BEIJING, China — U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu was Team USA's top finisher in the women's short program Tuesday, while Russian skater Kamila Valieva will go into the free skate in first place at the Winter Olympics.
The women's competition was overshadowed by the controversy around Valieva, who failed a doping test before the Olympics. The 15-year-old is a favorite in the women's competition, and she scored 82.16 – well above most of the rest of the field.
Alysa Liu, 16, the youngest member of Team USA, got a score of 69.50 and was in eighth place.
Mariah Bell, 25, scored 65.38, putting her in 11th place.
Karen Chen, 22, scored 64.11 and is going into the free skate in 13th place.
Watch Alysa Liu's short program
Two of the U.S. skaters – Chen and Bell – have ties to Colorado. Chen trains in Colorado Springs, and Bell graduated from Ralston Valley High School in Arvada.
At 25 years old, Bell is the oldest U.S. women’s figure skating national champion in 95 years. Bell started skating at age 4 and trained at the Rocky Mountain Figure Skating Club. She now lives and trains in California.
Her longtime friend and teammate Nathan Chen, who won gold in the men's competition, came out to support her.
Four years ago in South Korea, Chen was one of the best figure skaters on the planet. Her performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics wasn't what she hoped for, so she took a break from the ice to reflect on the sport she loves.
She went to college and could have left skating for good, but she decided to give it one more try.
"In all that chaos, I think it gave me clarity, and I realized I loved skating and wanted to give it another go," she said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Beijing Olympic Games
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