With break in schedule, skaters head elsewhere

GANGNEUNG, South Korea — If you’re leaving Pyeongchang on Tuesday morning, check out the folks sitting next to you.

They might be wearing Olympic medals.

The way the figure skating program is set up, there is a long break between the team competition and the ice dance and women’s competitions. The pairs program begins Wednesday and the men take the ice for their individual event on Friday, but the rest are off until next week.

So, most of the ice dancers and women from powerhouse countries such as Canada were leaving the craziness of the Olympic sphere on Tuesday for calmer surroundings. In their case, dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and the women’s contingent of Kaetlyn Osmond, Gabrielle Daleman and Larkyn Austman were on their way back to Seoul for a few days of work in an out-of-the-way rink.

Virtue and Moir, along with Osmond and Daleman, were instrumental in the Canadians winning gold in the team event. The Olympic Athletes from Russia took silver and the U.S. won bronze.

“We’ll be going to our training site outside of the Olympic structure, so to speak, and we’ll be able to take our experience of competing in this team event to our advantage,” said Moir, who along with Virtue are aiming for a fifth Olympic medal. “It’s a huge advantage that we’ve been out there.”

Mirai Nagasu became only the third woman and first American to land a triple axel in Olympic competition, helping the U.S. secure its bronze. Now, she’s headed to a secret location outside the host city of Gangneung with teammates Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell to keep the jump sharp.

They will be joined there by three ice dance teams that are podium contenders: siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani, who also skated in the team event; Madison Chock and Evan Bates; and national champs Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, who have been skating the best of their careers.