Winter Olympics Figure Skating 2022: Updated Prime-Time Schedule for USA
Will she or won't she?
It has been the question surrounding 15-year-old show-stealer Kamila Valieva, who will compete in the women's short program and free skate events for the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing after an arbitrator ruled not to suspend her, despite a positive drug test from December of 2021.
The dominant Russian will look to realize her Olympic goals when she takes to the ice as the clear favorite among the best women's skaters in the world.
How much of a distraction were the court proceedings, and will she be able to silence the critics and detractors to skate her way to a gold medal that has seemingly been hers to lose?
Find out when you can watch Valieva and the remainder of Olympic figure skating and read on for a preview of the events.
Schedule
Tuesday, February 15
Women's singles short program (5:00 a.m., USA and Peacock)
Re-air (NBC, 8:00 p.m.)
Thursday, February 17
Women's singles free skate (5:00 a.m., USA and Peacock)
Re-air (NBC, 8:00 p.m.)
Friday, February 18
Pairs short program (5:30 a.m., USA and Peacock)
Re-air (NBC, 8:00 p.m.)
Saturday, February 19
Pairs free skate (6:00 a.m., NBC and Peacock)
Re-air (NBC, 8:00 p.m.)
Saturday, February 19
Exhibition gala (11:00 p.m., NBC and Peacock)
Women's Singles
A tumultuous week for 15-year-old skating phenom Valieva came to a head early Monday morning with the revelation that she will be allowed to skate in the women's singles competition despite a failed drug test from December.
The Court for Arbitration in Sport "primarily cited Valieva's status as a minor and thus 'Protected Person' under the World Anti-Doping Code, the untimely notification of Valieva's positive test—which was taken on Dec. 25 but not reported until Feb. 8—and the 'irreparable harm' preventing her from competing in the Olympics, under those circumstances, may cause," per NBCOlympics.com.
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication for angina and other heart-related issues.
Valieva has enjoyed a record-breaking run up to the Olympics that saw her set the highest score of all time with a 90.45 at the European Championships. She is considered the favorite to leave the Beijing Games with the gold medal, though one has to wonder how much of a distraction the legal proceedings will prove to have been.
Her toughest competition is actually from her fellow countrywomen, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova. Neither has competed yet in Beijing, but both, along with Valieva, are expected to medal in the competition.
Meanwhile, United States champion Mariah Bell leads a team that also features Alysa Liu and Karen Chen.
Bell enters the competition as the oldest figure skater in Olympic history at 25 years of age, and though she and her teammates are longshots to leave with medals, Bell understands the significance of just making it to the games.
"I mean, it’s the Olympics. You don't qualify for something past this," she told Emily Giambalvo of The Washington Post. "This is it."
Pairs Skate
United States champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier shoulder their country's hopes for a medal in pairs skating competition in this year's Olympic games.
Knierim has Olympic experience having competed in the 2018 games with her husband, Chris, but this is Frazier's first taste of the spotlight on the grand stage that is the Olympic competition.
Though they certainly have some momentum on their side following their championship skate a month ago, it is the Russian Olympic Committee that expects to dominate in the event.
Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov have been the class of pairs skating, dominating the competition and appearing nearly unconquerable in international competitions. They are the two to watch in the short and free skate programs, while teammates Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov may also find themselves on the podium.
Look out for China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who won silver in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and will be determined to improve upon that finish.