's most beloved songs.
They performed the routine at the Skate Canada International competition on October 29. Revisit footage of the routine down below.
