How NBC handled one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in Olympic figure skating history

One of the most stunning moments in the history of Olympic defeats unfolded Thursday after Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater largely expected to waltz to a gold medal, fell twice during her free skate to finish in fourth place.

Centered around a youngster who had been under intense scrutiny after she was allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned substance, the scene on NBC’s broadcast on the USA Network was excruciating to watch and quickly devolved into teary disbelief and chaos that was unlike anything in recent Olympic memory.