Good morning, Olympics pals of mine.
Olympics cheat sheet: USA figure skating had a historically bad week
Here’s a quick look at what has been going on in Pyeongchang and what you should watch out for on Friday.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
We’ve got some good news and some bad news for Team USA to talk about as we head into the final weekend of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Let’s get the disappointment out of the way first, OK. The U.S. women’s figure skating squad finished off its worst showing in the modern-era Olympics, according to The Associated Press.
Even before the free skate, the short program had been disastrous by the recent standards of Team USA. According to USA Today, it was the worst performance by U.S. women ever in the short program, which began in 1976.
The U.S. men did not fare much better in their individual event, failing to bring home a medal.
In these trying times, let us heed the sage words of Ashley Wagner, an alternate on Team USA.
Of course, Ashley is correct. There are plenty of good figure skating memories in Pyeongchang for Team USA. There was just about everything that Adam Rippon did or said and the bronze medal for the Shibutani siblings. We enjoyed Nathan Chen’s quad-filled, redemptive free skate and marveled at Mirai Nagasu’s historic triple axel.
And the good news?
The U.S. men’s curling team reached the gold-medal game by upsetting Canada — the defending back-to-back-to-back Olympic gold medalists and reigning world champions — in a semifinal matchup. Led by John Shuster, the Americans will be making their first appearance in the gold medal game early on Saturday.
Who is leading the medal count?
We’ll give you one guess who resides in the top spot. Here’s a hint: It’s Norway. Below the mighty Norwegians, the medal table has been abuzz with activity. Canada leapfrogged Germany in the overall medal count to move into second place. Of course, Germany is still neck and neck with Norway in the race for the most gold medals. And, look at this, the United States has moved into fourth place in the overall count, skating ahead of the Netherlands.
Check out the complete medal table HERE.
What can you watch RIGHT NOW?
- Canada
is facing off withlost to Germany in the men’s ice hockey semifinal this morning. The puck dropped at 7:10 a.m. ET.
What are we watching next?
- Check out the men’s snowboarding big air final at 8 p.m. ET. Livestream HERE.
Who are our new favorites?
- Let’s keep on keeping on celebrating the U.S. women’s hockey team for its dramatic gold-medal victory over rival Canada. WHAT. A. GAME. Let’s especially keep appreciating the fact that the Lamoureux TWINS both scored goals.
- David Wise and Alex Ferreira finished 1-2 in the men’s freestyle skiing halfpipe this week. They also marked their trip to Pyeongchang with matching tattoos of the logo of the games.
“The first part of the symbol means peace and harmony between heaven, man and earth,” explained Ferreira, via Team USA. “The second symbol, the star, means snow and ice sports and snowsports stars.”
- Alina Zagitova, an Olympic athlete from Russia, won the ladies’ individual gold medal in figure skating with mesmerizing performances in the short program and free skate. Also, she is just 15 years old, making her the second-youngest individual ladies’ Olympic champion in history behind Tara Lipinksi in 1998.
Want something to read while procrastinating? We got you.
- Olympic ice dance gold medalist Meryl Davis chatted with SB Nation about the way setbacks enabled her Olympic successes in Sochi and Vancouver, and she looked ahead to the next set of challenges and passions in her life.
- U.S. biathletes are the elite marksmen who want to see gun control in America.
- Yes, we still have the Johnny Weir outfit tracker that you have been looking for.
For more 2018 Winter Olympics coverage, visit HERE.
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