U.S. figure skating team awarded gold medals in Paris after a 2-year delay
PARIS — Finally. At long last.
In a ceremony at Paris's Champions Park, near the Eiffel Tower, members of the U.S. figure skating team were honored with Olympic gold medals.
"That was amazing, more than I could have ever dreamed of," said a grinning Vincent Zhou, speaking to reporters after the ceremony. "Everything has come full circle now."
The event Wednesday — which unfolded at the Paris Summer Olympics — followed two years of controversy and legal wrangling sparked by a doping scandal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games involving star Russian skater Kamila Valieva.
During those Olympics, Valieva led her Russian team to a gold medal win with a masterful routine. After Valieva competed, however, it was revealed that she had tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug in the months before the Winter Games.
Nine Americans were granted the gold medal, after a final ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month upheld a four-year ban for Valieva while disqualifying her Beijing performance.
During a packed outdoor ceremony a crowd cheered, held up American flags and chanted "USA! USA!" as the names of the nine American athletes were read out.
Those honored are Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue,, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim, and Vincent Zhou.
Speaking Wednesday, American skater Alexa Knierim said their performance on the ice in Beijing deserved to be finally recognized. "It was electrifying and it was part of our team’s effort to win gold," she said. "I wouldn’t have done anything differently."
Nathan Chen, one of the stars of the American team, said being honored at a special event in Paris could never replace the proper medal ceremony that should have happened in Beijing.
But he said the ceremony here did allow the team to come together in a way that brought closure.
"Our Olympics was the Beijing Olympics, so it would have been cool to have it in Beijing," Chen said. "But at the same time, we just wished we could celebrate a medal ceremony together, at an Olympics. We got that wish."
Members of Japan's figure skating team, which originally placed third, were also honored at the ceremony with the silver medal. Russia, which fell from first to third, was not present to receive the bronze medal.
Transcript
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Nine American figure skaters were finally honored today in Paris with the gold medals that they won in 2022 at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The ceremony was delayed by a doping scandal involving a Russian figure skater and by years of legal wrangling and controversy. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It wasn't supposed to happen like this, but it was glorious. Nine American figure skaters marching out to a roaring crowd with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
VINCENT ZHOU: Oh, that was incredible, more than - could have ever dreamed of.
MANN: That's Vincent Zhou, part of the American team that performed masterfully at the Beijing Games only to be denied their gold medal. Zhou said that wrong was made right today during the Paris Summer Olympics.
ZHOU: Everything's come full circle now.
MANN: Here's what happened. At the Beijing Winter Games, the U.S. skated elegantly. Here's team member Alexa Knierim.
ALEXA KNIERIM: Our performance was electrifying, and it was part of our team's effort to win the gold, and I wouldn't have done anything differently.
MANN: But the Russian team, led by star figure skater Kamila Valieva, edged the U.S. out of a first-place finish. Then in Beijing, it was revealed Valieva had tested positive months before the Games for a performance-enhancing drug. That triggered years of review, legal challenges and international controversy. In the end, Valieva was disqualified, banned from skating for four years.
And last month, the U.S. figure skating team learned it would be granted the gold medal. Nathan Chen, one of the stars of the American team, says this ceremony in Paris is vindication and a chance for the team to come together to celebrate.
NATHAN CHEN: Of course, like, you know, our Olympics was the Beijing Olympics, so it would've been cool to have in Beijing. But at the same time, again, we just wished that we could celebrate a medal ceremony together at an Olympics, and we got that wish.
MANN: This celebration comes as these Summer Games have been rocked by another doping scandal, this time involving Chinese swimmers. Asked about the future of clean competition, Vincent Zhou said the gold medal around his neck is a victory for drug-free sport.
Members of Japan's skating team also received their silver medals today. The Russians who slipped from first to third because of Valieva's disqualification were not present to get their bronze medal. Brian Mann, NPR News, Paris.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOODS' "MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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