2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Latest News, Photos, and Videos

Mirai Nagasu isn’t only inspiring the entire USA right now at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics — she’s also inspiring her teammates Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell.

Just before the short program competition, Mirai, Karen and Bradie all sat down for a press conference where the younger two opened up about how Mirai has inspired them on, and off the ice — especially with that triple axel.

“When she nailed the triple axel, I jumped up screaming,” Bradie remembered, speaking of the team event where Team USA earned the bronze medal. “It was just incredible.”

Karen added, “She will inspire so many younger skaters that the impossible is possible. I think that I see a future [where] all of us could potentially have a triple axel as long as we have the grit like Mirai.”

Mirai joked moments later, “I’m available for lessons.”

But the triple axel isn’t just what Karen and Bradie like about Mirai.

“Just kind of watching how [Mirai] interacts with people and the way she handles herself,” Bradie adds. “I must confess to trying to be a little bit like her.”

The ladies’ free skate will take place Thursday, February 22nd on NBC.

Nathan Chen and Karen Chen are both on the Team USA Figure Skating Team this year — and many Olympic watchers might think they’re related, but they’re not.

They’re not brother and sister, not even cousins. They’re just two figure skaters who happen to share a fairly common last name.

“We come from a similar background and both our parents went through a lot to give us the opportunity to skate and help us be successful,” Nathan shared in an interview.

He adds, “I think what Karen and I represent is everything that our parents stand for and how they raised us.”

Karen will make her Olympic debut TONIGHT!

Bradie Tennell made her Olympic debut over the past weekend at the figure skating team event with a flawless program.

Now, before she makes her second debut this week, JJJ has a bunch of fun facts about the US National Champion.

“I can remember, you know, dreaming about it and being like, ‘Mom, I wonder what it would be like to march in the Opening Ceremonies with all those athletes and the cameras, and ‘oh, my goodness, how cool that would be,’” Bradie shared just after the US Championships about going to the Olympics.

She adds, “And now I get to go live it. It’s crazy.”

Here are 5 Fast Facts about Bradie:

• Bradie, 20, is a super fan of Supernatural and even got a shout out from the cast upon making the Olympic team.
• She’s not a morning person: “I love nothing more than to sleep in.”
• She’s a real life Cinderella: “For as long as I can remember, I have loved Cinderella. My music and outfits have been inspired by the story.”
• She has rituals: “When I step on any ice, I take my left guard off and step on the ice then take my right guard off.”
• She’s a big foodie like snowboarder Chloe Kim. Her faves are “pizza, ice cream and strawberry milkshakes”

Mirai Nagasu made Olympic history when she became the first US woman to land a triple axel in the team event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics — and she’s aiming to do it again.

Speaking with reporters in South Korea, the 24-year-old figure skater has two more triple axels planned — one in her short program and another in the long program.

“Maybe I’ll fall; maybe I’ll land it,” Mirai shared. “But right now my mind-set is I’m going to nail it. And I believe…I’m definitely going for it: No guts, no glory.”

She adds, “If I fall, I’ll take the fall and get up and keep going.”

Mirai is also hoping for a spot on that podium too — “I want it so badly. Like, I wanna be there. I want to prove myself, not just to myself, but to the judges.”

“And so I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanna do well. But, I think, I think when I’m in that mindset, and with the right focus– I look back and think, ‘Oh my God, is that me? That’s (laughter) amazing.’ Like…and I just enjoy that performance aspect of skating.”

The ladies’ short program starts tonight @ 8PM ET/PT on NBC.

Karen Chen is set to make her debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics later tonight and we can’t wait to watch her!

Did you know that the 18-year-old figure skater choreographed her own routines?

“It’s something that I truly love,” she shared in a recent interview with ET.

“The music choices are something that I feel very attached to, especially the short. It’s very sentimental and I have a lot of emotions attached to it.”

Karen continues, “I think putting that out there, skating at the Olympics with that kind of mindset and embracing my own choreography, knowing how much effort I have put into this, is really going to come through.”

She also adds that getting a medal at the Olympics is the ultimate goal.

“Sometimes it may not seem realistic, but I feel like thinking about that ultimate goal that I really want, it helps motivate me, and it really helps push me to get better and stronger and work hard and smart,” Karen says. “Anything is possible. I always try to tell myself that.”

Ladies’ figure skating will start tonight @ 8PM ET/PT on NBC.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates most likely heard your gasps around the world as they fell on the ice during a spin at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last night.

One of three USA teams competing for a spot on the podium, Madison and Evan spun out during one element of their free skate, which was set to John Lennon‘s “Imagine”. Because of the fall, the team ended up in 9th place overall.

“I think we clicked blades entering the spin, and it’s really impossible to spin with that kind of friction,” Evan shared with Time afterwards. “One moment things were going exactly how we wanted to, and the next moment in a flash, disaster stuck. There’s no other way to put it really.”

Madison adds, “As soon as it happened, I couldn’t believe our butts were on the ice where our skates were supposed to be. It’s just not something you want to have happen.”

“We worked so hard this season to reinvent ourselves, and I think we’ve done that. It just sucks that this happened at the Olympic Games. But it’s okay. Life goes on, and we’ll go on, we’ll be okay.”

After their program ended, you could see how heartbroken Madison and Evan were, but don’t worry — they will be back, and stronger than ever. Their next competition will be at the World Championships in Milan.

“We’ve got to come back. We’ve got to come back and redeem ourselves,” Evan says. “That’s part of our story now.”

Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have long been asked if they are a couple off the ice — and their answer to Today will make you even more confused.

During their interview after winning the Ice Dancing gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Tessa and Scott didn’t exactly say yes or no about if they were dating.

“Well, that’s such a compliment that you feel that when you watch us skate,” Tessa shared. “We love performing together. We love storytelling, especially with Satine and Christian in the Moulin Rouge! program. That was really close to our hearts. We knew we wanted to skate to that music.”

Scott added, “Guess mission accomplished. That was the story we were telling, so I’m happy that you fell in love with that.”

So, are they dating? We don’t think we’ll ever know!

However, they are talking about retirement now, after becoming the most decorated figure skaters of all time.

“It definitely feels like it [is the end],” Scott says. “I guess that comes with being veterans — we know that we have to let the dust settle before we make that decision. If it is, this is a great way for us to go out.”

“We’re so proud of ourselves. We’re so proud of our team. It feels great to have had the skates that we wanted to have here. It feels right. It feels like a good end.”