GANGNEUNG, South Korea – One by one Wednesday, the American women came onto the Olympic ice for their short program. Within seconds, they each had made a huge mistake on their opening jump or jump combination, leaving the ice shaking their heads over what might have been.
When it was over and the dust and the sequins had settled, the damage had been done: theirs was the worst performance by U.S. women in the history of the Olympic short program, which began in 1976.
The three Americans – Mirai Nagasu, Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell – finished ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively, a whopping 16 points (or more) behind the leader, OAR’s Alina Zagitova.