Get ready for a new event within an event that is figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Your event guide begins with some excellent information for figure skating fans. The day before the opening ceremonies, a team event will be unveiled. It is similar to the team event in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics.
Initially ten teams will choose an entry from the disciplines of men, women, pairs, and dance. From there five teams will advance into performing a long program in the finals. In other words, you will see team competitions with the individual events both men and women, plus the couples in pairs and ice dancing. This was created for the stronger teams to get a medal they may not capture in an individual or paired category.
This is a schedule of events by date. Be sure to check your local TV station for times. There will be a time difference, so news of the figure skating winners are likely to be announced on traditional or social media beforehand.
Figure Skating Event Schedule
February 6 – Team Event Pairs and Team Event Mens (Short Program or Semifinals)
February 8 – Team Event Ice Dance and Team Event Ladies (Short Program),Team Event Pairs (Freestyle Program or Finals)
February 9 – Team Event Mens, Ice Dance, and Ladies (Freestyle Program)
February 11 – Pairs Skating (Short Program)
February 12 – Pairs Skating (Freestyle Program)
February 13 – Mens Singles (Short Program)
February 14 – Mens Singles (Freestyle Program)
February 16 – Ice Dance (Short Program
February 17 – Ice Dance (Freestyle Program)
February 19 – Ladies Singles (Short Program)
February 20 – Ladies Singles (Freestyle Program)
February 22 – Gala Exhibition
Figure Skaters to Watch
Pairs: The Europeans, quite possibly the Russians, will rule this category. There are the four-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Stolkowy of Germany, plus Russian pairs Tatiana Voloszhar and Maxim Trankov, who are the reigning world champs. Fellow Russian teammates Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov took the Russian national title.
Mens: USA’s Evan Lysacek who won the gold in Vancouver in 2010 is not on the team due to an injury. That leaves Canada’s Patrick Chan who holds three world titles, the ever entertaining Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, Javier Fernandez of Spain, and Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten up for a gold medal.
Ice Dance: If Team USA has a real shot at a gold medal it’s definitely in this category. Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the silver medal in Vancouver. They recently won the world championships in 2013 and 2011. Their biggest rival is Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir who won the gold medal in their native country back in 2010.
Ladies: Reigning gold medalist Kim Yu-na from South Korea is heavily favored to capture gold in Sochi, even after taking two years off. Her competitors are two-time world champion Mao Asada of Japan and European champion, 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaia from Russia. USA’s Gracie Gold did exceptional well at Nationals. It will be interesting to see how she does at her first Olympics.