US Women's Olympic Figure Skating 2022: How America Performed on Tuesday

Team USA had a mixed day overall in the women's short program at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Tuesday. 

 Alysa Liu led the way with a score of 69.50 to finish in eighth place overall. 

Mariah Bell checked in at No. 11 (65.38) followed by Karen Chen at No. 13 (64.11). 

All three members of the American team made it through qualifying to reach the free skate on Thursday.

The biggest story of the event revolved around Russian Olympic Committee star Kamila Valieva's eligibility. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a reversal of a provisional suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in a sample collected on Dec. 25. 

IOC member Denis Oswald told reporters after the ruling that Valieva's camp argued the substance showed up in her test due to contamination from a separate medication being taken by her grandfather. 

Due to the controversy around Valieva, the International Olympic Committee ruled there will be no medal ceremony if she finishes in the top three during the women's competition this week. 

Valieva dominated in the short program, posting the top overall score (82.16) despite a stumble on a triple axel. The only other competitor to finish with a score of at least 80.00 was ROC teammate Anna Shcherbakova (80.20). 

Liu had an excellent performance that was virtually flawless to finish in the top 10:

When Liu's group was done, she was in second place overall. The rest of the field pushed her down to the No. 8 spot, but she's still in a good position heading into the free skate. 

Liu took a conservative approach in this routine. She didn't include the triple axel, opting instead to go with a double. It worked in this round, though she may need to bring it back in order to reach the medal stand. 

Three years ago, Liu won the U.S. Championships at the age of 13 by landing three triple axels, including two in her free-skate routine. 

Bell, who is competing in her first Olympics after being an alternate in 2018, didn't have her best showing. She fell to the ice on the second jump of a triple-triple combination, but the Oklahoma native was able to recover for a strong finish to come in just outside the top 10. 

"I am bummed with the mistake on the opening element—I think it cost me quite a bit of points—but I am happy how I came back with everything else. Ultimately, I just really enjoyed skating on Olympic ice," Bell told reporters after her performance. 

Chen had a disappointing turn with a fall on her triple loop that resulted in a one-point deduction from her total score. The 22-year-old appeared to have tears in her eyes as she pulled herself up from the ice to finish her routine. 

Despite the stumble, Chen was able to compose herself in order to finish in the top 15. She is facing an uphill climb to reach the podium with the free skate still to come. 

"Today felt so much better than the team event, until that jump, and then everything went sideways," Chen said after her short program. "After the event, I will reflect on what went wrong. I need to flip the page for the free skate."

The top 25 skaters in the competition qualified for the free skate. Liu, Bell and Chen will take part in the event on Thursday at 5 a.m. ET looking to get the U.S. its first women's singles medal at the Olympics since 2006 (Sasha Cohen).