The pressure for the Olympics was intense. Despite several silvers and bronzes, Canada had only won two gold medals in figure skating, in 1948 and 1960, and it was hoped by many that Salé and Pelletier would do well. They skated a clean short program, only to trip and fall on their closing pose. Because the fall was not on an element, it did not receive a deduction. The pair placed second behind Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. In the long program, Salé and Pelletier also placed second. A minor jump step out error from Sikharulidze and a clean program from the Canadians had convinced some they had won the gold but when the judges' scores came up, Salé and Pelletier had been placed second in the long program. Five judges had awarded the long program to Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, and only four to Salé and Pelletier. This result spurred an outcry from the North American media and booing from many audience members, but Salé and Pelletier accepted the silver medal. After the competition, the French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne admitted she had been pressured by the head of her federation, Didier Gailhaguet, into awarding the long program to the Russians and a judging controversy quickly blew up. The scandal ultimately resulted in the suspension of several judges and officials. The results of the competition were discarded and Salé and Pelletier were awarded a second set of gold medals in a special ceremony later in the week.