Visualizing Olympic Figure Skating

Proving that even the graceful and fabulously-dressed sport of figure skating can be expressed in data, Kyle Biehle does a Triple Lutz of visualization with this summary of the Olympic Men's Free Skate.

It's on his new blog, the Ivory Sofa. Take a look at his visualization below.

If you've been trying to understand how the competition was scored, read Kyle's post. He sums up the interaction between program components, execution and even timing to explain the scores.

"While Plushenko had the single highest scoring element (the much ballyhooed "Quad Loop + Triple Toe Loop" which scored a 14.6) , the total base values for their routines were virtually identical... Plushenko may have performed the highest single scoring element but Lycacek countered by making his elements - the same elements as Plushenko - count for more. He's crafty, that Lycacek guy."

Photo credit: yellowrotus on Flickr.