Olympics figure skating results 2018: Canada claims gold in team event, USA earns bronze

The second ever gold, silver and bronze medals have been awarded in team figure skating events at the Winter Olympics. After eight events, including men’s, women’s pairs and ice dancing short and free sessions, Canada came out on top for the gold medal.

While the United States had second place in the standings after the first of three days of events, they were pushed down to third by the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), who managed first-place finishes in multiple events to close the gap on Canada late.

Canada and the OAR clinched gold and silver before the final event, the ice dancing free skate, took place. At that point, the United States was leading Italy for bronze, but it wasn’t yet decided. The U.S. had a score of 53, while Italy was at 49.

The United States team of Maia and Alex Shibutani posted a score of 112.01 while the Italian team of Anna Cappelini and Luca Lanotte scored 107.00 for their performance. That clinched the bronze medal for the United States.

The final standings for the top five:

1 . Canada
2. Olympic Athletes from Russia
3. United States of America
4. Italy
5. Japan

Below is a day-by-day recap, and you can also check out the previous live results post for further reading.

Day 1

The first team event was the men’s short program, where Nathan Chen placed the United States in fourth, earningseven points. In the pairs short program, the U.S. also placed fourth, earning seven points for both of the first night’s events.

Japan’s Shoma Uno took first place in the men’s short program, which is significant because he is regarded as the second-best Japanese athlete in the event, but reigning Olympic and world champion Yuzuru Hanyu opted out of the team event to give his ankle time to heal.

The pairs short program saw a fourth-place finish for the U.S., and a top finish for the OAR. The American pair of Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim — who are married — was good, but not good enough to land a top three spot. They are the only pair representing the country, so were slated to go again on Day 2.

So after the first day, Canada was on top with 17 points and the U.S. was second with 14. Japan and the OAR had 13 points.

Day 2

The second saw the U.S. get off to a strong start with the duo of Maia and Alex Shibutani putting it in a good position. They scored 75.46 overall, which put them in first place. Unfortunately for them, the favored duo from Canada — Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir — put together a stunning performance, and took the lead.

They would not relinquish it, with a score of 80.51. The U.S. retained second place, while Canada solidified first.

In the women’s short program, Bradie Tennell was unable to make it into the top three. Her score of 68.94 placed her in fifth, while 18-year-old Evgenia Medvedeva, competing as an OAR, blew everyone out of the water with a stunning performance, earning an 81.06. That moved OAR to second in the team standings.

In the pairs’ free skate, the Knierims were back in action, but they were once again upstaged by the Canadian and OAR teams. Unfortunately for them, they were also beaten by Italy’s Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek. Canada finished on top with the team of Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, with a score of 148.51. The Knierim’s scored a 126.56 in the event.

Day 3

Adam Rippon of the U.S. had an absolutely brilliant run in the men’s free skate, putting up a score of 172.98, with a nearly flawless routine. Despite falling down in his performance, Canada’s Patrick Chan took the top spot with a score of 179.75 points.

In the women’s free, Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. posted a 137.53, good for second place. Canada’s Gabrielle Daleman finished third, just a hair behind Nagasu at 137.14. But the OAR prevailed in this event, getting a 158.08 out of Alina Zagitova, putting them within five points of Canada in the standings with one event to go.

But it didn’t matter, at that point Canada had clinched the gold medal. The OAR had clinched silver, as well. But the United States and Italy were battling it out for fourth.

The U.S. clearly bested Italy in that final event, with Maia and Alex Shibutani putting a score of 112.01, putting them in first place. That clinched the bronze.