Finally, US figure skaters will get Beijing Olympic gold medals — under Eiffel Tower (2024)

PARIS — The Kamila Valieva doping saga, one of the most controversial, arduous and infuriating scandals in Olympic history, reaches its long-awaited conclusion Wednesday evening at the base of the Eiffel Tower when, for the first time in history, Winter Olympians will receive their gold medals at the Summer Olympics.

Exactly 2½ years to the day after the team figure skating competition ended at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, U.S. figure skaters will get their gold medals and their Japanese counterparts their silvers at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Russia dropped from first place to third after Valieva was suspended for four years and her Olympic results were disqualified, but since Russia is not allowed at the Paris Olympics due to the war in Ukraine, their skaters will not be allowed at the medal ceremony and will receive their bronze medals elsewhere, probably in Russia at some later date.

All nine skaters on the U.S. team, their coaches and several members of each of their families flew to Paris on Tuesday courtesy of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

Medal ceremony outfits have been made for the Americans by the USOPC, which the skaters will wear at the Paris Olympics’ Champions Park for the ceremony beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

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Finally, US figure skaters will get Beijing Olympic gold medals — under Eiffel Tower (1)

“It’s so magical that we get this opportunity,” Nathan Chen, who also won the gold medal in the men’s figure skating competition at the 2022 Olympics, said in a phone interview Tuesday after arriving in Paris.

Then, alluding to all the stops and starts over the past 30 months in this bizarre international doping scandal, Chen added slyly, “Obviously, it hasn’t happened yet, so I’ll check back with you once it’s happening.”

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While the Valieva saga deprived the American and Japanese skaters of their moment on the podium at the 2022 Olympics, and the wait has been an annoying series of twists and turns, there is a silver lining to this gold-medal finale in France.

“What better place to get a medal than Paris?” said Chen, who has graduated from Yale since those Olympics and is heading into a post-grad program this fall.

Had the Americans received their then-silver medals when they were supposed to in Beijing, they would have been given them in the eerie isolation of Beijing’s COVID Olympics. They would have been wearing masks, and they would have been all alone except for their teammates. None of their families and friends were allowed to travel to China for those Games due to the stringent COVID restrictions at the time.

“My parents didn’t get to share the Beijing (men’s gold) medal with me so it’s cool to be able to have this alternative that now allows us to have a chance to have my family in attendance,” said Chen, who said his “whole family,” 10 in total, is with him in Paris.

“I’m really excited for the team, I’m excited to have this opportunity, I’m excited to share this with my family. For me, it’s just joy, glad that we get to have this opportunity. Given the situation, I’m happy that we’re able to have this opportunity just to share with our friends and family and of course the team. That’s really cool.”

On Feb. 7, 2022, Chen and his teammates won the silver medal behind Valieva and the Russians, and ahead of then-third-place Japan. The next day, they were getting ready for the medal ceremony in Beijing when it was abruptly called off, throwing the results of the competition into disarray, when the then-15-year-old Valieva was found to have tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) six weeks earlier at the Russian championships.

After many months of dithering and delays, mostly by Russian officials, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against Valieva in January 2024, paving the way for the U.S. team to move up to the gold medal.

However, that wasn’t the end of the story. The Russians filed three appeals of that decision with CAS — one from the Russian Olympic Committee, another from the Russian figure skating federation and the third from the six skaters who comprised the Russian team.

As the weeks wore on, there was concern that if CAS did not rule on the appeals in time, the Paris medal ceremony could not take place, leaving the skaters without their medals for who knew how much longer.

Finally, less than two weeks ago, on the day before the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony, CAS dismissed all three Russian appeals and the figure skating medal ceremony was on.

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Finally, US figure skaters will get Beijing Olympic gold medals — under Eiffel Tower (2024)

FAQs

Finally, US figure skaters will get Beijing Olympic gold medals — under Eiffel Tower? ›

PARIS (NEXSTAR) – With the Eiffel Tower in the background, the U.S. figure skating

U.S. figure skating
“As the national governing body, the mission of the United States Figure Skating Association is to provide programs to encourage participation and achievement in the sport of figure skating on ice.”
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › U.S._Figure_Skating
team that medaled at the 2022 Beijing Olympics finally received their gold medals during a special ceremony on Wednesday. It's been 2 ½ years since the American skaters left the Winter Games without a medal.

Did the US figure skating team get their medals? ›

In a ceremony at Paris's Champions Park, near the Eiffel Tower, members of the U.S. figure skating team were honored with Olympic gold medals. "That was amazing, more than I could have ever dreamed of," said a grinning Vincent Zhou, speaking to reporters after the ceremony. "Everything has come full circle now."

Which figure skater has the most gold medals? ›

Ulrich Salchow of Sweden currently holds the record for the most gold medals won in men's singles (at ten), while Sonja Henie of Norway holds the record for the most gold medals won in women's singles (also at ten).

What is a US figure skating gold medalist? ›

When a skater passes the final test in each pathway, they earn the honor of becoming a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist.

How do US figure skaters qualify for the Olympics? ›

To qualify for Worlds, or the Olympics, a skater normally has to place in the top 3** at Nationals, however this isn't a guarantee, and US Figure Skating does have some disrection on this and can choose to send different skaters. This happens rarely, but can happen especially with the Olympics.

Why did US figure skaters get medals in Paris? ›

They finally got medals 2½ years later in Paris. U.S. figure skaters pose against a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower during a ceremony to reallocate the medals from the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The U.S. was upgraded from silver to gold following the retroactive disqualification of Russian Olympic Committee's Kamila Valieva.

What are the US gold medals in 2024? ›

Tied with China on golds (40), the U.S. placed first in the overall medal tally via a tiebreaker (44–27 in silver). The occasion marked the first time in Summer Olympic history that two countries finished with an equal number of gold medals at the top.

Who is the greatest female figure skater of all time? ›

Sonja Henie

Often considered the greatest figure skater in the history of the sport — male or female — Norway's Henie won Olympic gold three times in ladies' singles (1928, '32 and '36) and a remarkable 10 consecutive world titles from 1927-36.

Who is the best male figure skater of all time? ›

Men's highest personal best scores
No.SkaterNation
1Nathan ChenUnited States
2Ilia MalininUnited States
3Yuzuru HanyuJapan
4Shoma UnoJapan
6 more rows

What female athlete holds the most figure skating titles? ›

Michelle Kwan sits as the most decorated figure skater – male or female – in the United States, having won 43 championships. She earned two Olympic medals, five world championships, and nine U.S. championship titles.

How do you become a gold medalist in figure skating? ›

As an athlete progresses through the U.S. Figure Skating test structure, more opportunities become available. On average, it takes a skater six years to pass their gold skating skills test and eight years to pass the gold singles test.

Is figure skating a summer Olympic sport? ›

Figure skating is one of the most popular winter Olympic sports. The sport was first introduced in the 1908 Summer Olympic Games and moved to become part of the Winter Games in 1924.

Which American speed skater won gold? ›

Speed skater Dan Jansen's gold medal victory is one of the most inspiring Olympic stories in American history. The four-time Olympian and seven-time World Cup champion won a gold medal in his final Olympic race in the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

What is the best age to start figure skating? ›

There isn't a particular age for you you to start. It is however recommended to start at a younger age so they have more developed skills! Adult Figure Skater for several years. It depends upon what your intentions are.

Are figure skaters paid? ›

As of Aug 30, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Figure Skating in the United States is $28.02 an hour.

Do figure skaters go to college? ›

Figure skating doesn't have to end after high school. In fact, thousands of dedicated figure skaters across the country represent their colleges and universities as they continue to progress through their personal skating journeys ― some even going on to promising post-graduate careers with Team USA.

Who are the gold medalists for Usfsa? ›

The nine members of the U.S. team – Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Karen Chen, Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue – have been named the gold medalists for the figure skating team event from the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

What are the athletes given with their medals? ›

What's inside it? In addition to their medal, Olympians are gifted the official poster for the Paris Games, which is tucked inside the 40-centimeter box, according to the Olympics official website. A video shared by the NBC Olympics and Paralympics X account on Aug.

How many golds does the USA have so far? ›

At the start of the 2024 Paris Games, the United States had won 2,655 medals in the history of the Summer Olympics, with 1,070 of those being gold.

Who was the first American to win a gold medal in figure skating? ›

Tenley Albright (born July 18, 1935, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American figure skater and surgeon who was the first American woman to win the world championships (1953) and an Olympic gold medal in figure skating (1956).

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