Olympics

France's Clement Noel won the gold medal in the men's slalom competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Wednesday (Tuesday ET).

Noel won with a combined time of 1:44.09 in two heats. He had improved on a sixth-place finish in his first heat with a blistering 49.79 in his second run. It was the first gold medal for France in alpine skiing in over 15 years.

Austria's Johannes Strolz, who won gold this year in the combined event, earned the silver medal with a time of 1:44.70. Reigning world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag of Norway took home the bronze with 1:44.79.

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen, who won the bronze medal in the men's slalom in 2014 but recorded a DNF in 2018, finished in fourth place at 1:44.88.

Team USA's Luke Winters, who was competing in the Olympics for the first time at 24 years old, had a DNF in his first run that disqualified him from the second heat. 

Austria has dominated this event in past Winter Olympics, winning 17 medals, including seven golds, in the men's slalom. Strolz's teammates struggled, however.  Marco Schwarz placed 17th and Manuel Feller had a DNF in his first run.

The next alpine skiing medal event will be the women's combined slalom on Thursday (Wednesday ET).

Slovakia is off to the men's hockey semifinals after a thrilling 3-2 shootout win over Team USA in the elimination round on Wednesday (Tuesday EST) at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The teams played to a 2-2 tie in regulation and overtime and Slovakia won the shootout 1-0.

Team USA goalie Strauss Mann and Slovakian goalie Patrik Rybar saved each of the first three shots for both teams. Rybar stopped the fourth attempt, and Peter Cehlarik was able to get past Mann on the ensuing shot. Team USA had one last chance, but it was denied by Rybar once again.

Team USA had won each of its three games in the group stage to earn the No. 1 seed in the knockout round. Slovakia had earned its trip to the quarterfinals a win over Germany in the playoff round.

Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky continued his torrid run with a goal in the first period to open the scoring. Slafkovsky, a 17-year-old who had scored four goals in the group stage, was alone in front of the net and put it past Mann with a wrist shot.

It looked like Team USA would be facing a one-goal deficit heading into the first break until Kenny Agostino kicked off a late rush. The United States was able to tie the game in the final minute of the first period when 22-year-old Nick Abruzzese scored his first goal of the Olympics off a beautiful feed from Matty Beniers.

In the second period, Slovakia opened with some early pressure and outshot the United States early on. But another rush led to Sam Hentges' first goal in Beijing to put Team USA in front with 11:04 left. The speed of the fourth line have worked wonders for the U.S. throughout the Winter Games.

Team USA's defense did a great job limiting Slovakia's opportunities and assisting Mann in front of the net. Slovakia wasn't able to find the back of the net in the second period despite outshooting the U.S. 13-6.

The third period was a series of missed opportunities for Team USA. The United States started the period with a power play, but Rybar came up with a couple of big stops to deny the Americans from extending their lead.

Team USA had another huge opportunity nearly five minutes into the third with a two-man advantage power play after Slovakia was called for a delay of game. But the U.S. was unable to put in their one-timers as the Slovakians put an end to both the 5-on-3 and 5-on-4 advantages without giving up a goal.

Slovakia frantically tried to tie the game as time wound down, but Mann and the rest of the U.S. defense held up. United States earned another late one-man advantage, but Rybar remained a brick wall in front of the net for Slovakia.

The constant missed opportunities came back to bite Team USA. Slovakia pulled Rybar with just over 90 seconds left in the game to put six skaters on the ice, and the strategy paid off. Marek Hrivik was able to score off a rebound with 43.7 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.

In the 10-minute sudden death period, both teams had their opportunities at the net. But Mann and Rybar denied everything that was sent their way, forcing the shootout.

Slovakia will face the winner of Wednesday's game between the ROC and Denmark on Thursday.

The United States finished with the gold and silver in men's freeski slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Wednesday (Tuesday ET) as Alex Hall and Nick Goepper took first and second, respectively.

Sweden's Jesper Tjader, who competed in his third Olympic Games, took the bronze in Beijing.

Eleven competitors each skied three runs, with the top result serving as their ultimate score. Here's a look at those final results alongside some notes and highlights.

Final Results

1. Alex Hall (United States): 90.01

2. Nick Goepper (United States): 86.48

3. Jesper Tjader (Sweden): 85.35

4. Andri Ragettli (Switzerland): 83.50

5. Birk Ruud (Norway): 79.33

6. Fabian Boesch (Switzerland): 78.05

7. Colby Stevenson (United States): 77.41

8. Matej Svancer (Austria): 73.05

9. Max Moffatt (Canada): 70.40

10. Ben Barclay (New Zealand): 67.40

11. Oliwer Magnusson (Sweden): 40.46

Source: Olympics.com

Notes and Highlights

Hall, who finished third in the 2021 World Championships, posted the gold-medal-winning score of 90.01 on his first run.

The 23-year-old, who has won four Winter X Games gold medals, was competing in his second Olympic Games.

He finished 16th in 2018, but he's been on fire ever since and now stands atop the slopestyle perch after his dominant run.

The 27-year-old Goepper has made a habit of winning slopestyle medals. He's won six in the Winter X Games (four gold, two silver), two bronze in the World Championships and now three Olympic medals (two silver, one bronze).

Goepper finished as the runner-up in 2018 and earned that honor yet again in 2022 after a great second run.

Like Hall, Tjader made a dramatic rise up the leaderboard after the 2018 Olympics:

Also like Hall, Tjader set his standard on the first run.

The Swede has already made international headlines after becoming the first person ever to perform a switch loop trick:

Now he's an Olympic medalist after a great performance Wednesday.

Su Yiming became the first Chinese snowboarder to win a gold medal in the Olympics, bringing home the victory for the host country in the men's big air event at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The 17-year-old won with a first-place score of 182.50, earning a 93.00 in his second run. 

Su threw down back-to-back 1800s (five spins) in his first two runs, one forward, then backward. He built such a sizable 17.50-point lead heading into the final heat that he was able to take a victory lap in his run, holding his arms above his head as he went down the ramp.

"I was thinking back to when I was 4 years old and my first time snowboarding,” he said afterward, per Jake Seiner of the Associated Press. “I’m so appreciative. This moment is so special for my family."

Mons Roisland of Norway won the silver medal with a score of 171.75, edging out the 170.25 by Canada's Max Parrot. Parrot, who is now cancer-free after being diagnosed in 2018, earned his second medal of the 2022 Games after winning gold in the men's slopestyle event.

Parrot, who is 10 years older than Su, had a ton of praise for the youngster after his win:

Su's victory was another win for China at Big Air Shougang, following up Eileen Gu's surprising gold-medal win in the freestyle skiing best-trick contest last week. It was the sixth gold medal overall for the host country.

A former child actor, Su is set to turn 18 in three days. Tuesday's victory was undoubtedly the perfect birthday present.

When Russian figure skating phenom Kamila Valieva took to the ice Tuesday to compete in the women's short program, she did what we've seen her do all year. In just under three minutes, she delivered a mesmerizing performance—aside from a shaky landing on her triple axel, the skill that has troubled her of late—in a remarkable display of talent and artistry that put her safely in the lead going into Thursday's free skate. 

Sadly, the performance was nothing to celebrate. Instead of being a breakout competition for figure skating's brightest star, Valieva's appearance in Beijing has turned into a travesty thanks to the adults who are charged with her care and the institutions that have failed once again to prevent systemic doping.

As figure skating's biggest scandal since the attack on Nancy Kerrigan in 1994 plays out, it exposes everything that's wrong with the sport today: the potential for child endangerment, the pressure put on young athletes' bodies and minds and the IOC's inadequacy in the face of the Russian sporting system—all with Valieva, a 15-year-old girl, sadly caught in the center. 

The scandal made Valieva's dominant performance all the more remarkable for her sheer grit in the face of a media frenzy. Just days after a video circulated of her crying during a training session and hours after she fell twice on her triple axel in a practice session, she delivered a confident, albeit emotional, performance.

With 82.16 points heading into the free skate, Valieva is just shy of two points ahead of compatriot and 2021 world champion Anna Shcherbakova, who hit for an 80.20, and 2.32 ahead of Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, who earned a career-high 79.84. Alexandra Trusova, also competing for the Russian Olympic Committee, fell on her triple axel and finished fourth.

While in another context Valieva's performance—on top of her debut, during the team event, of the quad, the first female figure skater to do so at the Olympics—would be considered a revolutionary moment for women's figure skating, here it belies something more sinister as we learn more and more about the dark underbelly of Russian figure skating.

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance that is used to treat heart conditions but could be used to help improve an athletes' endurance, from a sample taken on December 25 at the Russian national championships.

The positive test emerged last Tuesday, one day after the team competition concluded. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA)—which said the testing delay was due to COVID-19 infections among laboratory staff—responded by provisionally banning Valieva and then lifted the ban upon appeal. It's this decision that the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) contested in a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to prevent Valieva from competing.

But the court ruled in Valieva's favor, deciding Monday that since Valieva is a "protected person" (according to WADA, someone under age 16), rules surrounding provisional suspensions don't apply to her and that keeping her from competing "would cause her irreparable harm."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), knowing that Valieva could still be sanctioned "after due process has been followed," responded by canceling the team medal ceremony and, if Valieva medals, the individual ceremony.

Which brings us to the short program, where 30 athletes competed in a tainted event. While the AP reports that the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) claimed a doping test taken during the Olympics was negative, and attorneys for Valieva say that the positive test was a result of contamination from her grandfather's medicine, Valieva's participation sends the message that, as American figure skater Bradie Tennell put it in a tweet, "the rules we live and train by, are nothing but disposable by those in charge."

Essentially, if you are a clean athlete, there is no guarantee that you will compete against clean athletes, and there's nothing anyone in power will do about it.

The ruling is also an implicit endorsement of the situation under which Valieva trains and skates, something that has ominous implications for the sport's future. As Valieva and her compatriots propel the sport to new levels by completing quads—they are the only competitors in Beijing to do so—questions have emerged about what it's taken for them to get there.

All three of the Russian skaters competing at these Olympics train under Eteri Tutberidze, who has trained a series of figure skating phenoms just like Valieva, including the skaters who took gold and silver at the last Olympics, Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva. Young, slim skaters—those best positioned to complete elusive quad jumps—have thrived competitively under Tutberidze, but only for spurts. After that, they tend to retire because of injuries and in one confirmed case because of an eating disorder.

Abusive coaching practices exist at every level across every sport—figure skating is no exception—and Tutberidze's methods certainly need further scrutiny. But here, we have a clear example of a girl—someone who cannot consent to being drugged, but, conversely, can still consent to competing on the world's stage—who is being harmed, and as of now, nothing is being done. Contrary to CAS' claim that keeping Valieva from competing would cause her harm, as Bruce Arthur so aptly put it in the Toronto Star, "In protecting her based on her age, the panel allowed Russia to continue to exploit her based on her age." 

The panel also continued to allow Russia to make a laughingstock of the ITA, WADA and the IOC. Six years after Russia's state-sponsored doping became public knowledge, WADA still does not have control over the problem, and RUSADA still maintains independence.

RUSADA was declared "non-compliant" in December 2020 after an investigation showed "extensive manipulation and deletion of some data" from Moscow's anti-doping lab. The non-compliance status, decided in another hearing with CAS, lasts through 2022 and bans Russian athletes from competing under their flag. Still, RUSADA continues to operate independently and without "any special monitoring or supervision," according to WADA, allowing WADA to punt blame for the case's mismanagement to RUSADA.

Since Valieva's sample was taken before the Olympics, the ITA and the IOC aren't in charge of managing the case, and WADA blames RUSADA for not fast-tracking the sample. Still, RUSADA will be responsible for investigating Valieva's support personnel. Not to worry, though, because WADA will also "look into it."

The situation is admittedly opaque and complex. But if we've learned anything from it, it's that the system in charge of keeping drugs out of sport and protecting young athletes is not working. Valieva and the other skaters showed up and did everything that was asked of them, with beautiful results. It's a shame the people in charge didn't do the same.

Two powerhouses of men's hockey will square off in the final of four quarterfinal games at the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Canada and Sweden rank first and fourth, respectively, in the all-time men's hockey medal standings. 

Canada has the most gold medals in men's hockey, but its quest for a return to gold was detoured by a second-place finish in Group A.

The Canadians were forced to play China in the playoff round just to set up the clash with fourth-seeded Sweden on Wednesday morning.

Sweden was the best second-place finisher in the three groups. It earned seven of a possible nine points and beat out Canada in the seeding table by one point. 

The winner of Wednesday's clash will take on the United States or Slovakia in the semifinals, while the loser makes an early exit from the competition.  

Sweden vs. Canada Info

Date: Wednesday, February 16

Start Time: 8:30 a.m. ET 

TV: USA Network

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.

Odds: Available odds can be found on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Preview

Canada-Sweden is expected to be the closest of the four quarterfinals, and it is not just because of the proximity of their knockout-round seeding. 

They are typically two of the strongest men's hockey nations at the Olympics and they are eight years removed from the gold-medal showdown won by Canada. 

Canada's loss to the United States in Group A forced it below the top four in the seeding table. That result made it play an extra game on the Beijing ice. 

Canada eliminated China with ease on Tuesday morning by way of a 7-2 result. The Canadians did not gain much from the expected result. They beat China twice by a combined score of 12-2. 

The high-scoring games allowed Adam Tambellini to represent Canada atop the Olympic points chart after four games. 

Tambellini leads the competition with seven points from three goals and four assists. Eric O'Dell and Kent Johnson also rank in the top 10 in points. 

Sweden can match that firepower with its own offensive depth. Lucas Wallmark is tied for the tournament lead in goals with four, while Jonathan Pudas and Henrik Tommernes are among six players tied with four assists. 

Sweden scored on 10 occasions in Group C play, but it did give up seven tallies, including four in an overtime loss to Finland. 

There could be concerns about the Canadian defense as well since it let up four goals to the United States. 

Canada conceded twice in the last two games, but both of those contests were against China, who was the worst squad in the 12-team tournament. 

Canada needs a strong first period to keep the deep Sweden attack at bay. If that happens, it could take advantage of the Sweden defense with its strong attackers. 

The margins are expected to be thin, and it may take one or two moments of brilliance for either team to stay alive in the medal hunt.

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Finland's attempt to return to the Winter Olympics medal stand continues on Wednesday morning against Switzerland. 

Finland earned a silver or bronze medal in three of the last four Winter Games. It did not earn a medal four years ago because of a quarterfinal elimination. 

The Finns asserted their dominance in Group C by beating Slovakia, Latvia and fellow medal contender Sweden to earn eight of a possible nine points. They earned two points for an overtime victory over Sweden.

Switzerland was forced into the playoff round after a fourth-place finish in Group B. The Swiss were the only lower seed to move on from that round, as they beat Czech Republic, 4-2. 

Finland scored 13 goals in the group stage and Switzerland put four goals past the Czechs, so those totals may give us the highest-scoring quarterfinal matchup.

Finland vs. Switzerland Info

Date: Wednesday, February 16

Start Time: 3:40 a.m. ET 

TV: USA Network

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com and Peacock

Game Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Puck Line: Finland (-1.5)

Over/Under: 5

Money Line: Finland (-255; bet $255 to win $100); Switzerland (+205; bet $100 to win $205)

Preview

Finland produced the second-best goal total in the group stage behind the United States. 

The 13 goals allowed the Finns to earn the No. 2 seed in the knockout round. They sit on the same side of the knockout bracket as the Russian Olympic Committee.

Sakari Manninen and Miro Aaltonen combined for five goals in the group phase, while Teemu Hartikainen is tied with a handful of players for the tournament lead with four assists. 

The deep Finnish attack could cause problems for the Swiss defense that let up eight goals in the group stage. 

Switzerland played well against the ROC, but it conceded five times in its group-stage finale against Denmark. 

The Swiss fixed some of their defensive issues in the 4-0 win over Czech Republic, but they need to be more consistent on that end to make a surprising run to the medal rounds. 

Switzerland needs to contain the Finnish power play to have a chance of pulling off the most surprising win of the quarterfinal round.

Finland leads the tournament in power-play percentage at 44.4. The Finns scored four goals on nine opportunities with the man advantage in their favor. 

It is worth noting the Czech Republic was second to Finland in power-play percentage and it failed to score versus Switzerland in the playoff round. 

If Finland continues to find success on the power play, and it produces scoring attempts from all angles, like it did in the group stage, it should advance with ease. 

Switzerland should come into Wednesday morning with a ton of confidence after its four-goal output, and if it could score more versus a Finland defense that conceded on six occasions in the group stage.

Finland should leave the ice with a victory, and if it does, it will likely set up a blockbuster clash in the semifinals against ROC. 

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The Russian Olympic Committee and Denmark face off for the second time at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the quarterfinal round of the men's hockey tournament. 

The ROC entered the competition as the favorite because of its deep roster of stars from the KHL. 

ROC won its first two group games, including a 2-0 victory over Denmark, but then it fell to the Czech Republic in overtime.

The loss in the group stage finale dropped ROC to the No. 3 overall seed in the knockout round. It drew a matchup with No. 6 seed Denmark.

Denmark opened its elimination round slate with a 3-2 win over Latvia on Tuesday morning. The Danes have been a low-scoring side for most of the tournament, which means they will likely try to pull the upset with some strong defense. 

ROC vs. Denmark Info

Date: Wednesday, February 16

Start Time: 1 a.m. ET 

TV: USA Network

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com or Peacock

Game Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Puck Line: ROC (-1.5)

Over/Under: 5

Money Line: ROC (-475; bet $475 to win $100); Denmark (+350; bet $100 to win $350)

Preview

The Russian Olympic Committee entered China with the most talented roster on paper. 

ROC jumped into the favorite role after the NHL pulled its players out of the tournament in late December. 

The Group B winner looked strong in its first two games, as it shut out Switzerland and Denmark.

However, the ROC showed some signs of weakness in a 6-5 loss to Czech Republic. It gave up unanswered goal streaks of three and two in the group-stage finale. 

ROC earned a point from the overtime loss, and that allowed it to top the group with seven points ahead of Denmark. 

The Russian athletes should come into Wednesday morning with some extra motivation to prove the six-goal concession with more of an outlier to their defensive form. 

That may hurt Denmark's chances of pulling off an upset. A ROC squad with a perfect group-stage record may have been a bit more complacent on the ice. 

ROC's defense was the story of the Group B meeting between the two sides. It limited the Danes to 16 shots over 60 minutes. 

Denmark stands a small chance to win if Sebastian Dahm turns in another solid game in net. He is second in the tournament in saves and owns a 93.88 save percentage. 

Dahm's opposite number in goal could be even better in net. Ivan Fedotov allowed six goals on 90 shots on target and produced two shutouts in the group stage. 

The play of both goalies could turn the quarterfinal clash into a low-scoring affair, and it could play out similar to the group game, where ROC's individual talent shined through on two goals to gain the win. 

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The United States men's hockey team opens its knockout round action at the 2022 Winter Olympics late on Tuesday night. 

The Americans will face Slovakia in the first of four quarterfinal matches set to take place over the next 24 hours. 

United States topped the 12-team rankings from the group stage to earn the No. 1 seed for the knockout round. 

The Americans won Group A with victories over Canada, Germany and China. They avoided a rematch with Germany after it was eliminated by Slovakia in the playoff round.

Slovakia poses a difficult threat to the Americans because of its scoring potential. It put four goals past Germany in the last round and it has one of the competition's leading scorers on its roster. 

USA vs. Slovakia Info

Date: Tuesday, February 15

Start Time: 11 p.m. ET 

TV: USA Network

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com and Peacock

Game Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Puck Line: United States (-1.5)

Over/Under: 5.5

Money Line: United States (-230; bet $230 to win $100); Slovakia (+185; bet $100 to win $185)

Preview

No one was sure what to expect from the United States squad without any NHL players on the roster. 

The Americans were the pleasant surprise of the group stage, as they won all three games and took over the No. 1 seed in the knockout round bracket. 

The United States avoided the Russian Olympic Committee and Finland on the top side of the bracket. They will only face either side in the final if they keep winning. 

The easiest possible matchup was drawn for the quarterfinal round against Slovakia. For example, Sweden and Canada, two hockey powerhouses, face off in the other quarterfinal in the top half of the bracket. 

Slovakia will not be a pushover, but it is an easier foe than any of the traditional powers. 

Slovakia advanced to the final eight by beating Germany by a 4-0 score on Tuesday morning in the playoff round. It faces a 24-hour turnaround to play the United States.

The No. 8 seed boasts one of the top scorers in the tournament in Juraj Slafkovsky, but he did not score one of the four goals in the playoff round.

Slafkovsky was responsible for four goals in the group stage and he should be the No. 1 target of the American defense. 

The Americans would likely rather contain Slafkovsky and let the other players beat them than have the joint top scorer in the competition thrive in the attacking zone. 

The United States will rely on Sean Farrell and Ben Meyers to jumpstart their attacking play. Farrell finished the group stage with three goals and three assists. Meyers had two scores and a pair of handouts. 

A decision needs to be made in net by the Americans. Strauss Mann started one game in the knockout round and Drew Commesso picked up two victories while earning a 1.00 goals against average.

Commesso was the better of the two goalies in the group stage and the Boston University player should be rewarded for his success. 

The other question for the Americans is the status of defenseman Jake Sanderson, who was on the ice at practice on Monday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Sanderson was injured in the second group game against Canada. 

The American defense allowed just four goals in the group stage and it allowed the team to have the highest goal differential at plus-11. 

As long as the United States slow down Slafkovsky and the top Slovakian attackers, they should move one step away from the gold-medal game. 

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Team USA had a mixed day overall in the women's short program at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Tuesday. 

 Alysa Liu led the way with a score of 69.50 to finish in eighth place overall. 

Mariah Bell checked in at No. 11 (65.38) followed by Karen Chen at No. 13 (64.11). 

All three members of the American team made it through qualifying to reach the free skate on Thursday.

The biggest story of the event revolved around Russian Olympic Committee star Kamila Valieva's eligibility. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a reversal of a provisional suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in a sample collected on Dec. 25. 

IOC member Denis Oswald told reporters after the ruling that Valieva's camp argued the substance showed up in her test due to contamination from a separate medication being taken by her grandfather. 

Due to the controversy around Valieva, the International Olympic Committee ruled there will be no medal ceremony if she finishes in the top three during the women's competition this week. 

Valieva dominated in the short program, posting the top overall score (82.16) despite a stumble on a triple axel. The only other competitor to finish with a score of at least 80.00 was ROC teammate Anna Shcherbakova (80.20). 

Liu had an excellent performance that was virtually flawless to finish in the top 10:

When Liu's group was done, she was in second place overall. The rest of the field pushed her down to the No. 8 spot, but she's still in a good position heading into the free skate. 

Liu took a conservative approach in this routine. She didn't include the triple axel, opting instead to go with a double. It worked in this round, though she may need to bring it back in order to reach the medal stand. 

Three years ago, Liu won the U.S. Championships at the age of 13 by landing three triple axels, including two in her free-skate routine. 

Bell, who is competing in her first Olympics after being an alternate in 2018, didn't have her best showing. She fell to the ice on the second jump of a triple-triple combination, but the Oklahoma native was able to recover for a strong finish to come in just outside the top 10. 

"I am bummed with the mistake on the opening element—I think it cost me quite a bit of points—but I am happy how I came back with everything else. Ultimately, I just really enjoyed skating on Olympic ice," Bell told reporters after her performance. 

Chen had a disappointing turn with a fall on her triple loop that resulted in a one-point deduction from her total score. The 22-year-old appeared to have tears in her eyes as she pulled herself up from the ice to finish her routine. 

Despite the stumble, Chen was able to compose herself in order to finish in the top 15. She is facing an uphill climb to reach the podium with the free skate still to come. 

"Today felt so much better than the team event, until that jump, and then everything went sideways," Chen said after her short program. "After the event, I will reflect on what went wrong. I need to flip the page for the free skate."

The top 25 skaters in the competition qualified for the free skate. Liu, Bell and Chen will take part in the event on Thursday at 5 a.m. ET looking to get the U.S. its first women's singles medal at the Olympics since 2006 (Sasha Cohen).