Kamila Valieva entered through the front door of figure skating history to give the team gold medal to Russian Olympic Committee at the Winter Olympics. At just 15 years old, the Russian teenager dared with the first quadruple jump of a woman in an Olympic competition. An action that served to close the day of competition in style and certify the Russian superiority over the United States (silver) and Japan (bronze).
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The Russian teenager during the test. (Archyde.com/Aleksandra Szmigiel)
The Russian teenager during the test. (Archyde.com/Aleksandra Szmigiel)
Wearing flashy red gloves and skating to Maurice Ravel’s classic “Bolero,” he performed a quadruple salchow early in his program and a quadruple toe loop in combination before falling into another quadruple toe loop attempt. . despite the mistake, easily finished top with a score of 178.92 ahead of the Japanese runner-up Kaori Sakamoto (148,66).
“I am very happy to have landed two quadruple jumps and a triple ‘Axel’ jump,” Valieva told reporters. “My second (quadruple) toe loop didn’t work out, but I’ll work on it. It’s an amazing feeling to be skating your first senior season and people are already talking regarding you.” “I have that responsibility, but I think I can handle it,” he added. Although innovative, her performance fell far short of her world free skate record of 185.29 at the Rostelecom Cup in Sochi in November.
Tonight history was made in women’s figure skating. Kamila Valieva threw three quad jumps in her free skate (with raised arms). No woman has ever successfully thrown a quad in Olympic competition. She is 15 years old… She fell on her last quad. At least we know she is human. ⛸ pic.twitter.com/5d5QblX5pN
– KAS (@kasmagikas) February 7, 2022
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the COR, applauded Valieva’s skating as her teammates shouted “well done” from her box. “We hope that the falls that occurred today in the free skate will not be repeated in the other events,” Pozdnyakov said. “Kamila always draws special attention from viewers at home and abroad. She always has more responsibility.” Just yesterday, in his short program, it was the fourth woman in history to achieve a ‘triple Axel’ in an Olympic event, a fact that already gave the ROC the first position.
Russian superiority on the track
It was the second Olympic figure skating team title won by Russian figure skaters, who compete in Beijing as representatives of the COR and not their country of origin due to doping sanctions. Russia won the first team title on its debut in 2014 in Sochi, while the Russians competing under a neutral Olympic flag in Pyeongchang took silver four years ago. The Russian duo Aleksandr Galliamov and Anastasia Mishina finished first in the pairs competition, despite a surprising fall on the ice with seconds left in her free skate.
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Aleksandr Galliamov and Anastasia Mishina during the test. (EFE/Fazry Ismail)
Aleksandr Galliamov and Anastasia Mishina during the test. (EFE/Fazry Ismail)
Galliamov lost his balance under his partner on the final lift, which was a penalty, but his score of 145.20 was well ahead of Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (139.60), seconds. The American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates performed an impressive dance free to a medley of “Daft Punk” to win the ice dance component with 129.07 points, beating Russia’s Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (128.17).
The ethereal performance, in which Chock played an alien and Bates an astronaut, virtually ensured that the United States won silver from Japan. With American Karen Chen fourth in women’s singles, USA finished strong following the team was affected by the positive COVID-19 test result of Vincent Zhou, who skated in the team event on Sunday.
