Winter Olympics Figure Skating 2018: Sunday Predictions, TV and Live Stream
The first figure skating medals of the 2018 Winter Olympics will be handed out at the conclusion of the team event on Sunday.
Five nations qualified for the free skate portion of the event on Saturday night, and Canada took further control of the competition with a victory in the pairs free skate.
NBC Olympics gave us a look at the pairs free skate results and the team event standings heading into Sunday:
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The victorious skater in each event receives 10 points for the team score, with the point total decreasing by one with each place in the standings.
The medalists will be determined by performances in the men's and women's free skate and the free dance portion of the ice dance on Sunday.
Date: Sunday, February 12
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Schedule
Men's free skate (8 p.m. ET)
Women's free skate (9:10 p.m. ET)
Ice dance free dance (10:20 p.m. ET)
Predictions
Men's Free Skate
Canada's worst discipline in the short program was the men's singles, as Patrick Chan stumbled to a third-place finish in an unimpressive day for most of the male skaters.
Nathan Chen of the United States, who is seen as one of the gold-medal contenders in the individual event, won't get a chance to rebound from his fourth-place finish in Thursday's short program as he'll be replaced by Adam Rippon for the free skate.
If Shoma Uno returns to the ice on Sunday for Japan, he should be able to lock up first place with ease after his strong short program.
If Japan uses one of its two allotted substitutions for the event, it will open up the field more with Chen already out until the men start their individual competition.
A win for Japan in the men's free skate would be a huge boost to its medal hopes, but it may only produce a longshot run at the bronze since its other four competitors excel at the women's and ice dancing disciplines being contested on Monday.
Prediction: 1. Japan, 2. Canada, 3. United States, 4. Olympic Athletes of Russia, 5. Italy
Women's Free Skate
Evgenia Medvedeva of the Olympic Athletes of Russia laid down a statement to the rest of the women's field with her short program on Saturday that produced a score of 81.06.
It's going to be hard for any contestant to knock Medvedeva from her throne, which means the Olympic Athletes of Russia should take the first-place points.
The battle beneath Medvedeva will be intriguing to say the least, with Canada, Italy, Japan and the United States jockeying for the most points possible.
Canada doesn't have to finish high in the women's free skate since it has an ace in the hole in the ice dance duo of Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue waiting for the last discipline of the competition.
If Carolina Kostner picks up another second-place finish for Italy, it could have an outside chance of stealing a medal but only if the United States stumbles in ice dancing.
If it's Bradie Tennell who returns to the ice for the free skate, the United States will be in fantastic shape since the 20-year-old domestic champion has shown little fear since bursting into the spotlight last month.
Prediction: 1. Olympic Athletes of Russia, 2. Italy, 3. Canada, 4. United States, 5. Japan
Ice Dance Free Dance
Unless something catastrophic happens on the ice, Canada should lock up its gold medal behind another stellar performance from Moir and Virtue, who are expected to take first place in the individual ice dance competition as well.
With Tennell landing anywhere from third to fifth, Alex and Maia Shibutani must use the momentum gained from their second-place finish in the short dance to secure a medal in the team event for the United States.
Ekaterina Bobrova and Dimitri Solodev took third in Saturday's short dance, and as long as they don't drop to fourth or fifth, they'll set the Olympic Athletes of Russia up for a medal.
Italy and Japan need their respective pairs to deliver the performances of their lives in order to break the lock Canada, the United States and Olympic Athletes of Russia have on the podium positions.
Prediction: 1. Canada, 2 United States, 3. Olympic Athletes of Russia, 4. Italy, 5. Japan
Final Standings Prediction
1. Canada
2. Olympic Athletes of Russia
3. United States
4. Italy
5. Japan
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.
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