SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Bradie Tennell won her first U.S. women's figure skating championship Friday night, using her remarkable consistency to produce a flawless performance that is all but certain to earn her a berth on the U.S. team for the Pyeongchang Olympics.
The three women who will compete in the singles event at next month's Winter Games were to be told Friday night, but the public announcement was scheduled to take place Saturday morning during the "Today" show.
Tennell, of Carpentersville, Ill., skated to "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," landing every jump and performing precise spins that won the hearts of the audience at SAP Center. Her final total of 219.51 gave her a resounding victory over Mirai Nagasu, who finished with 213.84 points after a mesmerizing program that left her in tears of joy.
Nagasu made the 2010 Olympic team but was passed over in 2014. However, her ability to land a triple axel jump _ which few women in the world can do _ gives her a unique edge this time around.
Karen Chen, the 2017 U.S. champion, finished third here with 198.59 points. Ashley Wagner, who got a 2014 Olympic berth instead of Nagasu, finished fourth with 196.19 points. It's possible that Wagner, 26, will not get the berth this time.
The selection committee must weigh the results of the U.S. championships as well as other major events, and Wagner _ who couldn't complete her second Grand Prix event this season because of a leg infection _ might lose out on that basis.
Wagner said she "skated with heart" as she performed the "La La Land" program she had gone back to only about a month ago. But that might not be enough for her to make the team. "I delivered something that was solid and something that I'm proud of," she said. "I want to be on the Olympic team and I'm really mad that I'm in this position again."
Asked if she believes she deserved an Olympic spot, Wagner replied, "Yes, I do."
Starr Andrews, 16, skated to her own vocal rendition of "One Moment in Time," and finished sixth overall after performing the fifth-highest-scored long program. She will have more big moments like that in the coming years, but Friday night belonged to Tennell, Nagasu and Chen. So might the three U.S. Olympic women's figure skating berths.
