Alina Zagitova’s remarkable free skate claims PyeongChang silver for OAR in team figure skating
Russian skaters have secured silver in the team figure skating competition at the PyeongChang Olympics following Alina Zagitova’s extraordinary free skate show. Canada has clinched gold, while the US won bronze.
The Russians won the silver medal in the team figure skating event, receiving 66 points by the end of all seven events held on Monday. Canada won the competition with 73 points. The US secured bronze at the pedestal with 62 points.
The team figure skating event finished with the ice free dance program, in which Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev scored 110.43 points, securing third place in the segment. The Canadian performance topped the list with 118.10 points, followed by Americans with 112.01.
Medvedeva v Zagitova: Russian figure skating sensations set to battle for Olympic glory https://t.co/qMI4m3c3vq ⛸️🇷🇺💫
— RT Sport (@RTSportNews) February 9, 2018
But the second silver for OAR was inevitable after a remarkable performance in the women free skating event. American Mirai Nagasu, who skated before Zagitova, set a high bar for all of her opponents by executing all jumps in her program, including a triple axel, scoring 137.53 points in the women’s free skate event.
However, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater from Izhevsk, Alina Zagitova, performed astonishingly, receiving 158.08 points, eventually securing victory in the women’s event. Gabrielle Daleman finished third with a score of 137.14 and earned Canada eight points.
Ok. I respect the competitive approach. But no cannot do this set up. It's not a program. She killed time in the beginning and then just jumped the second half. It's not a performance. I understand that this is what the system allows but it's not all figure skating is about
— Ashley Wagner (@AshWagner2010) February 12, 2018
Zagitova’s performance was however immediately criticized by American skater Ashley Wagner. “It’s not a program. She killed time in the beginning and then just jumped the second half. It’s not a performance. I understand that this is what the system allows but it’s not all figure skating is about,” she said on Twitter.
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