(1/13/20) — Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen led Team USA with a bronze medal in the ice dance event at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.
On Saturday, Wolfkostin and Chen were in fifth place with 57.02 points after the rhythm dance. The Michigan-based team opened their free dance with a Level 4 stationary lift. Additionally, they earned positive grades of execution on every element, earning a score of 95.41, boosting them to third place with 152.43 points overall. This is the team’s first season together and second international medal.
Hailing from the Skating Club of Boston, Cate Fleming and Jedidiah Isbell finished sixth in the pairs event with a season’s best 137.90 points. Making their international debut, the 2019 U.S. novice silver medalists earned 88.10 points in their Romeo and Juliet free skate.
In the ladies event, Audrey Shin finished in seventh place with a season’s best 176.67 points and Kate Wang earned 141.17 to place 13th overall. Shin, the 2019 U.S. junior silver medalist, opened her 116.31-point free skate with a strong triple Lutz-triple toe loop and ended with two Level 4 spins. Skating to music from Dr. Zhivago, Wang earned 86.42 points in her free skate, which featured a Level 4 and a Level 3 spin.
Team USA’s only entry in the men’s event, Liam Kapeikis finished in 10th place overall with 161.59 points. Heading into the free skate in 14th place, the 2018 U.S. intermediate bronze medalist executed a strong triple flip-triple toe loop and two Level 4 spins to earn an international season’s best 112.02 in his Les Misérables program.
The Youth Olympic Games are an international multisport event held every two years, consistent with the current format of the Olympic Winter Games. The Winter Youth Olympic Games are the second-largest multisport winter event, second only to the Olympic Winter Games. A hallmark of the event is a unique culture and education program – Learn & Share – that is designed to equip athletes with the skills they need to succeed in sports and in their daily lives. For more information, visit the event website.
