Montpellier, France (March 23, 2022) – The Americans are in medal position in the pairs and women’s competitions after the first day of competition at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 in Montpellier, France.
The American pairs tandems lead the way after the pairs short program in Montpellier. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, fresh off a silver medal in the team event at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, are in first place, after a personal-best 76.88-point short program.
“We are very proud of what we put out,” Frazier said. “Every time we come out and compete we are trying to grow each program. It was a great way to finish off the short program for the season. I’m very proud and happy for us.”
Reigning U.S. champions Ashely Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc are in second with 75.85 points.
“We are super excited for our performance and our position right now,” LeDuc said. “We are excited about U.S. pairs. This is an exciting position to be in.”
The United States has not won a medal in the pairs competition at Worlds since 2002, and has not won a pairs World title since 1979.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan are in third place with 71.68 points.
In the women’s competition, Mariah Bell earned a personal best of 72.55 points, and is third heading into the free skate.
“I’m very satisfied with my performance today,” Bell said. “I had a great performance and had a lot of fun...I wanted to skate my best and it’s a huge honor to be in third after the short. I’m really looking forward to the free skate.”
Bell, the reigning U.S. champion, finished ninth at the World Championships in 2019. This is her fourth Worlds appearance.
Alysa Liu, who was the top American finisher at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (seventh), is less than one point off the podium after earning 71.91 points in Wednesday’s short program. Karen Chen is in eighth with 66.16 points.
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan is in first with 80.32 points and Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx is in second with 75.00 points.
The women’s free skate takes place on Friday.
The 2022 World Championships will continue on Thursday with the men’s short program and the pairs free skate.
NBC will broadcast coverage of the women's free skate at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 26, followed by a recap show at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17. There will be an additional 12 hours of competition coverage on USA. Additionally, the full competition can be streamed live on Peacock Premium.
U.S. Figure Skaters in Medal Position After First Day of World Championships
The Americans are in medal position in the pairs and women’s competitions after the first day of competition at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 in Montpellier, France.
