Figure skater Zagitova takes lead in Finland

Olympic champion Alina Zagitova took the lead after the women’s short program in the Helsinki stage of the Grand Prix figure skating series despite a failure in her opening jump combination on Friday. The Russian skater intended a triple Lutz-triple loop, but turned the second jump into a single. She recovered her flair and assurance for the rest of the program, including a double axel that she entered from a Charlotte spiral and a hands-up triple flip late in the program. Yuna Shiraiwa of Japan was in second place, more than five points behind Zagitova, landing her jumps cleanly but far behind on program components. Loena Hendrickx of Belgium was only 0.6 points further behind in third. Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise led the pairs after the short program.