US skier Shiffrin doubles up in Kranjska Gora

Nathan Chen dazzled once again with his remarkable athleticism to pull off breathtaking quadruple jumps, skating the final routine to a commanding US national championship Saturday night in San Jose, Calif. Chen, 18, all but secured his spot for next month’s Pyeongchang Games, with the US Olympic selections set to be announced Sunday morning. Chen completed five quads to beat second-place Ross Miner with a total score of 315.23 — a startling 40.72-point lead. Third-place Vincent Zhou, a 17-year-old rising star skating in his hometown to ‘‘Moulin Rouge!’’ attempted five quads and completed four in his technically difficult program — one quad was in combination with a triple — for a score of 273.83. Chen opened with a quad flip-triple toe loop combination at full speed and with flair, and never looked back. Chen, sporting all black, singled his planned triple axel as his only flaw. It hardly mattered with all those memorable quads. Besides the first combination, he also did a quadruple flip stand-alone, quad toe loop with a double toe loop combination, and a quad toe and quad salchow on their own . . . The husband-and-wife duo of Chris Knierim and Alexa Scimeca-Knierim captured the national pairs title, likely securing an Olympic berth. The pairs team, three men, and three ice dance couples that will go to PyeongChang will be announced Sunday.

3 named to Olympic skating team, but Wagner an alternate
Bradie Tennell, Mirai Nagasu, and Karen Chen, the top three finishers at US Figure Skating Championships, were selected Saturday to the national team for the PyeongChang Olympics. Three-time US champ Ashley Wagner, who complained about the marks after the free skate Friday night and finished fourth in San Jose, Calif., was named the top alternate. Tennell, 19, won the US crown, ahead of Chen, 18, and Nagasu, 24. It’s the first Olympic team for Tennell and Chen, and Nagasu’s second.

source: AFP