US ice dancers Zingas and Kolesnik capture Skate America gold with recast version of iconic 'Bolero'

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik captured the gold medal at Skate America on Sunday, ushering in the latest generation of U.S. ice dancers with the second-highest score of any couple through the first four Grand Prix events this season.

Even with Kolesnik's stumble in front of the judges during their free dance, Zingas and Kolesnik finished with 201.88 points to outdistance Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France and the Czech duo of Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek on the final day of competition at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.

"We have a lot of room to grow, especially in the free program," Zingas said afterward. "For the start of the season and for these programs being much more challenging than our last year programs, I'm really excited and I'm really happy."

In the women's event, Ami Nakai followed her gold medal at the Grand Prix de France with another at Skate America, continuing a season of dominance for the Japanese women. Mao Shimada won Skate Canada and Mone Chiba won the Cup of China, which means they have swept the top step of the podium in every Grand Prix so far.

Nakai landed her opening triple axel and a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, then added another triple lutz later in her program for good measure. She finished with 236.81 points Sunday, topping Shimada's score from Canada as the best in the world this season.

Alexandra Ignatova, the Russian former Olympic silver medalist competing as a neutral athlete, was second with 213.90 points, while Rino Matsuike made it two Japanese women on the medal stand by finishing third with 211.63.

The 24-year-old Zingas and the 25-year-old Kolesnik burst onto the scene last season, not only qualifying for the Milan Cortina Olympics but finishing fifth against the strongest field in the sport. They proceeded to finish third at the world championships, taking over as the top U.S. team following the retirement of three-time Olympic medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

Now, Zingas and Kolesnik have followed in the footsteps of Chock and Bates by winning Skate America.

The first senior Grand Prix title for the couple makes it 17 of the last 18 for U.S. teams at their home Grand Prix. The streak began with Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, who first raised the profile of American ice dancers, and continued with Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue and, of course, five titles won by Chock and Bates.

Zingas and Kolesnik chose a somewhat risky free dance in recasting "Bolero," the 1928 orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel. In ice dance circles, the piece is known for the legendary performance by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.

Other than Kolesnik's brief stumble, the young Americans certainly did it justice.

"I didn't expect the board to be so close. I wasn't looking," he said. "I was trying to be in the character. And then when we got to the board, I was like, "'Oh, there's a board right there.'"

Lopareva and Brissaud finished with a season-best 195.28 points, earning a second consecutive silver medal after taking second place at Skate Canada. Mrazkova and Mrazek finished with a personal-best 190.88 for their first senior Grand Prix podium.

"I think we can be proud of how we performed," Mrazkova said.

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