Team USA figure skating is receiving a retroactive gold medal from the 2022 Beijing Olympics in Paris on Wednesday. If that sounds odd to you, because the United States originally won silver in the team figure skating event, let us explain.
Earlier in 2024, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for four years — backdated to 2021 — for an anti-doping rule violation. The ruling disqualified all her results since December 25, 2021, meaning her results in the 2022 Beijing Olympics — where she helped Russia win gold in the team figure skating event — have been voided.
With Valieva’s score dropped, Russia dropped to the bronze medal position while the United States jumped to gold and Japan up to silver. So two and a half years to the day after the team competition ended, United States figure skating — including sensation Nathan Chen — finally accepted their gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And now you know!
