Olympic figure skating: Ice dance short dance team results and highlights
The Shib Sibs made their debut at the 2018 Winter Olympics in the ice dance team short dance. We have the results and highlights for you right here.
The second night of the 2018 Winter Olympics kicked off with the start of the ice dance team competition. First up was the short program ice dance, where the designated theme for the event is Latin American dance. Representing Team USA in the ice dance short dance was the Shib Sibs, Maia and Alex Shibutani.
Team Japan came out strong in the field of ten, taking the lead in the first half of the program. They were followed by France and China.
Heading into their program, Alex and Maia Shibutani needed to beat Team Japan’s 62.15 to claim first place. Three out of five of their elements were awarded yellow marks, indicating that they were under review from the judges. While their twizzle sequence was impeccable and they seemed to be in perfect sync with each on the ice (at least, to the casual viewer), they ended up with a 75.46. This was enough to put them into first place- for the time being.
Team Canada’s 2014 Sochi gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir knocked the event off the charts with their flawless performance, set to a fun medley of “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Hotel California” and “Black Magic Woman.” They were a dream on ice, with their midline sequence as close to perfection as you can get. Ultimately, they were awarded a score of 80.51, which was slightly lower than what was expected given how well they skated. However, they claimed the lead easily and knocked Team USA to second place.
Three-time Olympic medalists @tessavirtue and @ScottMoir of Canada have taken the lead in the team event short dance. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/C7IlfJxTDN
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2018
Here are the final results for the ice dance short program team event:
- Team Canada – 80.51
- United States – 75.46
- Olympic Athlete from Russia – 74.76
- Italy – 72.51
- Japan – 62.15
- France – 57.94
- China – 56.98
- Germany – 56.88
- South Korea – 51.97
- Israel – 44.61
The @ShibSibs deliver @TeamUSA nine points in the figure skating team event, keeping the U.S. in second place! #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/P7Ug3E5nm0
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2018
After the ice dance short program, Team USA received 9 points, lifting them to 23 points overall and giving them a 4 point deficit behind Team Canada’s 27 points.
Next: Best Olympian from each state
Continuing the night’s figure skating team events are the women’s short program and the pairs’ free skate. Team medals will be awarded on Sunday, February 11 after the completion of the men’s team free skate, the women’s team free skate and the ice dance free skate.