Olympic Figure Skating 2018: Top Stars, Pairs and Event Schedule
The 2018 Winter Olympics officially begins on February 9, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with the figure skating events set to take place at the Gangneung Ice Arena.
Figure skating is one of the most graceful, beautiful and frequently watched sports at the Winter Olympics, with athletes competing in men's, women's, ice dance and pairs events.
The schedule is detailed below, and full details are available from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games official website.
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Event Schedule
Friday, Feb. 9
Men's single short program
Pairs short program
Sunday, Feb. 11
Ice dance short dance
Women's single short program
Pairs free skating
Monday, Feb. 12
Men's single free skating
Women's single free skating
Ice dance free dance
Wednesday, Feb. 14
Pairs short program
Thursday, Feb. 15
Pairs free skating
Friday, Feb. 16
Men's single short program
Saturday Feb. 17
Men's single free skating
Monday, Feb. 19
Ice dance short dance
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Ice dance free dance
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Women's single short program
Friday, Feb. 23
Women's single free skating
Sunday, Feb. 25
Figure skating gala exhibition
Top Stars
Men's Figure Skating
Team USA skater Nathan Chen is one of the favourites for the gold medal in the men's event after he retained his national title with some style.
The 18-year-old has not lost a single competition this season and blends athleticism with some incredibly difficult jumps.
His national title win saw him land five clean quadruple jumps—for the second year in a row—to end with a superb score, per NBC Olympics:
Chen appears to be peaking at exactly the right time, and his willingness to take risks means he will take some beating in South Korea.
One man who knows exactly what it takes to win gold is Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, who is the defending champion and will be out to retain his title.
However, he has not enjoyed the best preparation for the Olympics, as he suffered an ankle injury in practice back in November that has kept him off the ice.
The 23-year-old is one of Japan's most popular athletes and has been described as the "greatest figure skater ever" and "Michael Jackson on ice," by Jere Longman at the New York Times.
Hanyu heads to the Olympics without a tournament in three months, and much may depend on his fitness and preparation.
However, what is not in doubt is that his talent and experience means he still has a strong chance of claiming back-to-back titles.
Women's Figure Skating
Kaetlyn Osmond will be one to watch in Pyeongchang and will be hoping to add to the silver medal she won with Team Canada in Sochi in 2014.
The 22-year-old is a big favourite at home, and her silver medal at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki went down well, per CBC Olympics:
Osmond will go into the event with confidence. A place on the podium looks to be within reach, while analytics company Gracenote is tipping her for gold, per the Canadian Press (h/t The Telegram).
Pairs
One of the most eye-catching pairs at the Winter Olympics could well be figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik, who were initially the only North Korean athletes to qualify for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
And the duo will not just be there to make up the numbers, as "they're very good," according to Canadian figure skating coach Bruno Marcotte, per
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