The Russians should be prepared to celebrate. Barring big surprises in ice dancing and the women’s free skate — the final two sessions in the team figure skating event — the gold medal is theirs for the taking.
The pairs team of Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov won their free skate on Monday — even after collapsing onto the ice in a dramatic fall during one lift — and brought the Russian team even closer to a victory. At the other end of the pairs leaderboard were the Americans Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, whose mistake-laden performance landed them fifth out of five pairs.
After the pairs free skate, Russia led the overall team standings with 55 points and the United States was tied with Japan, with 48 points each. The team competition adds up scores from men’s and women’s singles skaters, pairs and ice dancers; points are awarded based on the order of finish (10 for first, 9 for second and so on).
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Russia has been in first place since the second day of the three-day event. It’s favored to win, thanks in part to Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old star who nearly set a world record for points in the women’s short program on Sunday. She won by more than 15 points, skating’s equivalent of a mile.
On Sunday, the Russian athletes passed the Americans in the standings to take over the top spot.
Score |
||
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Russian Olympic Committee |
64 |
| 2 |
United States |
58 |
| 3 |
Japan |
54 |
| 4 |
Canada |
45 |
| 5 |
China |
44 |
The U.S. team will try to redeem itself after two disappointing showings on Sunday, including one from Karen Chen, who finished a surprise fifth in the short program after falling on a triple jump. Vincent Zhou also had a bad day, finishing third in the free skate after popping a planned quadruple jump and rotating only once instead of four times. Chen and Zhou, both two-time Olympians, said nerves played a part in their subpar performances.
The United States has won the bronze medal at the past two Olympics. Its remaining skaters for Monday are Chen in the women’s free skate and Madison Chock and Evan Bates in the dance.
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Updates From the Rink in Beijing
Juliet Macur reporting from Beijing
No surprise: The American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates win the free dance. Their performance was goosebump-worthy. The U.S. inches ahead of Japan into second place, with just the women’s free skate to go.
Juliet Macur reporting from Beijing
If you are wondering what the heck Madison Chock and Evan Bates are enacting out there on the ice because it’s just so different than everyone else, let me help you: She’s an alien. Welcome to the sport of ice dancing.
Juliet Macur reporting from Beijing
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, the reigning bronze medalists at worlds, are now in first in the free dance after a smooth performance to “The Long and Winding Road.” They have had tough shoes (or skates) to fill. The Canadian dance team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were two-time Olympic gold medalists and the most decorated ice dancing team in Olympic history.
Juliet Macur reporting from Beijing
Gold medal to Liu Xinyu of the Chinese ice dance team for the most amazing facial expressions. He’s really feeling the music and selling his performance! The Chinese fans in the stands are screaming for him and his partner, Wang Shiyue. So much for the ban on fans cheering here.