Simon Shnapir Helps Team USA Earn Olympic Figure Skating Medal

When Simon Shnapir comes home from Russia, he'll be bringing a shiny souvenir with him.

The Sudbury resident helped the United States earn a bronze medal during the inaugural team figure skating competition, which concluded on Sunday. Massachusetts residents watched the event play out late Sunday night on NBC, though it took place live earlier in the day.

On Saturday, Shnapir and Rhode Island native Marissa Castelli skated to a fourth place finish in the free skating event at Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia. That earned seven points for Team USA, and set up their final push for the podium.

Early on in the team event, the United States was in seventh place and in danger of missing the cut when the field was narrowed down to five of the world's top squads. But the US skaters bounced back and climbed up the standings.

Host Russia put on a dominating performance in the event from start to finish, cruising to gold with 75 points overall. Canada snagged a silver medal thanks to 65 points, while the United States mounted 60 points of its own.

With the team skating events wrapped up, Shnapir and other figure skaters will take a short break before they set their sights on individual glory. The pairs short program competition is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.