(Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images)

MILAN, Italy -- Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea said they were thrilled to defy expectations and deliver a clean, season-best pairs performance at the Winter Olympics on Sunday, a result that proved pivotal as the United States edged Japan to win a second straight gold in the team event.

Kam and O'Shea scored 135.36 points to earn seven points for Team USA in the pairs segment, and their fourth-place finish preserved a slim cushion over Japan in a nerve-jangling final day of competition.

Because of their performance, the United States carried a two-point lead into the women's free skate, where Amber Glenn struggled and placed third, leaving the U.S. tied with Japan entering the men's free skate finale.

'Quad God' Ilia Malinin then delivered to secure the decisive point and clinch the title for the Americans.

'Honestly, we were just ready to come out and perform,' O'Shea told Reuters on Monday.

'We walked into the rink with a great attitude. We were ready to go and felt like it was going to go well from the moment we stepped in,' he said.

While Malinin is the overwhelming favorite for the men's gold, and Glenn and Alysa Liu are contenders on the women's side, Kam and O'Shea are carrying somewhat lower expectations going into the pairs event in Milan.

'We're grateful to have gone out there and performed well for our team and gotten an extra point that might not have been expected of us,' he added.

'Then we saw everybody doing their best, and Ilia brought it home. It was awesome.'

The performance was also redemption for the 21-year-old Kam and 34-year-old O'Shea, who had a fall during their short program in the team competition two days earlier.

Kam, who was seen shedding tears of joy on the podium during the U.S. national anthem, said the moment reflected years of effort to deliver under pressure on the sport's biggest stage.

'I feel like Danny and I have worked so hard to get to this moment and show what we are capable of,' she said.

'We've been kind of clawing our way there and to be able to put out a performance that we're proud of on one of the biggest stages means so much.'

'And hearing the anthem feels so solid,' Kam added.

'It's like, we did that, that is playing for us. We represented our country well and made everybody proud.'

--Reuters, special to Field Level Media