Team USA in Podium Position After Second Day of Team Event Competition

After the second night of competition of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 Team Event, Team USA is in prime position to make its third consecutive podium.
 
With three programs remaining, Team USA is in second place with 42 points overall, trailing the Russian Olympic Committee's 45 points. Team Japan is in third place with 39 points.
 
On Saturday night – Sunday morning in China – Karen Chen rounded out the short program competition with a fifth-place finish to contribute six points to Team USA's total, while Vincent Zhou placed third in the men's free skate to add eight points.
 
"We are so proud of our teammates today," said Team USA co-captain Madison Chock. "They fought through their performances, and this is a team event, so we are here to support them no matter what."
 
Zhou, whose family is from Beijing and who speaks some Mandarin, scored 171.44 for his free skate to music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Tan Dun and "Rising Sun" by Kiyoshi Yoshida. After popping a planned quadruple flip early in the program, Zhou rallied to complete three more quads and three Level 4 spins.
 
"It was alright," he said with a chuckle, giving his skate a B-. "There were some good things, some bad things, but I'm really happy to be on Olympic ice. I'm really happy to be doing the team event with the rest of my amazing team, and I think this was a good way to get into my knees a little before the individual event."
 
Zhou is a two-time Olympian, finishing sixth in the individual event four years ago in PyeongChang. Ultimately, the experience taught him what to expect this time around, though he admits that some nerves may have gotten to him.
 
"I've been training this program very well," Zhou said. "I've skated plenty of clean programs. I would say most of the programs I've done since U.S. Championships have been close to clean or clean, so I definitely don't doubt my ability to execute each element in this program at a high level. But there's one or two things here and there sometimes, and I think that's part of the high-risk game."
 
With the team event now over for the men, Zhou turns his attention to the individual event, which begins on Tuesday morning in China, Monday night in the U.S.
 
"I've been practicing well, warming up well, so I have no doubt in my ability," Zhou said. "So it'll just be about breathing and relaxing and getting in my zone."
 
Of course, the Team Event concludes on Sunday night (Monday morning in China). Despite Team USA slipping from the No. 1 overall ranking after the first night of competition, Zhou isn't giving up on the squad's golden hopes.
 
"It's not over until it's over," Zhou said. "I know that the rest of our team is extremely strong, and everyone here is prepared to get their part of the job done. So I believe in my teammates, and I fully support them all the way."
 
Earlier in the evening, Chen scored 65.20 points for her short program to "Requiem for a Tower" and "Dream" by Escala, Jennifer Thomas and Hugo Chouinard, good for fifth place in the women's short program.
 
"I'm really proud of how I fought through that program and really attacked," Chen said, noting that she felt nervous and stiff during her earlier practice. "Like, yes, I did fall, but I went for it. So I'm definitely proud of that."
 
Chen fell on her triple loop, normally a solid jump for her.
 
"I'm definitely disappointed about the loop, because I should've hit it, and I know I can hit it, and if I had the chance to go out there and do it again, I know I can hit it," she said with a laugh. "But I'm proud of the fight that I had in my performance, and also now I know how the competition nerves are going to feel, I know how Olympic ice feels with competition nerves, so I can better prepare for my next event."
 
Chen made her Olympic debut in 2018, not competing in the team event, and finished 11th in singles. She says that competing for a team added another element to her experience, and she too was not immune to the nerves.
 
"I'm not going to lie, I definitely felt some pressure," Chen said. "At the end of the day, it's all coming from myself. I want to skate well for myself, for my team, for my coach, for my family, for all these people."
 
Her team had her back, turning in two first-place finishes and a third-place finish in their respective short programs two days prior. It left Team USA in prime podium position and Chen a happy teammate.
 
"I watched them compete the day before yesterday, and I was so proud of them," Chen said. "I was so happy to see them all get off the ice with a huge smile on their face because they skated so well, and that made me really happy."
 
Thanks to everyone's combined work, they could all be calling themselves Olympic medalists mere hours from now.
 
"Getting an Olympic medal is something I've been dreaming of since I was a kid," Zhou said. "If we pull through, and I think my teammates will because they're amazing, I'll be really honored and humbled and grateful to have this opportunity."

Fans can follow Team USA on the competition central page on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.