Figure skating disciplines: pairs
The pairs event, “combines the athleticism of singles skating with the challenge of unison and the acrobatics of overhead lifts and throws,” according to the US Figure Skating Organization.
In comparison with singles, pairs have to perform in unison and build trust with one another.
The pairs event also splits into the short program and a free skate.
The short program requires lifts, side-by-side solo jumps done in unison, throw jumps, a step sequence, and a death spiral.
The free skate is more focused on choreography and technical skills.
Figure skating disciplines: singles
The singles category for both men and women focuses on everything from form, style, concentration, and ability to perform under pressure.
At higher levels, like the US Championships, singles categories are split into the short program and then the free skate.
The short program requires fewer elements whereas the free skate has a broader set of requirements.
Who is Evan Bates?
Evan Bates took home a gold medal at this year's US Figure Skating Championships, alongside his partner and fiancée Madison Chock.
Bates has a long ice skating career, gracing the national podium 13 times
He is also the oldest US champion in any discipline in decades, according to NBC Sports.
Bates is also a four-time Olympian, earning a silver medal, per his Team USA profile.
Who is Madison Chock?
Madison Chock won this year's gold medal in the ice dance category, alongside her partner Evan Bates.
This is their fourth national ice dance championship as a pair.
Madison is a three-time Olympian winning two silver medals.
She also designs skating costumes, per her Team USA profile.
Levito skated as a favorite
Levito came into the competition as the favorite after her first Grand Prix Series, in which she won three silver medals, including at the Grand Prix Final last month.
On Thursday night, she skated last. The audience was still as she stepped into her opening leap, a triple flip.
She successfully executed it before combining a double Axel with a triple Lutz-triple toe-loop in her “Una Noche Mas” short program.
Isabeau Levito rises for the occasion
Isabeau Levito became the new top American woman to begin the new Olympic cycle when she won her maiden U.S. figure skating championship at the age of 15.
In San Jose, California, Levito, the world junior champion, scored 223.33 points amongst two top teams.
She outperformed two-time US champion Bradie Tennell, who scored 213.12 despite missing 19 months of competition due to foot and ankle ailments in 2021 and 2022.
After Thursday’s short, Tennell trailed Levito by just two hundredths, but she made numerous leaping mistakes in the free skate.
Following her in the free, Levito delivered the most stressful performance of her young career, completing the field’s most difficult jump combination in the process.
