Russian figure skater Medvedeva sets world record in short program at PyeongChang

Eighteen-year-old Russian figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva has set a new world record for the short program at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games in South Korea, breaking her own record.

Medvedeva scored an 81.06 in the short program, putting her way ahead of Italian figure skater Carolina Kostner, who earned a 75.10. With her performance, Medvedeva not only scored 10 points for the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) figure skating team, but also broke the world record of 80.85, which she set last year at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo.

Soviet and Russian figure skaters have traditionally dominated pairs events since 1964, when Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov claimed the first gold for the USSR at the Innsbruck Games. Since then, several generations of Russian-born skaters have earned places on the Olympic podium, extending an impressive, decades-long winning streak.

With most leading Russian sports figures barred from the 2018 PyeongChang Games, Medvedeva’s performance showed Russia’s unwavering commitment to securing podium places. Medvedeva currently holds the world record for short program, free skate and combined total scores.

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