GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — One by one, some of the biggest names in figure skating tumbled to their backsides inside Gangneung Ice Arena, the opening day of their Pyeongchang Olympics program going nothing like planned.
Patrick Chan of Canada hit the deck first. Nathan Chen of the U.S. followed him. Russian skater Mikhail Kolyada was next, falling twice during his short program as part of the team competition.
They all had a readily available excuse: early-morning starts.
“I did a few simulations in the morning and I was like, ‘That was rough,'” said Adam Rippon, who will tackle the team free skate for the U.