#FigureSkating #PyeongChang2018
The Figure Skating competition at the Olympic Games will conclude with the Ladies event. Two-time World Champion Evgenia Medvedeva (OAR) is looking to crown her remarkable young career with Olympic gold, but she needs to watch out for teammate Alina Zagitova in particular, who handed her the first defeat in two and a half years at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow last month.
15-year-old Zagitova, who also won the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December, tops the seasons best list with her 238.24 points from Europeans. Medvedeva, 18, who was sidelined by injury and missed the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the Russian National Championships, scored a seasons best of 232.86 points at the European Championships.
Medvedeva and Zagitova will face stiff competition coming from World silver medalist Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN/seasons best 217.55 points), ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final silver medalist Maria Sotskova (OAR/seasons best 216.28 points) and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner (ITA/215.98 points).
They also need to watch out for 2015 World silver medalist Satoko Miyahara (JPN), newly minted Four Continents Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) and 2017 World bronze medalist Gabrielle Daleman (CAN).
As the International Olympic Committee has suspended the Russian National Olympic Committee, individual Russian athletes will be competing as Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) in PyeongChang. A total of 30 Ladies representing 21 ISU Members have qualified for the Olympic Winter Games and the best placed 24 competitors in the Short Program will qualify for the final Free Skating.