Beijing 2022 figure skating wrap-up – top stories, moments and records

Bookended by Nathan Chen "rocketing" to gold and Sui Wenjing and Han Cong capturing the heart of a nation, the figure skating event was one to remember at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Chen, much like pair skaters Sui and Han and the ice dance duo of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, were looking for redemption four years after frustration and disappointment at PyeongChang 2018, and they found just that inside the Capital Indoor Stadium - and much more in terms of dreams coming true.

Anna Shcherbakova could barely believe she was an Olympic champion even after completing two quads in her free skate to hold off teammate Alexandra Trusova, who performed an astounding five-quad free skate and earned silver.

The results of the women's single event are provisional as are those of the team event, where the ROC opened the Games behind an impressive display of team skating, taking first in the third iteration of the team event to be held at a Winter Games, outpacing Team USA and Japan, who finished two-three.

Here's a look back at the over two weeks of skating that took place in Beijing - all with Olympic titles on the line.

Discipline wraps: Chen, Shcherbakova lead gold-medal haul

Men

Four years after a near-disaster short program, Chen was ready to take the mantle in men's skating. The three-time world champion led after the short in Beijing and never looked back, skating to Elton John's aptly-named "Rocket Man" in his free and holding off spirited efforts by Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 champ Kagiyama Yuma (silver) and Uno Shoma (bronze).

Japan would finished 2-3-4- as Hanyu Yuzuru attempted history with a never-done-before quadruple Axel in the free skate. While Hanyu's masterful legacy is sealed, Uno earned his second consecutive singles medal at a Games and Chen became just the seventh American man to win gold - and first since Evan Lysacek at Vancouver 2010.

Women

While doping allegations swirled around the women's event, short program leader Kamila Valieva was not able to deliver the same kind of sterling skating in the free skate, skating last and falling twice. That allowed teammate Shcherbakova, the 17-year-old reigning world champion to claim the Olympic crown, as well, following two near-flawless programs.

While quads were the name of the game for Trusova to earn silver, Japan's Sakamoto Kaori connected with triple after triple and was led by experience, having placed sixth at the Games in 2018 and using standout skating to secure Japan just its fourth-ever medal in women single skater at the Olympics.

Her teammate, Higuchi Wakaba, also became just the fifth woman to ever land a triple Axel at the Olympics - doing so in both the short and the free to help her to a fifth-place finish.

Pairs

Four years ago there were tears for Chinese pairs team Sui/Han, but of a much different manner. The duo finished as runner-ups in PyeongChang, beaten by Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot by just 0.43 points and claiming the silver medal.

But the home hope in Beijing wrote a different ending in what was the final skating event of the Games, completing a rare quadruple twist in their free skate and coming out on top by - you guessed it - less than a point. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov finished with silver, while their ROC teammates Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov won the bronze.

Ice dance

Is there anyone more enthralling to watch in skating than Papadakis/Cizeron? The four-time world champion French team were otherworldly in their two Olympic skates, having competed little since the outset of the pandemic. They beat reigning world champs Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, as well as training mates Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue of the U.S.

Like Sui and Han, Papadakis/Cizeron stepped up one spot on the Olympic podium compared to four years prior. What a big step that is.

Big hearts - and staying present

The pairs victory for Sui/Han was monumental: A sixth pairs medal for their country in the last 20 years at the Olympics, but only second gold in the sport for China - ever. Han said many had discouraged them from chasing their dream since they were both diminutive in size - but credited coach Zhao Hongbo (the 2010 Olympic champ) for standing by their side:

"From a very young age - from [being] the underdog that no one believed that we can do pair skating because of our [sizes] - we now become Olympic champions," he told reporters after their win. "This is an amazing journey... We wanted to show people that you can do it no matter what. You really just need to step out and be brave."

While Sui and Han were fighting against the current, Papadakis/Cizeron were trying to understand how it was all real: "I  feel like I am watching a movie about my life," Gabriella said after their ice dance triumph.

They could if they wanted to: The duo are a part of a 12-part docu-series on Olympics.com called On Edge which tracks their journey to Beijing, with a 13th episode to come in mid-March.

The stress of an Olympics are real, even for a team that has been together for years and years: "I think I’ve never been that stressed in my life, but there also was some kind of serenity," said Cizeron on French TV. "We know that we can trust our training, that we can trust ourselves on the ice. There is those 17-18 years of partnership. We could rely on this, but this was still stressful.”

As for what comes next? Papadakis could only see gold: "The future doesn't really exist right now," she said.

Full medal list: Figure skating - Beijing 2022

Team Figure Skating Event

Gold - ROC
Silver - United States
Bronze - Japan

Men single

Gold - Nathan Chen (USA)
Silver - Kagiyama Yuma (JPN)
Bronze - Uno Shoma (JPN)

Women single

Gold - Anna Shcherbakova (ROC)
Silver - Alexandra Trusova (ROC)
Bronze - Sakamoto Kaori (JPN)

Pair skating

Gold - Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (CHN)
Silver - Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov (ROC)
Bronze - Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov (ROC)

Ice dance

Gold - Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA)
Silver - Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (ROC)
Bronze - Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue (USA)