Elaine Teng, ESPN 6y

ICYMI in Pyeongchang: Russian athletes dominate figure skating, U.S. flag-bearer chosen

Olympic Sports, Figure Skating, Curling, Cross-Country

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- Russian athletes locked up the top women's figure skating medals, though not in the expected order,  while the American flag-bearer for the closing ceremony was chosen. Missed the action from Day 14 of the Pyeongchang Games? We've got you covered. 

Figure skating

It was supposed to be Evgenia Medvedeva's coronation. The 18-year-old Russian had been the skater of the quadrennial, dominating international competition to stake her claim as the greatest of her generation. Instead, her younger training partner and friend, 15-year-old Alina Zagitova, pipped her to the crown Friday in the women's competition. Medvedeva trailed by just 1.31 points after the short program and seemed certain at the end of her moving free skate set to music from "Anna Karenina" that she'd done enough. Instead, the judges went with Zagitova. Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond picked up the bronze medal.

Zagitova's gold medal is the first for the Olympic Athletes from Russia in these Games. When asked how she would feel when receiving her medal without the Russian anthem or flag, she refused to answer the question. Medvedeva, who advocated to the IOC for Russian athletes' inclusion despite the state-sponsored doping scandal, played down its impact. "It doesn't matter what the circumstances are," she said. "People know who we are, and today we proved ourselves here."

The women's event capped off a poor showing for Team USA in figure skating. None of the three American skaters skated a clean routine: Mirai Nagasu pulled out of doing her famous triple axel and finished 10th, while Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen ended up ninth and 11th, respectively.

Curling

For the first time in 20 years, Canada will not go home with a medal in men's or women's curling. Two days after the women failed to make playoffs, the men lost 7-5 in the bronze-medal match to Switzerland. Nevertheless, Canada has had an incredibly successful Olympics. Osmond's figure skating medal was her country's 27th of the Games, its best-ever haul.

Speedskating

American Joey Mantia was fourth in the 1,000-meter race, his best-ever finish at the Olympics. The Dutch continued their dominance in speedskating, as Kjeld Nuis picked up another gold. Norwegian Havard Lorentzen was second and South Korean Kim Tae-Yun took the bronze. Shani Davis of the U.S., who won gold in the event in 2006 and 2010, came in seventh.

Closing ceremony

Jessie Diggins, who with Kikkan Randall won the U.S. women's first-ever medal in cross-country skiing, has been selected to be the Americans' flag-bearer at the closing ceremony on Sunday. Diggins is not just a top-notch skier but her team's personal choreographer. Expect lots of glitter and some great dance moves.

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