"Not only because they could leave Milan with a medal haul worthy of comparison to the 1984 US boxing team or the 1996 US women's track and field squad. But because of something more: the chance this group could push figure skating beyond its traditional audience and into the broader cultural mainstream, much like the US men's basketball team did at the 1992 Summer Olympics."
"The Milano Cortina Olympic figure skating program opens on Friday with the team event, a competition uniquely designed to test exactly that kind of collective strength. Staged across three days, it brings together the sport's four disciplines men's singles, women's singles, pairs and ice dance into a single medal contest. Unlike the 1992 basketball Dream Team, the United States are unlikely to dog-walk the field, meaning success will depend as much on depth and consistency as on individual star power."
The United States will begin defending the Olympic figure skating team title inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena with an unusually deep roster. The team event spans three days and combines men's singles, women's singles, pairs and ice dance into a single medal contest. Ten nations compete in opening short programs and rhythm dance, with five advancing to free skate and free dance finals. The format rewards depth and consistency and forces federations to balance pushing medal favorites against preserving energy for individual events. Since 2014 the event has become emotionally and strategically complex, where strong performances build delegation momentum and mistakes can linger. The United States enter as defending champions, having been elevated to gold after the messy fallout from the Beijing 2022.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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