Russian figure skater Medvedeva sets world record in short program
The two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva representing Olympic Athletes from Russia delivered a stunning performance in the ladies' short program, setting a new world record of 81.61 points.
Medvedeva managed to beat her previous achievement, recorded several days earlier in a team event, by 60 hundredths of a point.
However, the record was beaten just minutes later by her teammate Alina Zagitova, who received an incredible 82.92 points from the judges, thereby outscoring Medvedeva by 1.31 points.
After her performance, Russian media cited Medvedeva as telling journalists “the performance was better than in the team championship, but the jump combination could have been done better.”
“It’s a very rare thing. I’m glad that two world records have been set at the Olympics,” the Russian skater said, adding that she was not surprised by the achievement of her teammate, with whom she has a good relationship.
The 18-year-old Medvedeva is competing at her first Olympics, though she has already established an illustrious career. Following numerous victories in international tournaments, she came to PyeongChang as the uncontested favorite to win the Olympic title.
Two-time world and European champion Medvedeva had long been unmatched at international level, until her equally-talented teammate Zagitova won the 2018 European Championship in Moscow. Medvedeva’s second-place finish marked her comeback from a break enforced by injury, missing several tournaments while recovering from a fracture in her foot.
