Russian teen breaks skate record as Vonn gets bronze
WINTER GAMES Zagitova, 15, steals show in figure skating
PYEONGCHANG: Record-breaking Alina Zagitova, 15, stole the show in figure skating as America’s Lindsey Vonn wound up her Olympic downhill career by becoming the oldest female alpine ski medallist in Games history.
Zagitova was breathtaking in the Russian-dominated short programme, breaking the world record set just minutes earlier by her teammate, 18-year-old Evgenia Medvedeva.
It put the Russians top of the standings ahead of Friday’s free skate, where Zagitova will attempt to become the youngest women’s figure skating champion since Tara Lipinski in 1998.
They also look set to win the first gold of the Games for the Olympic Athletes from Russia, who are competing as neutrals after Russia’s national team was banned over a doping scandal.
“We are friends, we are young girls, we can talk about anything with each other,” said Medvedeva, 18, who like Zagitova is making her Olympic debut. “But on the ice, we must fight, I feel like it’s a little war” added the double world champion.
DOWNHILL BRONZE
America’s Vonn, 33, was aiming for a second downhill title in her final Olympics, but it was not to be as she finished third behind Italy’s Sofia Goggia and Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway.
But the 2010 winner was delighted to reach the podium -the oldest female alpine skier to do so -- after a series of injuries threatened to wreck her career and ruled her out of Sochi 2014.
“If you think what’s happened over the last eight years and what I’ve been through to get here, I gave it all and to come away with a medal is a dream come true,” said Vonn. “You’ve got to put things into perspective. Of course, I would have loved a gold medal but, honestly, this is amazing. I’m so proud.”
Russian skier Sergey Ridzik recovered from a crash in the ski cross final to take bronze, behind Canada’s Bredy Leman and Marc Bischofberger of Switzerland. Ridzik went down early in the race but he got up, clambered to the top of a slope and restarted his run, coming in behind the front two.