Daily Times

Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova on Friday claimed yet another crown by winning the world title, overcoming an uneven season by soaring to a commanding win with an ambitious programme that left the Russian in tears. Second-place finisher Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan also made history by being the first woman to successfully land a quad jump in senior international competition and the first woman from her nation to claim a world championship medal. Zagitova, who finished fifth at last year’s edition after a disastrous free skate and then endured a difficult season, struggled to hang onto a few of her jumps in an otherwise dynamic routine that included seven triple jumps. In first place after the short programme, Zagitova wept in the arms of her coaches after coming off the ice from her free skate but was smiling by the time her score was posted, 155.42 for a total of 237.50. “There were many hard times, but I’d like to thank the audience and everyone else who supported me,” she said at the Saitama Super Arena.

“Japan always welcomes me warmly,” the 16-year-old – who has a Japanese Akita dog as a pet – added. “Because of everyone’s support, I was able to achieve this.” Tursynbaeva claimed silver with a flowing skate that kicked off when she successfully landed a historic quadruple Salchow. The diminutive Kazakh, 19-years-old and 148cm tall, pumped her fist in the air on completing her routine with a score of 148.80 and a total of 224.76.

“I still cannot believe I won the silver. To tell the truth, during the practice session I was feeling weird,” she said. Olympic silver medallist Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia took bronze, surmounting a rough transition season after moving to Canada to train with coach Brian Orser, who also coaches top skaters such as double Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.