Osmond feeling the team spirit

Women’s singles event at Winter Games goes next week, but team event begins this weekend, with Marystown native ready to skate again for Canada

Kaetlyn Osmond has begun practising her routine for next week’s ladies’ singles competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, but the 22-year-old Marystown native is in line to skate for Canada much sooner than that at the Pyeongchang Games.

Canada is one of the medal favourites in the figure skating team event which begins today with the men’s and the pairs short program and continues Sunday with the dance and women’s short programs. Osmond indicated last week that she would skate the short program in the team event, but as of early Thursday, Canadian coach Michael Slipchuk had not named the final and complete eight-skater lineup for the competition.

There are 17 skaters on the Canadian team, including three who will compete in women’s singles — Gabrielle Daleman, Osmond and Larkyn Austman. They finished 1-2-3 in that order at the Canadian championships last month in Vancouver.

The team event sees 10 countries sending contingents of pairs, dance, men’s and ladies’ competitors to the ice, with total scores from all eight skates (short and long) determining the final standings.

However, Canada can’t use every member of its team in each session.

Daleman is the reigning Canadian women’s champion, having defeated Osmond — the 2016 champ — at the 2017 event in Vancouver last month. However, Osmond won a silver medal at the 2017 world championship, while Daleman took bronze. Osmond also has experience on her side, having won a team silver with Canada in 2014 in Sochi where the team event made its Olympic debut.

Russia took the team gold medal in 2014.

Both Osmond and Daleman could take part in team competition as teams can make two changes to their lineups between the short and long programs.

Daleman was with the Canadian team in Sochi, but Osmond skated both the short and long program in the team event.

CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO/PAUL CHIASSON On this Feb. 8, 2014 file photo, Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond performs her short program in the women’s portion of the team figure skating event at the Sochi Winter Olympics Saturday. Osmond helped Canada win a silver medal in the team event, which made its...

CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO/PAUL CHIASSON In this Feb. 10, 20-14 file photo, Kaetlyn Osmond (left) poses with other members of the Canadian after receiving their silver medals for the figure skating team event at the Sochi Winter Olympics.