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Zagitova edges out Medvedeva for Olympic Gold
The Figure Skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics concluded with the Ladies Free Skate on Friday at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang. Alina Zagitova (OAR) edged out teammate Evgenia Medvedva to win Olympic gold, while Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada won the bronze in what turned out to be an exciting and nail-biting event.
Zagitova, the leader after the short program, admitted to being nervous going into the free skate.
“I was more calm in the short program because I understood I had no room for error and I have to skate clean,” she explained. “There was a lot of pressure on me and Zhenia (Medvedeva). All fans were waiting for us athletes from Russia to be on top.”
The skater, who has been undefeated in all events this season, left off a triple loop on her opening triple Lutz combination, but tacked in on to another triple Lutz later in the program.
“We discussed this with my coach, so in case the first combination doesn’t work out, I will do the second Lutz with the loop,” explained Zagitova. “Honestly, I was in shock, because I was ready to (do) everything on the first try. But this can happen. Each athlete has to deal with it and it is another experience that I went through.”
In all, she landed a total of seven clean triple jumps, earning high grades of execution (GOE) on all elements, including her level 4 spins and footwork. The 2018 European champion earned 156.65 for her brilliant skate to Don Quixote.
“I won!” said the 15-year-old who earned a total of 239.57 points. “Honestly, my hands are shaking, because I haven’t understood yet that I am an Olympic champion. When I saw the score, I was surprised and it was a nice surprise. I am glad that I was able to deal with my nervousness, go out there and skate my program calmly.”
The young skater, who trains under Eteri Tutberidze and Sergei Dudakov, was glad to be able to show what she had worked on.
“I didn’t feel the competition,” she said of her performance, “but that I don’t have any room for errors. “That was a motivation and anxiety at the same time. My hands were shaking, but my body remembered what I’ve been doing many times in practice.”
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The Figure Skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics concluded with the Ladies Free Skate on Friday at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang. Alina Zagitova (OAR) edged out teammate Evgenia Medvedva to win Olympic gold, while Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada won the bronze in what turned out to be an exciting and nail-biting event.
Zagitova, the leader after the short program, admitted to being nervous going into the free skate.
“I was more calm in the short program because I understood I had no room for error and I have to skate clean,” she explained. “There was a lot of pressure on me and Zhenia (Medvedeva). All fans were waiting for us athletes from Russia to be on top.”
The skater, who has been undefeated in all events this season, left off a triple loop on her opening triple Lutz combination, but tacked in on to another triple Lutz later in the program.
“We discussed this with my coach, so in case the first combination doesn’t work out, I will do the second Lutz with the loop,” explained Zagitova. “Honestly, I was in shock, because I was ready to (do) everything on the first try. But this can happen. Each athlete has to deal with it and it is another experience that I went through.”
In all, she landed a total of seven clean triple jumps, earning high grades of execution (GOE) on all elements, including her level 4 spins and footwork. The 2018 European champion earned 156.65 for her brilliant skate to Don Quixote.
“I won!” said the 15-year-old who earned a total of 239.57 points. “Honestly, my hands are shaking, because I haven’t understood yet that I am an Olympic champion. When I saw the score, I was surprised and it was a nice surprise. I am glad that I was able to deal with my nervousness, go out there and skate my program calmly.”
The young skater, who trains under Eteri Tutberidze and Sergei Dudakov, was glad to be able to show what she had worked on.
“I didn’t feel the competition,” she said of her performance, “but that I don’t have any room for errors. “That was a motivation and anxiety at the same time. My hands were shaking, but my body remembered what I’ve been doing many times in practice.”
More...
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