Figure skating program opens with team event

Nations unlikely to win gold get chance to fine-tune for later.

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA — The only thing missing from Canadian figure skater Patrick Chan’s résumé is an Olympic gold medal.

He’s won three world championships. Two grand prix finals. Twice he’s stood on the second step of an Olympic podium, an infuriating few inches from what would be the pinnacle of his career.

So even though the 27-year-old Chan is focused on the men’s competition at the Pyeongchang Games, he is also aware of the tremendous opportunity presented by the team event. It begins today with Canada favored to win gold after finishing second in its debut four years ago at the Sochi Games.

“The medal is what you make of it,” Chan said, when asked whether a team gold medal would in some way be lesser than an individual gold. “It may not be the same for every skater or another teammate, but for me at this point in my career, anything at this point is a bonus.”

Indeed, the way skaters are approaching the team competition varies widely.

There are those from Canada, the U.S. and the Olympic athletes from Russia who are eying gold, or at least a spot on the podium. It’s an opportunity to start the Olympics on a high and potentially build up momentum they can carry into the rest of the Games.

Then there are those from France and Italy, countries that have medal hopefuls in individual events but not enough depth across the four disciplines to realistically compete for a team medal.

For them, it’s a chance to work out the kinks in a competitive environment, fine-tuning their own programs for what really matters in the coming days.

“We’re really focused on our personal event,” said Guillaume Cizeron. He and Gabrielle Papadakis are twotime ice dance world champions and among the favorites in that competition.

“I feel like the team event is a great opportunity for team spirit and what the games represent,” Cizeron said, “but our main focus is obviously the individual event.”

The powerhouse nations certainly seem to be putting more emphasis on the team event.

They’ve been closely guarding their lineups all week, a unique bit of gamesmanship for an otherwise individual sport, and have waited until the last possible moment to announce who will skate each event.

There is strategy in putting together the lineup: Some individuals are better in short programs, and others excel in the free skate. Plus, the pairs teams that are medal contenders must be cognizant of the fact their individual event begins two days after the team event finishes.

“We know that our country isn’t in the favorites to medal, so it makes things different,” Papadakis said. “Our main goal is the individual event. It may be different if we were going for a medal.”