He had answered the question countless times leading to the Vancouver Olympics, insisting time and again that a victory by his star pupil wouldn't make up for his failure to win a gold medal in Canada in 1988.

Now, Brian Orser was asked again if this is a bit of redemption. With a sly grin, Orser slipped in his answer before the question could be finished: "Yes, it is."

Then he returned to his standard response.

"It's here; it's in Canada; it's Olympics," Orser said. "And I'm wearing a different hat.

"But it feels great."

Kim Yu-na of South Korea won gold Thursday under Orser's tutelage. Orser was one of the few who could prepare her to withstand the pressure she'd face in Vancouver. At the Calgary Games, the Canadian came in as the world champion, but was edged for gold by American Brian Boitano.

"I gained confidence in my coaching over the years with her," Orser said. "Coming here, you have no idea how many times I've gone through everything in my head to make sure I covered every single thing. ... I felt good about that.."