Zhang Dan
The Chinese pair of Zhang / Zhang were the last to take the ice on the night of the free skating. In trying to surpass the Russian pair, Zhang / Zhang attempted a throw quadruple salchow jump, never before completed successfully in competition. However, Zhang Dan fell on this element and suffered a painful injury to her knee. Since she was temporarily unable to continue, the music was stopped by the event referee. Upon the trainer's approval for Zhang Dan to continue, the couple continued their routine, "nail[ing] every other element" for the remaining four minutes. NBC reported that the entire crowd gave the pair a standing ovation and showed shots of their fellow competitors, including Totmianiana / Marinin, also standing. Finishing second in both parts of the competition, Zhang / Zhang received silver medals with an overall score of 189.73 points.