Vincent Zhou won his first gold medal in the Grand Prix Series on Saturday at 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America with 295.56 total points. In his free skate, Zhou landed five quads, including one in combination to score 198.13 points.
“I didn’t really expect this result, but what I did expect of myself was to be as well-prepared and well-trained as I possibly could, and I think just focusing on that every single day at home led to making the seemingly impossible become possible,” Zhou said.
Nathan Chen captured the bronze medal with 269.37 total points. His 186.48-point free skate featured four quads and four Level 4 elements. He scored the highest program components mark of the competition.
“I’m really proud of these guys up here, and if anyone was to break my streak, I’m glad it’s him [Zhou],” Chen said. “All that being said, it’s just something that happened. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in the past, but at this point in time, the only thing I can do is move forward.”
Jimmy Ma finished fifth with 228.12 total points. His 143.60-point free skate opened with a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination.
Japan’s Shoma Uno secured the silver medal with 270.68 total points.
In the pairs competition, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier finished fourth with 202.97 total points. They opened with a Level 3 triple twist and earned Level 4 on five elements to score a season’s best 136.60 points and finish second in the free skate.
“That program was just the beginning of what we’re capable of,” Knierim said. “That program was like scratching the surface compared to what we do without any adrenaline and nerves at home. At home, we actually skate stronger, faster, cleaner. But it was great to get the job done today and check off each element.”
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson finished fifth overall with a season’s best 197.42 points. Their 128.55-point free skate opened with a Level 3 triple twist and also featured five Level 4 elements.
Chelsea Liu and Danny O’Shea finished seventh in their Grand Prix debut with 175.40 total points. In their free skate, they opened with a Level 4 triple twist and scored Level 4 on four additional elements to score a season’s best 115.24 points.
Russia captured the gold, with Evegenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov winning their second Skate America® title with 222.50 total points. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara secured the silver medal with 208.20 total points. Russia’s Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii earned the bronze medal with 205.53 total points.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue are in the lead after the rhythm dance on Saturday. The duo scored 83.58 points. They earned a Level 4 on their stationary lift and scored the highest program components mark of the competition.
“We left the ice with no regrets, because we just went for it, and it was really exciting to feel the reaction and see people stand up at the end,” Hubbell said.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates are in second place with 82.55 points. Their program featured two Level 4 elements and all positive grades of execution.
Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov scored 61.07 points and are currently in ninth place. They earned Level 4 on two elements.
Canada’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen are in third with 75.33 points.
In the women’s event, Amber Glenn leads the U.S. contingent with 67.57 points, earning her seventh place. She opened with a strong triple flip-triple toe loop combination and earned Level 4 on four elements.
“We wanted to come in here and try and put out a performance that I could be happy with,” Glenn said. “And unfortunately today I’m not very happy with how I did, but I feel like in the free skate I’ll be able to come out and do what I know how to do.”
Audrey Shin sits in ninth place with a season’s best 62.82 points. She earned Level 4 on her three spins and step sequence.
Starr Andrews scored 61.94 points to earn 10th place after the short program. Her program featured three Level 4 elements.
Russia holds the top three positions, with Alexandra Trusova in the lead with 77.69 points. Daria Usacheva is in second with 76.71 points, and Kseniia Sinitsyna is third with 71.51 points.
The competition at Skate America® continues Sunday with the free dance and women’s free skate. Events will be live and on-demand on Peacock Premium. On Sunday evening from 3-6 p.m. ET, NBC will showcase the free dance and women's free skate live.
