Determine skating staff occasion begins with Liu, Malinin, Chock and Bates : NPR

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Olympic determine skating kicks off Friday with the staff competitors, during which the U.S. is closely favored to carry off rival Japan and defend its gold medal from 2022.

The staff occasion is comparatively new, making its debut within the 2014 Sochi Video games. It pits the world's 10 top-ranked international locations in opposition to one another, by way of representatives in every of the 4 skating disciplines: males's, girls's, pairs and ice dance.

Nations get factors (1-10) relying on how they rating within the first two occasions (quick program and rhythm dance), and the highest 5 transfer on to the ultimate spherical (free skate and free dance).

The primary battle to look at is between the U.S. and Japan, who completed as the highest two in 2022 after Russia was disqualified over a doping case involving considered one of its skaters. The absence of Russia — nonetheless banned from the Video games over its conflict in Ukraine — signifies that the third medal is considerably up for grabs.

"There are such a lot of international locations vying for that bronze spot," Canadian ice dancer Piper Gilles mentioned. "There's Georgia, there's us, all people's pushing for it."

A part of the suspense is discovering out who every nation will select to compete in every class, which is normally introduced about 24 hours prematurely.

It isn't so simple as simply choosing the highest scorer in every self-discipline. It requires some strategizing, since anybody who competes within the staff occasion will nonetheless must take the ice two extra instances in their very own class over the subsequent two weeks.

"It is all going to come back all the way down to the selections that the athletes and the folks in cost make," U.S. skater Amber Glenn mentioned earlier this week. "We're going to prioritize each bodily and psychological well being."

Take the lads, for instance. Their free skate closes out the staff occasion on Sunday, simply two days earlier than their first day of particular person competitors.

So international locations must resolve whether or not their strongest skater ought to compete in each packages of the staff occasion, or skip considered one of them to get some relaxation in between. Every nation can swap as much as two (out of 4) entries halfway by the competitors.

The U.S. has a bonus right here, partly due to the sheer measurement of its 16-person staff, having secured most quota spots in males's, girls's and ice dance. The subsequent largest groups, Japan and Canada, have 12 folks every.

"This staff particularly is so deep, so gifted, and has an amazing alternative for a gold medal," U.S. ice dancer Evan Bates mentioned earlier this week, earlier than the roster was even introduced.

This is what we all know to this point.

Who's competing when? Friday opens with the three shorter packages in girls's, pairs and ice dance.

The U.S. has chosen Alysa Liu — the 20-year-old reigning world champion and two-time Olympian — to compete within the girls's class, a minimum of within the first a part of the staff occasion. Earlier this week, when requested whether or not girls may cut up that class, Liu instructed reporters "all of us signed an NDA for that!"

Her important competitors is three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, who received bronze in 2022 along with serving to Japan win silver within the staff occasion.

In pairs, U.S. is placing ahead 2024 nationwide champions Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea. They face a steep problem from Japan's Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi, two-time Olympians and two-time world champions.

Representing the U.S. in ice dance are powerhouses Madison Chock and Evan Bates, reigning seven-time nationwide champions who helped Staff USA win gold on this very occasion in 2022. They're hoping for a repeat this yr, which marks their fourth Olympics collectively.

"Any time you get the chance to compete on the Olympics, you need to cherish it, so there's nothing however positives for us right here," Chock mentioned earlier this week.

What's subsequent? The staff occasion continues on Saturday with the final ice dance program — the free dance — and the primary males's occasion, the quick program.

The U.S. has chosen gold medal favourite Ilia Malinin, who might change into the primary individual to ever land a quadruple axel on Olympic ice.

Nevertheless it's not clear whether or not Malinin will take that threat as early because the staff occasion, particularly since he does not want it with a view to prime the leaderboard. He received U.S. championships in January by greater than 50 factors even with out the quad axel, taking part in it considerably secure (in case you take into account a backflip on ice secure) as he broke in new skates.

Saturday can also be after we'll discover out who will symbolize Staff USA within the last half of staff competitors, in different phrases, which two athletes will sub out. Sunday concludes with the free skate — the longer, extra inventive program — in pairs, girls's and males's.

On Sunday, as soon as all of the factors are tallied, the primary determine skating medals of those Video games might be given out. And there might be extra to come back — the primary ice dance competitions begin the very subsequent day.