Thursday, March 28, 2024

Women’s figure skating free skate live updates, results, analysis


Her errors opened the door for fellow Russian and reigning world champion Anna Shcherbakova to win gold, adopted by Russian Alexandra Trusova in second. A robust efficiency from Valieva may have led to a provisional Russian sweep of the rostrum, however as an alternative, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto managed to win the bronze with a easier however clear efficiency.

After a couple of minutes of tears, Valieva left the world and the rostrum ceremony started. If she had medaled, that second wouldn’t have taken place. The International Olympic Committee gave the impression to be getting ready for the chance that Valieva is later disqualified.

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Valieva has introduced each her sensible skating and an infinite cloud to this competitors. She examined constructive for a prohibited substance in December, however the lab analyzing the pattern didn’t report the consequence till final week, after the Games had already begun. That prompted an expedited listening to earlier than the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which dominated Valieva may proceed competing. With the authorized course of nonetheless ongoing, the courtroom cited the irreparable hurt to Valieva if she had been suspended and later discovered harmless.

All three Russian youngsters competing right here tried a number of quadruple jumps of their free skates, and that problem gave them a lift. Trusova carried out an astonishing 5 quads, touchdown all of them, however she discovered the landings of a few jumps in her program. She used this uber-difficult free skate to climb from fourth to second. Shcherbakova solely had two, however she had an exceptionally clear skate.

Alysa Liu, 16, was the highest American finisher in seventh. She had a strong free skate, trying a triple axel that was in the end downgraded. But she had poise, landed all of her jumps and appeared thrilled as soon as once more along with her Olympic efficiency.

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After a fall in her brief program, American Mariah Bell improved to tenth place with a beautiful free skate to the ok.d. lang rendition of “Hallelujah.” She had a number of shaky moments however no main errors. She lacks the troublesome technical content material to be aggressive for a medal, however she had a joyful second to shut her first and possibly final Olympics.

U.S. skater Karen Chen, who additionally struggled in her brief program, solely positioned sixteenth after splatting to the ice on a triple loop, the soar that has given her hassle all through these Games. She showcased her artistry and delightful spins however had a few different errors on jumps — she put her hand down on one other triple loop earlier in this system and she or he bailed out of a triple Lutz in midair.

This is a growing story and can be up to date. Continue studying for live updates and analysis from Thursday’s competitors.

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9:17 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: This is a dramatic sport, and that is essentially the most emotionally wrenching competitors I’ve ever seen. On the one hand, there was the brilliance of Anna Shcherbakova, who skated a triumphant efficiency, redemptive in its surprise, getting back from a 12 months of harm and rightfully successful the gold medal. And on the similar time, the collapse of Kamila Valieva, her teammate and pal, simply 15 years outdated and beneath unbelievable stress and scrutiny, is totally heartbreaking. Until now, it’s been exhausting to really perceive how a lot this scandal has marred the competitors. But the reality is, now, no skater can actually embrace what they’ve completed in Beijing.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:58 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Facing the stress of the Olympics is hard for any competitor, a lot much less a 15-year-old within the heart of a doping scandal that has rattled the world. And with that efficiency, the dominance of Kamila Valieva in girls’s figure skating got here to a staggering halt on Olympic ice. She is often a nervous performer, and on this efficiency, she simply couldn’t get her shoulders straight or her knees bent going into these jumps. As a program, this was a catastrophe.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:57 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: Competing beneath world scrutiny and widespread resentment on account of her constructive drug check, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva stumbles by a free skate that didn’t present a fraction of her potential and will have value her a medal of any shade.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

8:50 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Anna Shcherbakova is a skater’s dream. While her teammate Alexandra Trusova’s skate was quick and wild, Shcherbakova was measured, mature and guaranteed. Armed with the 2 quadruple flips which have been lacking from her arsenal all season, the 2021 world champion saved her greatest for the Olympics. She did precisely what she wanted to do on this competitors and put an immense quantity of stress on the now-controversial Kamila Valieva. If Valieva makes a mistake, that might have been the gold medal efficiency.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:50 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: The 2021 world champion, Russian Anna Shcherbakova, 17, demonstrates that quads needn’t be antithetical to artistry, delivering each in a robust, emotive free skate.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

8:43 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: In a contest so targeted on the stress positioned on the younger ladies competing for the Russian Olympic Committee, Kaori Sakamoto’s mature tribute to girls’s empowerment served because the indictment. She sailed throughout the ice, dashing from one aspect of the blade to a different, to ship a cleanly landed efficiency. Without the quad, she did all that she may do — and it was significant, sensible and momentous.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:41 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, 21, third coming into the free skate, follows Alexandra Trusova’s leaping tour de pressure with a deeply felt paean to womanhood that soared in its personal approach on her exemplary efficiency qualities.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

8:40 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Alexandra Trusova’s mixture — the quadruple Lutz adopted by the triple toe-loop within the second half of this system, through which it will get much more credit score — is the toughest soar mixture accomplished in a free skate of the Olympics. That contains quad leaping gold medalist Nathan Chen.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:37 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: In a rollicking, up to date efficiency to Florence Welch wailing about puppy-stealing villain Cruella, Alexandra Trusova made her case for the Olympic gold medal, totally rotating 5 quadruple jumps. She isn’t significantly expert at some other a part of skating, however that overwhelming technical rating can be sufficient to maneuver into first place and doubtlessly win. The three remaining skaters don’t have room for error.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:33 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: Alexandra Trusova, the primary of three Russians to compete, racked up factors galore with a wildly bold free skate that included 5 quadruple jumps — not all flawless, however certifying her as figure skating’s fearless “La Femme Nikita.”

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

8:25 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: On her hardest soar, Japan’s Wakaba Higuchi gave us a thrill — a beautiful triple axel. On her best soar — a triple toe loop — she gave us a spill. But she recovered in a joyous program that utilized the hovering closing music of “The Lion King,” delivering her trademark footwork. If there was a crowd, it might have introduced down the home.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

8:18 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: South Korea’s You Young got here into this competitors in sixth place, as one the darkish horses, and skated to her capability, gaining energy in every stride after an underrotated triple axel. A very respectable Olympics for the South Korean.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:58 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Alysa Liu once more confirmed why she is the way forward for American figure skating, delivering a program that was technically daring and clear. And she likes to compete! It wasn’t an ideal program — she was oh-so-close on the mighty triple axel however didn’t get sufficient top to finish the rotations within the air. But she has all of the substances to be an important skater. Somewhat extra pace, somewhat extra top and the return of her potential to finish quad jumps will portend an important future.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:56 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: At 16, Alysa Liu gave the world a glimpse at the way forward for American skating, staying courageous, upright and sleek all through a free skate that was loaded with attraction and promise.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

7:45 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Team USA’s Alysa Liu, who’s up subsequent, had an uncharacteristic underrotation within the brief program on certainly one of her greatest mixtures. Liu skated with ease and pleasure — she appeared thrilled to be on the ice — however her success within the free skate depends on her exhibiting the world what she is able to: an enormous triple axel and regular, strong jumps. Liu is in a little bit of a rising part — she has handled an harm, a progress spurt and training modifications in the course of the course of the pandemic — and may take this competitors as a studying expertise.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:40 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia is a surprise. She skates with good pace, good extension and regular spins. Her program was well-paced and troublesome, with two triple-triple mixtures. Georgia has by no means had a top-10 girls’s figure skater on the Olympics and Gubanova made a powerful case to be the primary. She can end no worse than eleventh.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:32 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Mariah Bell’s pleasure received the perfect of her at the start of this system, skating with such assault of her jumps appeared a bit rushed. The consequence have been a triple flip and triple Salchow that weren’t significantly straight within the air, one other labored triple flip. Although she didn’t fall, the dearth of inauspicious technical content material meant that every soar needed to be pristine sufficient to garner further factors to compensate. This was an ethical victory for Bell, who did finish this system with a powerful triple Lutz, however in the end not aggressive.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:30 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: Making her Olympic debut at 25, American Mariah Bell battled, glided and beamed her approach by a free skate that wasn’t merely error-free however pretty.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

7:21 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Mariah Bell, of the United States, is up subsequent. Her greatest performances, together with her win on the nationwide championships, have been to the ok.d. lang rendition of “Hallelujah.” Bell, the worst jumper of the three American girls, will attempt to choose up factors by expression and her clear, tidy skating type. Because of her program’s simplicity, Bell’s solely prayer for rising on this competitors is to skate cleanly — which has occurred solely a handful of instances. At 25, that is in all probability Bell’s first and final Olympic expertise. This efficiency can be definitive for her profession.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

7:01 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: This was a gutsy efficiency by Karen Chen, it was flowing and emotional and showcased the perfect of her skating. It additionally demonstrated the problems along with her skating beneath stress — the cascading of issues as soon as they began to indicate themselves. In this competitors, her nemesis turned the crisscross entrance of the triple loop; she has not landed one cleanly the complete Olympics. That, together with a popped quadruple Lutz, made for an sadly tough skate for a proficient American skater.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

6:56 a.m.

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Liz Clarke: American Karen Chen didn’t get the redemption she sought in battling these final years for a spot in her second Olympics after ending eleventh on the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Disappointment coated her face, and tears quickly adopted, after a mistake-marred free skate.

Liz Clarke, Sports reporter specializing in enterprise tales, Olympics, tennis

6:47 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Team USA’s Karen Chen’s disastrous brief program left her in tears, however her skate to the Butterfly Lovers’ concerto introduced good vibes to the free skate within the workforce occasion — when she additionally discovered herself ready of redemption after a horrible brief program. Of the three American girls, Chen, who skates subsequent, nonetheless has the perfect likelihood of ending up within the high eight if she will be able to faucet into that potential once more. Her greatest nemesis on this competitors has been the triple loop soar, which begins with an entrance as if the skater is crossing her legs earlier than opening. She enters into the loop soar with a collection of three-turns. Then watch her shoulders. If they’re regular and sq., she can be profitable.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

6:42 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: This program actually reveals how a lot Japan’s Rika Kihira is missed. Kihira lower the season brief due to an harm, however she was armed with the perfect triple axel on the planet, which she typically does together, and a quadruple Salchow — making her the one athlete on the planet who may go jump-for-jump with the Russian Olympic Committee skaters.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

6:32 a.m.

: Expect loads of motion on this group and a lot will depend upon the grade of execution — the evaluation of how every aspect is carried out. Here’s what judges search for in a superb soar: First, they search for a shocking takeoff, a launch that doesn’t take a lot preparation. The shoulders and hips ought to be squared off. They be certain an entrance takes off cleanly utilizing one a part of the blade for jumps using the toe choose, or that the skate doesn’t collect a lot snow if the skater makes an attempt a soar that employs the sting of the skate. Then, they take a look at the place within the air. The soar ought to be excessive, straight within the air and journey an important distance. All of the rotations ought to be accomplished within the air. Finally, the exit. The soar ought to land on one leg, easily and with no snow. And the skate on the ice shouldn’t shift past the curvature of the blade that may point out the soar was not cleanly rotated within the air. So take a look at the ft. Judges then give an extra -5 to +5 factors, which is the grade of execution.

5:55 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: This isn’t the efficiency Canada’s Madeline Schizas was on the lookout for. There’s a lot that’s admirable about her — pace, poise, first rate jumps — however she appeared exhausted by this system’s midsection, making pricey errors. In a decent area, this doesn’t bode effectively for her rising within the ranks.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

5:51 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Watch how Canada’s Madeline Schizas makes use of her arms. They aren’t rushed or flailing, their motion appears intentional‚ managed with each stroke. That’s how she is ready to generate a way of presence and confidence on the ice.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter

5:27 a.m.

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Robert Samuels: Ekaterina Kurakova, an enthralling skater who discovered herself in twenty fourth place after a disastrous brief program, turned in one of many cleanest free skates that we’ll see this whole competitors. Kurakova landed seven triple jumps however with a softness and enthusiasm of a high ten skater. Expect loads of motion within the early teams between the standings within the brief and the lengthy program. Eleven factors separate twenty first from sixth place, so this competitors is shut. Clean packages imply quite a bit. Sloppy packages can be disastrous.

Robert Samuels, National political enterprise reporter



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