David Ramos/Getty Images
Team USA figure skating is looking for a strong finish to the 2022 Beijing Olympics with a medal in pairs skating.
Americans have earned three medals during the competition so far, headlined by Nathan Chen’s gold in men’s singles. Two teams will look to add to that count with Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier slightly ahead of Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc after the short program Friday.
Here are the select standings through the first day of competition.
Pairs Short Program
1. Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (CHN): 84.41
2. Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (ROC): 84.25
3. Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (ROC): 82.76
6. Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier (USA): 74.23
7. Ashley Cain-Gribble/Timothy Leduc (USA): 74.13
Full results via Olympics.com.
Knierim and Frazier had an early starting slot and set a high bar for their competitors with a 74.23.
The routine featured some impressive technical elements to move to the top of the standings:
Team USA @TeamUSA
This lift from <a href=”https://twitter.com/alexa_knierim?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@alexa_knierim</a> and <a href=”https://twitter.com/Brandon_F1992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Brandon_F1992</a> has us ???? <a href=”https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@USFigureSkating</a> x <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterOlympics</a> <a href=”https://t.co/pXJylzpUzw”>pic.twitter.com/pXJylzpUzw</a>
NBC Olympics @NBCOlympics
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier make it look easy. ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterOlympics</a><br><br>????: <a href=”https://twitter.com/USA_Network?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@USA_Network</a> and <a href=”https://twitter.com/peacockTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@peacockTV</a> <br>????: <a href=”https://t.co/DaRR18atEa”>https://t.co/DaRR18atEa</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8DbB77NfoG”>pic.twitter.com/8DbB77NfoG</a>
There was a positive reaction from those watching along:
Alex Maragos @AlexMaragosNBC
Local athlete update – Addison native <a href=”https://twitter.com/alexa_knierim?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@alexa_knierim</a> and Brandon Frazier nail their short program in pairs figure skating, just missing their personal best, and are in a strong position heading into the free skate tomorrow. Her family was cheering them on in Roselle. ???????????? <a href=”https://t.co/fbEUkpq3cl”>pic.twitter.com/fbEUkpq3cl</a>
The competitors were also happy with their effort:
ISU Figure Skating @ISU_Figure
“I feel like today we did a good job of staying focused no matter what we felt, to deliver the best we could.”<br><br>Alexa Knierim<br><br>”And I’m enjoying every second of this experience and I can’t be more grateful”<br><br>Brandon Frazier<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FigureSkating?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FigureSkating</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beijing2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Beijing2022</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterOlympics</a> <a href=”https://t.co/2ToL8T6hH0″>pic.twitter.com/2ToL8T6hH0</a>
Other teams eventually produced better scores, but Knierim and Frazier have a chance to climb the standings if they can perform to expectations in Saturday’s free skate.
This duo represented the United States in the team competition on the way to a silver medal, producing the third-best score in the short program. A fifth-place effort in the free skate still left much to be desired, putting pressure on the upcoming performance.
Cain-Gribble and Leduc are also in contention after their short program, scoring a 74.13 with several highlights along the way:
NBC Olympics @NBCOlympics
PRECISION!<br><br>Timothy LeDuc and Ashley Cain-Gribble dazzled us! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterOlympics</a><br><br>????: <a href=”https://twitter.com/USA_Network?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@USA_Network</a> andV@peacockTV <br>????: <a href=”https://t.co/DaRR18atEa”>https://t.co/DaRR18atEa</a> <a href=”https://t.co/ZWAvE6kE9R”>pic.twitter.com/ZWAvE6kE9R</a>
The 34.22 presentation score was higher than that of Knierim and Frazier, including an 8.71 mark for interpretation of music.
The routine was still far from perfect, and the mistakes proved costly:
On Her Turf @OnHerTurf
Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc showed UP today! The duo is currently in second place behind Knierim/Frazier. ???????? <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterOlympics</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Olympics</a> <a href=”https://t.co/MkYuFWlG0q”>pic.twitter.com/MkYuFWlG0q</a>
With the Chinese and Russian Olympic Committee teams scoring well, it could be an uphill battle for either American duo to finish in the top three.
The United States consistently produces elite athletes in figure skating, although the pairs competition has been an Achilles’ heel for the program. The last Americans to medal in this discipline were Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard in 1988.
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