Sochi 2014: Sotnikova is first Russian woman to take skating title
Adelina
Sotnikova became the first Russian to win gold in the Olympic women's figure
skating with a superb performance in the free programme.
The 17-year-old former world junior champion scored highly on the technical
elements to finish with a score of 224.59.
Vancouver champion Yuna Kim of South Korea led after the short programme but
had to settle for silver.
Italy's Carolina Kostner claimed the bronze medal.
Russian 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, who helped her country win team gold,
finished in fifth position.
Kim was scored lower than Sotnikova for
the technical part of her free routine
Lipnitskaya was considered the more likely of the Russians to end the host
nation's drought in the event, but she fell both in the short and free
programme, scoring a total of 200.57.
Kim, 23, produced a superb artistic display but a technical score of only
69.69 - compared to Sotnikova's 75.54 - denied her chance to become the first
person since German Katarina Witt (1984 and 1988) to retain the women's title.
Adelina
Sotnikova became the first Russian to win gold in the Olympic women's figure
skating with a superb performance in the free programme.
The 17-year-old former world junior champion scored highly on the technical
elements to finish with a score of 224.59. Vancouver champion Yuna Kim of South Korea led after the short programme but had to settle for silver.
Italy's Carolina Kostner claimed the bronze medal.
Russian 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, who helped her country win team gold, finished in fifth position.
Kim was scored lower than Sotnikova for
the technical part of her free routine
Kim, 23, produced a superb artistic display but a technical score of only 69.69 - compared to Sotnikova's 75.54 - denied her chance to become the first person since German Katarina Witt (1984 and 1988) to retain the women's title.
Good as Gold? Not quite! US figure skaters miss out on medals as Russian Sotnikova scoops victory on home turf
By ALAN BALDWIN
|
Gracie Gold didn't quite live up to her name but the American teenager still showed she could be a real contender at the next Olympics after an impressive performance at the Sochi Winter Games.
The 18-year-old picked up a bronze medal in the inaugural team event then just missed out on the podium in the individual when she came fourth overall.
'When I ended up fourth after the short programme, I thought the pressure was lifted off,' she told reporters after Thursday's longer free skate.
Hitting the ice: Gracie Gold falls during the ladies' free skating event at Sochi
Carrying on: Gold got up and finished her routine, but it wasn't enough to land a podium place
Good form: Gold had high hopes of landing an individual medal for the USA this year but narrowly missed out
Almost: Gold still showed great promise on the biggest stage in the sport
'I was only six points from a medal after the short. But if I wasn't going to get a medal, I wanted to skate for myself.'
Any hope Gold had of collecting a medal evaporated when she fell during her triple flip. The rest of her routine was clean but that one error was enough to prevent her from finishing higher.
'When I went down on it, I thought, 'Dang it! That's what Frank Carroll (her coach) told me not to do: "Don't drop that right arm."' Gold said.
'I went down on the triple flip but, at the end of the day, skating these three programmes at the Olympics was wonderful.'
Gold came on to the ice just moments after Russia's Adelina Sotnikova had brought the house down with a spectacular display that won her the gold medal.
With the crowd waiting anxiously for Sotnikova's score, Gold stepped on to the ice to an eerie hush.
'It was really hard. I knew all the leaders were going to bring it tonight,' she said.
'It was really hard. I knew all the leaders were going to bring it tonight,' she said.
Ouch: 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya also fell during her routine
Consoled: Lipnitskaya is given a hug by her coach in as she watches her rivals compete
'It was tough, no one wants to go when they announce your name and it's silent.
'I definitely have two Olympics in me; I don't know about three Olympics.'
With Gold just missing out, the United States failed to win any individual medals in figure skating at Sochi, although Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the ice dance competition to add a gold to their bronze in the team event.
Ashley Wagner finished seventh in the women's event and Polina Edmunds was ninth.
'I learned a lot about competing here and I learned a lot about putting things in perspective,' Wagner said.
Job done: Russian Adelina Sotnikova (centre) celebrates winning the event
Not quite: Gold will be aiming to improve by the next Winter Olympics in South Korea
Focus: Sotnikova outclassed the field to claim her gold medal
'I'm so proud of what I did at these Olympic Games. Coming in, I was an underdog and some questioned whether I belonged on the team.'
Just 15, Edmunds also appears to have a bright future after she picked herself up after falling on a triple flip to finish off a good routine.
'I missed an element and that wasn't fun,' she said. 'Of course, I would have liked to have done a clean skate but I'm glad of the way I came back.'
Medal on ice: US figure skater Polina Edmunds also fell in her event
Elegant: Edmunds also missed out on a podium place
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/winterolympics/article-2564217/Gold-doesnt-meet-standard-USs-figure-skating-prodigy-misses-medal.html#ixzz2tufcNeC1
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