With the Team Event done, it is now time to focus on the individual event. Keep an eye on these key players as NBC analysts, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, comment on lutzes, camel spins, and hydro-blades. The dramatic pageantry and dedicated athleticism will take place every night on NBC for the duration of the Winter Olympics.
1. Adam Rippon
Media darling, Adam Rippon, is the first openly gay Winter Olympic athlete to ever compete. After making headlines with critical comments directed towards Vice President Mike Pence, Rippon performed in the Team Event with an astounding long program set to music by Coldplay. With combined technical and artistry talents, Rippon is sure to make waves in the individual Men's event.
2. Mirai Nagasu
Nagasu was left off of the U.S. Olympic team in 2014 and was given the traditional apologetic ice cream cone by Scott Hamilton. Four years later, Nagasu has earned a place in figure skating history as the first U.S. ladies figure skater to cleanly land the triple axel in an Olympic event.
3. Nathan Chen
Similar to Nagasu, Chen has also made figure skating history by landing 5 clean quadruple jumps in competition. His Olympic debut got off to a shaky start, as Chen uncharacteristically fell and popped two jumping passes. However, Chen reportedly went back to practice the following day, busting out quad after quad for hours.
4. Gabrielle Daleman
Daleman has previously stated that her secret weapon could possibly be a quadruple jump. The Canadian athlete's sassy persona and charismatic programs make each of her performances intriguingly powerful.
5. Satoko Miyahara
Miyahara is praised for her ballet-like approach to completing her programs, achieving a balance between systematically landing jumping passes and flawlessly gliding through spiral sequences. Her jumping technique is tight and fast, making each difficult element appear easy.
6. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
The three-time Olympian ice-dance team helped launch Canada up to first place in the Team Event. Virtue and Moir had a long-standing rivalry with American ice-dance duo Meryl Davis and Charlie White. With their rival team now absent, it will be interesting to see what Virtue and Moir have up their sleeves.
7. Yuzuru Hanyu
Hanyu lives the life of a Japanese icon as he is constantly hounded by photographers and devoted fans with rock-star levels of celebrity. The individual Men's event will be seen as a comeback for Hanyu, as a recent ankle injury has taken him off the international circuit.