It was minutes following ladies’ Olympic figure skating competition and Stojko have reveal consequences layer at your fingertips. He began to tick off, factor by component, why he sensed Adelina Sotnikova of Russia deserved to conquer defending champ Yuna Kim of Southern Korea and Carolina Kostner of Italy.
a�?Adelina arrived loaded,a�? Stojko stated. a�?Did additional two convey more stunning skating? Completely. But it’s a hobby, which is entirely fair.a�?
S. girls moved without a medal in successive Olympics for first-time since 1948
It actually was no surprise that Stojko, a two-time OIympic silver medalist from Canada recognized for their athleticism, might have these types of an impression about a result certain to end up being among the most debateable and debated in figure skating’s checkered judging records.
His sensation that Sotnikova had received the lady shock victory Thursday in line with the mathematics with the scoring program is shared by a number of some other previous skaters, like Olympic medalists Philippe Candeloro of France and Paul Wylie regarding the united states of america.
But even they’d questions about the judging, which smelled of residence preparing to sate a roaring Russian audience on Iceberg Skating residence 
.
a�?I don’t have a problem with the effect, besides the [margin] from it,a�? Wylie stated. a�?The objectives had been they certainly were going to crown king Yuna one final time, as soon as it did not arrived at move, it’s like, a�?just how performed that happen?’a�?
Sotnikova, 17, ninth in this past year’s community championships, turned the lady state’s first Olympic ladies’ singles winner by 5.48 factors over Kim. The Russian’s blend of big jumps, rate and power generated the scenario for strengthening that margin in technical scars, also it brought the judges in order to get caught up so she failed to get rid of they throughout the ingredient results.
a�?The score are given by the evaluator,a�? Kim said. a�?I’m not within the correct place to comment on it. There’s nothing that can transform using my words.a�?
Sotnikova finished with points to for Kim. Kostner was actually third at . The three had opted in to the free of charge skate split up by under a point.
a�?Maybe Yuna didn’t become enough details from inside the short program because they don’t desire to duplicate what had took place in Vancouver, where we knew before the complimentary skate who was planning to winnings,a�? Candeloro mentioned.
Gracie Gold with the U.S. had been fourth, with teammates Ashley Wagner and Polina Edmunds seventh and ninth. It suggested the U.
Russia’s Yulia Lipnitskaya, 15, that has be a major international feeling on her behalf brilliant skating when you look at the team celebration, dropped in both singles programs and finished 5th.
SOCHI, Russia – Elvis Stojko got prepared
The worldwide Skating Union has established a rating program so mathematically intricate it’s incomprehensible. In addition to that, permits judging and technical panels to own substantial conflicts of great interest (one assess on Thursday’s board, Alla Shekhovtseva, was partnered into previous Russian Skating Federation president) and can include cheaters (another on the evaluator, Yuri Balkov of Ukraine, was basically suspended for their role in prejudging a meeting.)
a�?I becamen’t sure I understood because we read plenty high quality in Yuna, and that I discover a new woman in Adelina with unrefined minutes,a�? Browning said. a�?But i believe I was wise sufficient to operate and look at the marks before we stated things.a�?
Browning spotted obvious explanations for why Sotnikova’s technical scars had been 5.85 points better than Kim’s, including the South Korean obtaining decreased base prices on a twist and a maneuvering series. What perplexed your is actually how Sotnikova’s aspect ratings Thursday could possibly be nearly nine details more than this lady normal component results in four previous tournaments in 2010.
Sotnikova generated one small technical error, a two-footed getting on next jump in a mixture, which is why she is penalized.
a�?I was waiting for the problems she normally helps make, and she never ever made them,a�? mentioned 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton, commentating for NBC.
a�?we viewed the way the aspect rating (rules) is created, and Adelina monitors off every container. It’s not as aesthetically pleasing as Yuna or Carolina, but she really does everything the evaluator are seeking.a�?
Sotnikova’s free skate revealed even more refinement than her helter-skelter small program, even in the event she hammed it up at the conclusion with a wave within evaluator. They recognized that with another finest no-cost skate rating in history.