Reigning European champion and Olympic gold medalist Alina Zagitova of Russia was far from her best on Friday in the free skate, and she was surpassed for the title by countrywoman Sofia Samodurova. Samodurova defeated Zagitova by no less than 15.5 points. Finland’s Viveca Lindfors rose from fourth after the short program to claim the bronze medal, 19.54 points behind the winner.
Season after season, Russia seems to propel a new wonder to the sky of skating, and once more a first-year senior skater wins the European championships. Only Yevgenia Medvedeva could stay two years on top in the recent years.
Results: Ladies’ final
The ice Samodurova found as she entered was literally flooded with the plush toys that were sent to Zagitova, who had skated just before her. Samodurova had to start to land a first jump as if she were skating in a public session. That didn’t distract her, however, and she embarked into her program with poise and determination. As soon as Samodurova started her program, it became obvious that nothing could happen to her.
She landed a perfectly centered triple flip, triple toe combination. She had an edge call on her triple Lutz, but she then unfolded her program in the way it had been planned. Each one of her jumps from then on, loop, Salchow, double Axel, triple toe combination, flip, was punctuated by applause and “woos” from the audience. She struggled with her double Axel, double toe, double loop combination, but she was already in the steps of the winner. The audience then clapped for every step and every spin rotation. Samodurova even took the time to request more applause between her two final spins. The audience followed her request.
At the end of her program, she had overcome a 2.12-point deficit from the short program to tally a new season’s best free skate of 140.96 points for a total score of 213.84 points and the gold medal.
“I’m overwhelmed by emotions now, I can’t find words to describe what I’m feeling now,” Samodurova said as she left the ice. My coach [Alexei Mishin] told me to stop crying, but I can’t!”
Many wondered if Zagitova could hold on to the short victory she had taken in the short program. She skated fourth of the last group, and a forest of Russian banners and thunderous applause rose from the stands as she stepped on the ice. The opening double Axel of her “Carmen” routine and her subsequent triple Lutz were fantastic. The combined triple toe that followed started her nightmare.
Zagitova fell, then two-footed the landing of her triple Lutz, and turned out of the triple flip in combination with a single toe. Her triple flip, double toe, double toe looked so frail at the end. The audience supported her throughout, however, and hundreds of Carmen-red heart plush toys poured over the ice as soon as she ended her routine. Zagitova managed 123.34 points in the free skate, giving her 198.34 points overall to claim the silver.
“The audience and my friends really supported me during my whole performance, and I am very grateful to them,” she said afterwards. “I apologize not to have given them a better performance. The silver medal is good, still, considering I could have ended without any medal today. I could have skated a better performance, but so it is for now.”
Both Zagitova and Samodurova are 16, though Samodurova is a few months younger than Zagitova. The wheel kept turning again at the head of European skating.
Finland’s Viveca Lindfors had given an exquisite short program two days before. She offered an equally delightful and smooth performance to “Les Misérables.” Her opening triple Lutz, triple toe combination and triple flip were clear-cut. She wobbled landing her triple loop and doubled the toe of her second planned triple Lutz, triple toe combination. As she skated, Lindfors seemed to suspend her skate prior to any jump, as if to be completely focused and element, and present in the moment. She received 194.40 points, enough for a first European podium finish.
“This is a big victory for me,” she offered at the post-event press conference. “Skating has evolved so much since Finland won its last medal, so I feel very accomplished to have been able to reach the top at the European Championship,” she said.
Fourth overall, but second of the free, Russia’s third skater, Stanislava Konstantinova, delivered a powerful rendering to her “Anna Karenina” music. All her jumps earned positive GOEs, except her triple flip.
“I didn’t want to let it go after the short program,” she offered as she left the ice. “I don’t particularly associate myself to the character of Anna Karenina, but I tried to portray someone who lost everything she had. Well, that was a bit of my own story through these championships,” she said through an interpreter.
Unlike her heroine, however, she revived at the end – Konstantinova received 132.96 points for her free program and 189.72 points overall for fourth place.
MORE: Behind the scenes on day 3 of the European Championships
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