(Gregory Kolz/Team Canada)

(Gregory Kolz/Team Canada)

Canada brings home first gold in figure skating team event in PyeongChang

Patrick Chan and Gabrielle Daleman guarantee first place

Canada is wrapping up Day 3 of the Olympics atop the podium as the figure skating team event guarantees Canada its fifth gold medal of the 2018 Winter Games.

Although ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had yet to skate, Daleman’s performance guaranteed Canada the top spot.

Daleman’s 137.14-point performance added eight points to Canada’s cumulative score, bringing it up to 63 and clinching gold because neither Russia or the U.S. could catch the Canadians once Virtue and Moir stepped on the ice.

Although the Canadian ice dancers could have taken it easy with gold a sure thing, Virtue and Moir put in a beautiful performance, taking the top spot in the free dance with 118.10 points. That brought the Canadians final score up to 73, well ahead of the competition.

Canada’s gold medal was set up by three-time world champion Patrick Chan earlier in the day. He placed first with a score of 179.75 in the men’s free program, keeping the veteran Canadian team in first place and setting the stage for Daleman.

Pyeongchang Olympics