Russian teenager Julia Lipnitskaya made a spectacular debut at the Sochi Olympics on Saturday, upstaging her older rivals to leave the host-nation in a strong position to win the inaugural figure skating team event.
Lipnitskaya, who at 15 is the youngest skater in the competition, showed that her surprise victory at last month's European Championships was no fluke as she easily outclassed Japan's twice former world gold medallist Mao Asada in the women's short programme.
She nailed a soaring triple-Lutz triple-toeloop combination and her spins were so fast that she almost disappeared into a blur, leaving the fans hollering in appreciation.
Her score of 72.90 earned Russia a maximum 10 points and left the hosts perched at the top of the standings with 37 points at the halfway point of the competition.
Lipnitskaya, who at 15 is the youngest skater in the competition, showed that her surprise victory at last month's European Championships was no fluke as she easily outclassed Japan's twice former world gold medallist Mao Asada in the women's short programme.
She nailed a soaring triple-Lutz triple-toeloop combination and her spins were so fast that she almost disappeared into a blur, leaving the fans hollering in appreciation.
Her score of 72.90 earned Russia a maximum 10 points and left the hosts perched at the top of the standings with 37 points at the halfway point of the competition.
Category
📺
TV