Great competition! EPIC final group!
Marin broke 200 at last, with a beautiful performance and smashed her previous PB.
She gave her best, and she can be proud.
Zagitova held her nerve for an indisputable win, and improved her World Records. She will be a big threat to top seniors if she can keep what she has now, as she grows... but add more refinement, finesse, and emotion to her skating.
Kaori also held her nerve, another great performance and also smashed her previous PB... well deserved place on the podium.
Eun Soo Lim gave a great performance too. Not perfect, but nothing that would have changed the result so she need not have any regrets. She has made dramatic improvements since the beginning of the season... transitions are better now... more convincing performances with way better projection, expression, fire and commitment... added to her big solid jumps and good spins. Next season, if she brings deeper edges, a few more difficult and varied transitions, and less two footed skating... she will surely be a force to be reckoned with! I will not be surprised to see her on the podiums in JGP events, JGPF and Worlds.
Next Japanese and Russian nationals will be a bloodbath... fighting for Olympic places...