Ladies figure skating is the marquee event of the winter Olympics and American women are used to be the star of the show.
Speaking of gold, Gracie Gold from Illinois is one to watch. The 18-year-old was born right here in Newton and she won silver in last year’s US Championship.
Ashley Wagner is the two time defending national champion. The 22-year-old from Virginia is looking for redemption. She just missed the Olympic team in 2010 and this is probably her final shot at going for gold.
Also, keep an eye out for local skater Christina Gao. She’s originally from Ohio but trains at the skating club of Boston.
“Having the support of Boston and its people would be amazing because I’ve seen through the past year, just being here for a little over a year, how strong of a city Boston is and how proud they are,” Gao said.
The men’s field is wide open after defending Olympic gold medalist even Lysacek was forced to bow out of the competition because of a hip injury.
One of the favorites, 22-year-old Ross Miner lives in Watertown and trains in Boston. He’ll be looking to fill one of two spots in Sochi. He won silver in last year’s US Championships and dedicating his routine this year to “Boston strong”.
“Figure skating is not going to change any lives, but if I can really get people moved, I’ll be very happy with that,” Miner said.
His main competition will be reigning national champion Max Aaron.