Medals update: Kamila Valieva stars as ROC win figure skating team event gold
Favoured from the start, ROC won the first figure skating gold of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, punctuated by Kamila Valieva's performances. The U.S. captured silver and Japan bronze.
Figure Skating
ROC has gone golden in the figure skating team event.
Fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva, in her Olympic debut at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, won both the short and long programs in the women single skating to add to the ROC's 74-point total, a comfortable victory over Team USA, which won the silver with 65 points.
The teen also made history: Landing the first-ever quadruple jump by a female competitor at a Winter Games. Two quads, in fact, in her free skate on Monday (7 February).
Japan captured its first-ever team event medal with the bronze, registering 63 points total.
Valieva, along with fellow teen Mark Kondratiuk, the pairs team of Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov and the ice dance duo of Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov have earned ROC a second gold medal at Beijing 2022, with skaters representing the Russian Olympic Committee now winning two golds in three stagings of this figure skating event, which was added to the Olympic programme at Sochi 2014.
"This is a golden team, a great team," said team captain Katsalapov. "I felt there was something special in the air today."
Added Valieva: "I am more than happy... This is a fantastic feeling. I had the burden of responsibility, but I coped."
Canada had won team gold at PyeongChang 2018.
The U.S. - having won bronze in both 2014 and 2018 - earned the silver medal, led by wins from Nathan Chen (men single - short program), Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (ice dance - short dance) and Madison Chock and Evan Bates (ice dance - free dance).
Japan's growing strength in recent years in both the pairs and ice dance disciplines helped it onto the team podium for a first time, capped by Kagiyama Yuma's triumph in the men's free skate.
Canada finished fourth, while host China was fifth in the 10-team event.
The individual competitions get underway on Tuesday (8 February) with the men's singles short program, set to feature Chen and Kagiyama, as well as Uno Shoma and - of course - two-time and reigning Olympic champion Hanyu Yuzuru.
See the full Olympic figure skating schedule for Beijing here.
Valieva: A golden debut - and historic quads
On the ice, Valieva did again what she's done all season: Couple massive jumping with standout artistry.
She opened her free skate with a quad Salchow, the first in Olympic history, and then added a triple Axel and a second quad - a toe-loop in combination with a triple toe-loop. She'd try a third quad - another toe, but fell on it.
It marked the first time she'd fallen on the jump all season.
It didn't matter, the world record holder still registered a segment-winning 178.92 score, the highest of the day. She shook her head in disappointment at the fall, but she had created history for the sport, and also helped her team to a gold medal by winning not only the free but the short program, as well.
At 15 years, 287 days, Valieva becomes the second-youngest gold medallist in the team event after Yulia Lipnitskaya, who was 15 years, 248 days in 2014.
While Valieva owned the day, there were also standout performances for Sakamoto Kaori (a 148.66 - near her personal best), who helped Japan to its bronze - as well as Madison Schizas (CAN) and Karen Chen (USA), who broke the 130-point mark in their free skates.
Earlier, reigning world champion pairs team Mishina and Galiamov overcame a fluke fall to win their segment for the ROC, while Chock andBates surprised for the U.S. in ice dance.
You can read about the pairs and dance portions of the event here.
Figure skating team event - standings, medallists
GOLD - ROC (74 points): Valieva (women's singles); Kondratiuk (men's singles); Mishina/Galliamov (pairs); Sinitsina/Katsalapov (ice dance)
SILVER - USA (65 points): Karen Chen (women's); N. Chen, Vincent Zhou (men's); Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (pairs); Chock/Bates and Hubbell/Donohue (dance)
BRONZE - JPN (63 points): Sakamoto, Higuchi Wakaba (women's); Kagiyama, Uno (men's); Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi (pairs); Komatsubara Misato and Koleto Tim (dance)
Fourth - CAN (53 points)
Fifth - CHN (50 points)