Team USA enters Saturday's figure skating team competitions in the lead following stunning performances from the team's biggest stars, but can they hold onto it?
Saturday's events will feature two additional competitions before the final team competitions end in the first figure skating medal in Beijing Sunday.
Here is how you can watch all the figure skating action this weekend and through the rest of the Games.
What is the schedule for figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics?
Figure Skating began on Feb. 3 and runs through Feb. 19. The first week of programming will be entirely team events, while the second week will feature individual competition. One of the final events of the Winter Olympics will be the Exhibition Gala, during which fans will get to enjoy more personality-centric performances featuring some of the Games’ most popular skaters.
Below is the full event and streaming information for each day of competition for figure skating.
|
Date/Time (ET) |
Event |
TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
|
Thurs | Feb 3 | 8.55 p.m. |
Team Event - Men's & Pairs SP, Rhythm Dance |
NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sat | Feb 5 | 8:30 p.m. |
🏅 Team Event - Women's SP, Pairs FS |
NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sun | Feb 6 | 8:15 p.m. |
🏅 Team Event - M/W FS, Free Dance |
NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Mon | Feb 7 | 8:15 p.m. |
Men's Singles Short Program |
NBC, USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Wed | Feb 9 | 8:30 p.m. |
🏅 Men's Singles Free Skate |
NBC, USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sat | Feb 12 | 6:00 a.m. |
Ice Dance Rhythm Dance |
USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sun | Feb 13 | 8:15 p.m. |
🏅 Ice Dance Free Dance |
USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Tue | Feb 15 | 5:00 a.m. |
Women's Singles Short Program |
USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Thurs | Feb 17 | 5:00 a.m. |
🏅 Women’s Singles Free Skate |
USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Fri | Feb 18 | 5:30 a.m. |
Pairs Short Program |
USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sat | Feb 19 | 6:00 a.m. |
🏅 Pairs Free Skate |
NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
|
Sat | Feb 19 | 11:00 p.m. |
Exhibition Gala |
NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
* TV networks reflect live events, times may differ for replays; check full schedule for detailed information.
Who is competing next for Team USA?
There is one portion left to the first half of the team event: the women’s short program. Ten women from 10 of the world’s best figure skating countries compete at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Watch live on NBC, Peacock or NBCOlympics.com.
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After that, the field is cut in half and the bottom five nations are dropped from the team event (with their final result being their standing at that time).
Then, the remaining five countries must name their men’s free skate entry and that segment starts one hour after the women’s short program ends.
Meanwhile, the women competing in the free skate do not have to be submitted until Sunday morning U.S. time. The final day of the team event is Sunday night (U.S.) with the pairs free skate, ice dance’s free dance and the women’s free skate.
The women named to the short program are as follows (listed in start order)...
China: Zhu Yi
Ukraine: Anastasiia Shabotova
Czech Republic: Eliska Brezinova
Georgia: Anastasia Gubanova
Italy: Lara Gutmann
Canada: Madeline Schizas
Germany: Nicole Schott
Japan: Wakaba Higuchi
United States: Karen Chen
ROC: Kamila Valieva
Who is facing elimination Saturday?
Heading into the women’s short, Canada is sixth (16, two points from Italy), Georgia seventh (15), Czech Republic eighth (12), Ukraine ninth (4) and Germany 10th (3). Germany and Ukraine are short an entry in the team event due to positive COVID tests.
Who has previously dominated the sport during the Winter Games?
The history of Olympic figure skating is so iconic it predates the Winter Games themselves. Originally contested at the 1908 London Olympics, it has been a staple of the Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in 1924.
The U.S. has dominated figure skating with 51 medals, followed by Russia, Austria and Canada, all of whom have 20 or more medals. In PyeongChang, Canada led the way with four medals – two golds and two bronze – setting the stage for a competitive field in 2022.
Americans are hedging their bets on 22-year-old Nathan Chen from Salt Lake City. Chen, known for attempting high-difficulty jumps, entered PyeongChang with high hopes but ultimately struggled to execute on the ice, leaving with a fifth place finish in the individual event. Since then, Chen has established himself as the clear favorite and the best chance for the U.S. to win an individual medal.
In the team events, Team USA got off to a hot start as Chen recorded a personal best of 111.71 in the men’s short program, just .11 from the world record.
Illinois skater Alexa Knierim also made her Beijing debut as she and new partner Brandon Frazier scored a personal best, netting them third in the pairs short program for Team USA.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue came in first for the team rhythm dance event with their performance, leaving Team USA in the lead for the team events with more to come.
Who are the gold-medal favorites in figure skating?
The Beijing Olympics are dubbed the redemption tour for American Nathan Chen. In PyeongChang, the then-18 year old posted a strong performance in the team event, but struggled in the individual event, eventually clawing his way back to fifth place after slipping to 17th. Ultimately, his Olympic experience was cut short after contracting the flu.
Since 2018, Chen has established himself as the clear favorite and the best chance for the U.S. to return to the podium in the men’s individual competition. Evan Lysacek’s 2010 gold medal was the last individual medal by an American man in figure skating.
In the women’s competition, Russian women historically dominate the individual event and could easily sweep the podium awards. Meanwhile, China has more gold medals in the pairs competition than any other country. However, the Chinese duo Sui Wenjing and Han Cong will have their work cut out for them with France, the U.S. and the Russian Olympic Committee all expected to enter competitive pairs.
Who is competing for Team USA in figure skating?
The U.S. roster was finalized in mid-January following the national championships, with sixteen athletes making the cut for Beijing.
This list includes a diverse range of experience, with seven athletes making their Olympic debut. On one end is 16-year-old Alysa Liu, the youngest member of Team USA’s figure skating delegation. On the other end, are five athletes over the age of 30, capped off by 33-year-old Evan Bates making his fourth Olympic appearance.
They’re all slated to compete in one event with some being tapped for the team event mid-Olympics.
The complete roster of U.S. figure skaters is:
- Jean-Luc Baker (Ice Dance)
- Evan Bates (Ice Dance)
- Mariah Bell (Women’s Singles)
- Jason Brown (Men’s Singles)
- Ashley Cain-Gribble (Pairs)
- Karen Chen (Women’s Singles)
- Nathan Chen (Men’s Singles)
- Zachary Donohue (Ice Dance)
- Brandon Frazier (Pairs)
- Kaitlin Hawayek (Ice Dance)
- Madison Hubbell (Ice Dance)
- Alexa Knierim (Pairs)
- Timothy LeDuc (Pairs)
- Alysa Liu (Women’s Singles)
- Vincent Zhou (Men’s Singles)
- Madison Chock (Ice Dance)
How do athletes qualify to represent the U.S. in figure skating?
Unlike many other Olympic sports, figure skating does not have a singular Olympic Trial in the U.S. Rather, all selections are made on a discretionary basis, with priority being granted to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in early January. The coaching staff evaluated athletes based on performances at a number of competitions in the year leading up to the Olympics.
