2022 Beijing Olympics – Figure Skating – Team Event – Pair Skating – Free Skating – Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China – February 7, 2022. Anastasia Mishina of the Russian Olympic Committee and Aleksandr Galliamov of the Russian Olympic Committee in action. REUTERS/Phil Noble
February 7, 2022
By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Chang-Ran Kim
BEIJING (Reuters) -Russian figure skaters were locked into a gold medal in the Beijing Games’ team event on Monday with a wide enough lead over second-placed Team USA while gold-medal favourite Kamila Valieva left to perform the free skate.
Even if Valieva, 15, finishes last in the event, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will still retain first place in the team event.
The team event debuted in 2014. Points are awarded based on finishing positions in the four traditional categories – men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance – and go towards an overall team total. Ten points are awarded for the top finisher and six points to the last.
Russia took the inaugural gold in Sochi.
The ROC went in favourites for the title, carried along by Valieva, who easily dominated in the short programme earlier this week.
The Russian pairs also outdid their rivals on Monday with a top-place finish despite a far-from-perfect programme that saw the duo crash onto the ice with just seconds left to go.
Aleksandr Galliamov lost his balance under the weight of partner Anastasia Mishina in their last lift, suffering a deduction but still managed the highest 10 points for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to keep them at the top of the table.
“I just lost my balance, I just couldn’t hold,” Galliamov told reporters. “I had to force myself all morning because I need to be upbeat all the time.”
Mishina said lack of sleep might have been to blame.
“We had a practice at 6 a.m. This is what happened. This is what might have had an effect on our little mistakes … I like to wake up early but not at 4 a.m.”
Team Japan’s pair came in second with a season’s best. Both were visibly pleased, Riku Miura rubbed her chest to contain her excitement while Ryuichi Kihara pumped his fist in the air as they left the rink.
The U.S. pair were not so lucky, with Alexa Knierim bungling a combination jump and losing her balance a few times, leaving the ice with partner Brandon Frazier clearly disappointed and finishing in last place.
Before the final women’s free skate, the United States were in second place followed by Japan in third.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Chang-Ran KimEditing by Himani Sarkar & Shri Navaratnam)
Source: One America News Network
