Olympics Figure Skating 2018: Schedule and Preview for Women's Short Program
Mirai Nagasu, Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen have patiently waited to showcase their talents in the women's figure skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics to those back home in the United States.
The trio of Americans and the rest of the competitors in figure skating's final event finally take the ice for the short program Tuesday night at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
While the Americans have the opportunity to impress, the competition is expected to be a duel between Russian skaters Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova.
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Medvedeva, Zagitova, Nagasu, Tennell and Canada's Gabrielle Daleman and Kaetlyn Osmond come into the women's competition as medalists from the team event that was won by Canada.
Date: Tuesday, February 20 (Event takes place on Wednesday, February 21 in Pyeongchang, South Korea)
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com.
Tennell Skates 1st in Short Program
While some may see the first position in the draw as a negative, Tennell should approach it with open arms.
It's a pressure-packed spot, but Tennell got her Olympic nerves out of the way in the team event.
Tennell said she's just happy to be in Pyeongchang after a healthy season on the senior Grand Prix circuit, per Rachel Lutz of NBCOlympics.com.
"Coming here was such an achievement for me," Tennell said. "This was the first season I was healthy on the seniors' circuit. I am super proud to have something to show how hard I have worked."
Having already achieved the goal of earning an Olympic medal, Tennell is feeling a sense of accomplishment before she even takes part in her individual event, per Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journel-Sentinel.
"It’s incredible," Tennell said. "I came into these Games just wanting to do the best that I possibly could and to have helped Team USA earn a medal gives me such an amazing feeling of pride and accomplishment."
If Tennell can match her score of 68.94 from the short program in the team event, she should be in decent shape to contend for a medal during the free skate.
Nagasu Enters As Top American Medal Hopeful
While Tennell has received a good amount of buzz because of her national championship in January, it's the veteran of the American group that stands the best chance of stepping on the medal podium.
Nagasu delivered a stunning performance in the free skate portion of the team event, and although she's had over a week to rest, she's expected to use the confidence gained from that routine to thrive in Tuesday's short program.
Nagasu is 20th in the skating order, with all of the gold-medal favorites taking to the ice after the two-time Olympian.
The 24-year-old could've moved on from the sport after failing to make the 2014 team, but she stuck with figure skating and put herself back on the Olympic stage thanks to her determination, per Rachel Lutz of NBCOlympics.com.
"I am not a fade-away person," Nagasu said. "Most athletes are not that way. In the history of sport in general, people stick around. Look at Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn just continue on, Olympic cycle after Olympic cycle, that is why they are famous. I think I am one of those athletes, and I stand to show that people should not give up, they should keep going."
If she puts together a similar score to the one she earned during her one skate in the team event, Nagasu should storm into the free skate with a wealth of confidence.
Russians Expected to Dominate Competition
While there's plenty of promise for the Americans to medal in the women's competition, the biggest expectations in the event are thrust on to the shoulders of Medvedeva and Zagitova.
Both Olympic Athletes from Russia topped the leaderboard in the two women's disciplines in the team event on the way to a silver medal.
Medvedeva bested her closest competitor by just under six points in the short program portion of the team event, as she set a world-record score of 81.06.
If the two-time defending world champion records a mark around the same number, she'll set herself up for one of the top female performances in Olympic history.
The 15-year-old Zagitova won the Grand Prix Final and European Championships in the buildup to the Olympics, and she's seen as the only true competitor to Medvedeva for gold.
Although they are expected to finish first and second, the Russian duo should still produce plenty of drama, as they could be separated by a small margin after the short program.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.
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