Zagitova leads the way at European Championships
BySportsbeat
Published 23/01/2019 at 20:36 GMT
Olympic champion Alina Zagitova delivered a slick routine on the ice to take the lead in the Ladies' Short Program on the opening day of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
The Russian, who claimed gold at PyeongChang 2018, took to the front in the competition with 75.00 points in Minsk, with teammate Sofia Samodurova sitting in second on 72.88 points.
Switzerland's Alexia Paganini currently occupies third place after the first day with a new personal best performance of 65.64 points, which included a triple loop and double Axel.
And while 2018 European champion Zagitova admitted her routine was not flawless, she was delighted to bounce back from her fifth-place finish at the Russian Nationals.
"I was very focused and I held back my emotions and I will do that until the free skating," the 16-year-old said. "There were a few small errors. I need to be confident in myself.
"If something doesn't go so well, I'll start the new year fresh and I leave everything that was bad behind in the old year. That's what I did. I only take the good things with me."
Samodurova, 16, also set a new personal best to sit second ahead of the free skate and she said her performance was the result of putting plenty of hours in on the ice.
"I showed everything I've been working for in my training," she said. "It is a little unexpected for me to come third in the short program in my debut at Europeans," she said.
"I never think about placements, so I'll just remain focused on myself for the free skating."
Finland's Viveca Lindfors is just 0.03 points behind the podium positions in fourth place with 65.61 points, while Nicole Rajicova of Slovakia is fifth on 64.08 points.
Sportsbeat 2019
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement