Olympics: Mirai Nagasu, Adam Rippon shine to lift U.S. to figure skating bronze
The Americans deliver on the final night of the team competition to clinch a medal
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1 min read
Have a skate, Mirai Nagasu and Adam Rippon. Powered by two sensational performances from skaters left off the U.S. team for the Sochi Olympics, the Americans took the bronze Sunday night (early Monday in South Korea) in the team figure skating competition behind the Canadians and the Russians.
They've done it!
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
Team USA earns bronze in the figure skating team event. #BestOfUS pic.twitter.com/3NtaOyuQlF
Canada's deep squad clinched its gold when Gabrielle Daleman finished third behind Russian Alina Zagitova and Nagasu in the women's event. Canada led Russia, 63-58, with only the ice dance remaining and the Russians could only pick up a maximum of four points in that discipline.
Nagasu, the fourth-place finisher at the 2010 Vancouver Games, landed the first triple axel by an American woman in a competition and Twitter went bezerk, as well as the assembled crowd in Pyeongchang.
"HOLY COW!" You just witnessed a historic triple axel from Mirai Nagasu. #WinterOlympics https://t.co/NsNuy9F46h pic.twitter.com/jCMTb4LtXv
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
Casually throwing it down at the #WinterOlympics. @mirai_nagasu, you have made history.
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) February 12, 2018
She scores 137.53 points, a HUGE new personal and season's best. Let's #GoTeamUSA. pic.twitter.com/0H10MVIwkp
Watching Team Canada erupt into applause when American skater Mirai Nagasu became only the third woman to land a triple axel at the #Olympics almost made me tear up. pic.twitter.com/VKBg7Tnmkh
— Derek Lewis (@dereklew) February 12, 2018
Now that’s a reaction. Mirai Nagasu really was terrific. Rose to the occasion. 137.53 points. Just what she needed to do for the Americans. pic.twitter.com/B4kFdpyeXA
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 12, 2018
"I don't know if you could tell -- it was more something I could feel -- but to nail it the way I did, even out of the corner of my eye I could see my teammates standing out of excitement," Nagasu said to the Associated Press. "And at that moment I wanted to stop the music and get off, but I still had my whole program ahead of me, and to complete the performance to the best of my ability is really exciting."
After Canada had locked up the gold and the Russians were assured the silver heading into the final discipline of the night, Americans Maia and Alex Shibutani were left to skate their program as an exhibition after the Italian ice dancers, Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, did not score well enough to win the free dance.
Rippon's performance set the tone for the Americans to start the night. While it lacked the quadruple jumps that some of his other competitors attempted, it also didn't have a single fall, something Twitter couldn't help but take notice of during the scoring.
ADAM RIPPON. Because he slays. #WinterOlympics https://t.co/fmMl0C4Amf pic.twitter.com/fkG1KgiTb0
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
OUR HEARTS. #GoTeamUSA pic.twitter.com/5JImJ046fZ
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) February 12, 2018
You’re incredible @Adaripp 🌟 https://t.co/rxkzd9Vf4v
— Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) February 12, 2018
It was a huge night for the Americans, especially considering how far Rippon and Nagasu had traveled just to make it Pyeongchang.
Four years ago, Adam Rippon and MIrai Nagasu were eating in-n-out burger in California, crying and watching the Sochi Olympics from their couch. Look at them now.
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) February 12, 2018
Here's the current medal tracker following Sunday night's action -- or Monday if you're going by Korea time.
Medal Tracker
PyeongChang 2018
|
Country
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
14 | 14 | 11 | 39 |
|
14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
|
11 | 8 | 10 | 29 |
|
9 | 8 | 6 | 23 |
|
8 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
|
7 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
|
5 | 8 | 4 | 17 |
|
5 | 6 | 4 | 15 |
|
5 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
|
5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
|
4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
|
3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
|
2 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
|
2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|
1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
|
1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
|
1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
