When the U. S. figure skating pair Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim took to the Olympic ice this week, they performed for much more than just a…
When the U. S. figure skating pair Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim took to the Olympic ice this week, they performed for much more than just a score.
After their free skate on Thursday, the husband-and-wife team told NBC that they were skating in memory of the 17 people killed at Broward County’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wednesday — when former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly leveled an AR-15 at his former classmates and teachers.
The couple had previously struggled in their short program — and their free skate failed to push them into medal contention.
But Scimeca Knierim said that the couple had much more than an Olympic victory on their minds.
“We wanted to skate for the 17 children that died in the Florida shooting, and today was much more than about us,” she told NBC. “We wanted a tribute to the U. S. for their loss. Unfortunately, we had a lot of mistakes, but I think our motivation was to skate for those who were lost.”
She also mourned the victims in a heartfelt Twitter post.
“May the hearts of those who are mourning the loss of victims in the shooting today be lifted up,” the figure skater wrote . “You are on my mind and on my heart. God bless you all. ”
The couple earned 185.82 points overall, ranking them at 15th place, NBC reported. They were the only pairs figure skating couple representing the U. S. this year.
