For the first time ever, the United States won their first silver medal in figure skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Games, they had only won bronze.
The U.S. Team consisted of Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell, and Zachary Donohue. Russia gained 74 points, the U.S. received 65 points, and Japan gained 63 points. For Olympics Day 3, there was pairs’ free skate, free dance, and women’s free skate.
The spotlight of skating is Karen Chen. During the performance, she wore a purple free skate costume made by her mother. The little gemstones collect into the shape of the butterfly. She danced to the “Butterfly Lovers Concerto” by Takako Nishizaki.” The landings have to be perfect to gain more points than the Canadian team. The double axle and the triple toe loop landed gracefully like a ballerina on the stage, receiving light applause from the audience. Her three flip accelerated the applause and woos of the audience as they were impressed by her light jumps.
Nathan Chen, the three time world champion performed to “La Boheme” by Charles Aznavour. The short program presented the most dramatic performance while securing the quad jumps on the platform. The spectators were awed by his four flip as he gracefully scratched the icy surface. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier placed third in the shorts program. Their music provided a little edge with “House of the Rising Sun” by Heavy Young Heathrens. Their red outfits spark a fiery sensation throughout their combination spins. Hailing from Phoenix, these pair of skaters had skated at a very young age. They did not compete in the U.S. 2022 Championships due to complications of COVID-19. This is a new pairing for Team USA that aligned with a lot of audience’s hearts as their magnetic enthusiasm drew audiences in their emotional turns.
The next skating program will be the men’s short program at 8:15 P.M. Eastern Time. With Team USA winning silver, they push motivation for upcoming skaters in their next stylistic battle.
