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Why was Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's ice dance victory historic?
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Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games
Official logo of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The logo is an interpretation of an inukshuk, a traditional Inuit stone sculpture.
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s ice dance victory at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver was historic for several reasons:
- North American Milestone: They became the first North Americans to win an Olympic gold medal in ice dancing.12
- Regional First: They were the first non-Europeans to ever win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal.1
- Age Record: At the time of their victory, they were the youngest winners in the event’s Olympic history.1
Their performance was the culmination of a near-perfect 2009–10 season, during which they also achieved the first perfect performance score under the then-new 10-point scoring system. Their winning free-dance routine featured their signature, audacious maneuver known as "the goose," which pushed the boundaries of the sport's technical standards.1