Olympic Figure Skating Results 2018: Sunday Scores, Highlights and Qualifiers
Canada clinched the team figure skating gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics behind first-place finishes from Patrick Chan in the men's competition and Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue in ice dancing.
These competitors helped showcase the depth of Canadian figure skating, which earned four wins in eight events in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team didn't have a single finish lower than third in the full competition.
The Olympic Athletes from Russia took second behind a dominant showing from Alina Zagitova in the women's division, while the United States earned an impressive bronze.
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Team Competition Final Standings
1. Canada - 73
2. Olympic Athletes from Russia - 66
3. United States - 62
4. Italy - 56
5. Japan - 50
Men's Free Skate
1. Patrick Chan (CAN) - 179.75
2. Mikhail Kolyada (OAR) - 173.57
3. Adam Rippon (USA) - 172.98
4. Matteo Rizzo (ITA) - 156.11
5. Keiji Tanaka (JPN) - 148.36
Chan didn't have his best skate, but he excelled thanks to his program that featured a high degree of difficulty.
Lori Ewing of the Canadian Press described the performance:
The Canadian received 16.74 points for his quad toe loop, triple toe loop combination, the highest individual point total in the competition.
His program components score also blew away the field, with his pure skating skills and interpretation of the music going a long way.
Japan's Shoma Uno took first in the short program, but his teammate Keiji Tanaka replaced him in the free skate. The United States did the same with Adam Rippon instead of Nathan Chen, leaving just three repeats of the competitors from Thursday's action.
Rippon lived up to and arguably exceeded expectations in his performance:
However, the nearly flawless routine wasn't enough to score higher than Chan or Mikhail Kolyada, who had a higher elements score with his triple lutz, single loop, triple salchow combination. Even with a fall, he was able to remain ahead of the American.
It all sets up what should be an exciting individual battle in the men's field.
Women's Free Skate
1. Alina Zagitova (OAR) - 158.08
2. Mirai Nagasu (USA) - 137.53
3. Gabrielle Daleman (CAN) - 137.14
4. Carolina Kostner (ITA) - 134.00
5. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) - 131.91
USA's Mirai Nagasu was performing in the Olympics for the first time since taking fourth in 2010, and she came through with an incredible effort:
Like in the men's competition, the technical scores played a significant role, as Nagasu had nearly five points more than Canada's Gabrielle Daleman in that category. This was enough for Nagasu to stay 0.39 points ahead of the Canadian.
However, Zagitova was the clear top performer in this event.
The Russian excelled in her combinations and earned high marks in just about every category, helping her win by 20.53 points. Carolina Kostner was the only person capable of matching her with the components score, but Zagitova used a tougher routine with fewer mistakes.
American figure skater Ashley Wagner was impressed by the eventual winner:
Zagitova is one of the favorites for individual gold, as is teammate Evgenia Medvedeva.
Ice Dance Free Dance
1. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) - 118.10
2. Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA) - 112.01
3. Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (OAR) - 110.43
4. Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA) - 107.00
5. Kana Muramoto/Chris Reed (JPN) - 87.88
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue put a cap on Canada's dominance with another strong showing in the ice dancing competition.
They only managed a silver medal last Olympics after taking gold in 2010, but the Canadian duo appears to be destined for another individual gold this year.
They already have helped win the team gold, leading to a celebration from the entire roster:
Virtue and Moir finished in first in both the short and free skate, matching Russia's work in the women's category.
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani were solid in their performance as well, especially executing in their synchronized twizzles:
The "Shib Sibs" showcased their great chemistry on the ice and were able to do enough to secure a bronze medal for the Americans.
The ice dancing individual medals will be awarded next week.
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