United States figure skater Gracie Gold has admitted that she is feeling nervous ahead of the Ladies' short program event later today.

The 18-year-old, who finished second in the team event earlier in the Games, insists that being emotional before a performance is a good thing.

"This is a different kind of nerves," Gold is quoted as saying by Daily News. "A bigger scale. You're more in awe and less jittery. I feel it in the knees, my heart starts pounding a little faster. I get closed off and have to do something. To put on a performance, you have to be emotional. You can't be a zombie."

Team USA have won six gold medals so far at this year's Winter Olympics.