Alina Zagitova of Russia captured the gold in her debut at the 2017-18 Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating on Saturday in Nagoya, Japan. Teammate Maria Sotskova rose from fourth to win the silver, while Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada earned the bronze.
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"I was in good shape for this competition and I was able to finish well, so I am very happy," said Zagitova. "I feel relaxed now. I know there are some mistakes in today's program, and it was not the best performance I could put out. I felt little bit more nervous compared to Skate America. I was more relaxed for the short program, but I was not so in my free program. I found there are areas for improvement and still found some weakness in my mind. I tried hard and finished without major mistakes, so I was relieved."
"I feel very good, but I was a little bit more nervous than usual," said Kostner. "I am not completely satisfied with my technical content, some minor mistakes, which my coach will not probably say so, but at the end just being here was magnificent. I think I can still improve. I love both my programs so much. I love to work, I love to skate, that's what keeps me motivated. I have nationals next week, so this is my last task before Christmas, then I can go home to my family. I can really go home and be proud of myself and be content with the line of training. This is not the end. This is just a step along the way."
"I am disappointed after my skating today," said Higuchi. "During the six-minute warm up, I moved better and was able to jump, but when I went out on ice, I was too nervous, and my body wasn't moving. These last few days of practice I wasn't doing my best, so I felt pressure and was thinking too much during the performance. I forced myself to do my triple Lutz-triple toe combination and landed it, but I am still upset after my performance, because I missed the triple Salchow and the second triple Lutz. I felt that I didn't have speed in the step sequence."
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What are your thoughts on the Ladies' event?