Published at https://www.eivnews.com/archives/6873
“Shib Sibs,” Maia and Alex Shibutani, helped bring home a bronze medal for the United States in the team figure skating event last night at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
In the final team event, the brother-sister duo skated a technically impressive routine to “Paradise,” the third Coldplay song they have danced to at a major competition, and left many siblings stunned at how well they are able to get along on the ice.
“Originally, we started skating separately,” Maia told NBC Olympics. “But then we saw ice dance live and it really inspired us to try skating together. We were natural partners and it really started out as just being fun.”
Alex discussed the issue with PEOPLE saying, “We often get asked is it harder to be a brother and sister in ice dance and there are always challenges but I think that what sets us apart makes us unique.”
The pair of Boston natives, finished the event with a technical score of 53.7, behind only Russia and Canada, mimicking the United States performance in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
“The way the scoring works in ice dance is very specific so we have to make sure that our attention to detail is really on point,” Alex told USA Today regarding how the siblings crafted their routine. In order to maximize their score, Maia and Alex filled their routine with as much technical difficulty as possible and even studied exactly what judges would be scoring.
The 2018 US Olympic figure skating team is comprised of:
Nathan Chen (men’s short program)
Adam Rippon (men’s free skate)
Bradie Tennell (ladies’ short program)
Mirai Nagasu (ladies’ free skate)
Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim (pairs’ short program, pairs’ free skate)
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (short dance, free dance)
Canada, led by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, took home gold and O.A.R. athletes, including women’s singles favorite Yevgenia Medvedeva, took home silver.