Olympic U.S. Women's Figure Skating Team Announced
Following the conclusion of the female skaters' programs at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Friday night, the three athletes set to compete in PyeongChang next month for Team USA have been confirmed. Though the committee responsible for choosing the lineup weighs a variety of factors, including past performances, they are the three skaters with the highest scores at the Championships, in the following order:
19-year-old Bradie Tennell, of Winfield, Illinois. Tennell only made her debut on the international skating circuit a year prior, but has blazed through the 2017-18 season, and took first place for both her short program (which many commentators labeled "near perfect") and free skate.
24-year-old Mirai Nagasu, of Arcadia, Califiornia. Nagasu competed for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but missed the 2o14 lineup after a controversial decision by the organizing committee saw Ashley Wagner picked over her (despite Nagasu's higher placement at the 2014 U.S. Championships.
18-year-old Karen Chen, of Fremont, California. Despite a fourth place finish in her free skate, Chen beat out Ashley Wagner for the bronze medal (and a spot on Team USA) by 2.4 points due to her short routine.
26-year-old Ashley Wagner placed fourth overall, and will be Team USA's first alternate (with fifth and seventh place-finishing skaters Mariah Bell and Angela Wang rounding out the alternate squad). Wagner has already voiced her unhappiness with the scores she received for her short program, telling The Associated Press she was "absolutely furious" with the judges' scores and believed she deserved to make the Team USA final lineup. "For me to put out two programs that I did at this competition as solid as I skated and to get those scores, I am furious," she continued, "and I think deservedly so. I am a performer and that second mark is just not there. I am absolutely OK with them being strict on my rotations. That’s what I think that U.S. Figure Skating should demand of their judges, but it needs to be across the board. I don’t necessarily feel like it’s been that way at this event."
With Wagner - surprisingly - sidelined in the alternate spot, it means the 2018 women's roster is entirely different from the 2014 lineup for Sochi (though, as noted above, Mirai Nagasu did compete in 2010 in Vancouver). Gracie Gold had previously announced that she was skipping the Olympic season, as she continues to receive treatment for "depression, anxiety and an eating disorder," she told People magazine.
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And Polina Edmunds, the third member of the 2014 team, withdrew from the Championships after skating her short program. "Due to shooting pain in my right foot," she wrote on Twitter (believed to be due to a bone bruise she has been suffering with this past season), "I cannot perform today. Very unfortunate timing, but I'm still very proud to have skated a strong [short program]."
The three male skaters representing Team USA in PyeongChang will be confirmed Sunday, as will the ice dancers and figure skating pair.
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