Alina Zagitova leads after short program at World Championships in Japan

Olympic champion Alina Zagitova is first after the short program at the World Championships in Saitama. Japanese Kaori Sakamoto is in second place, and Elizabet Tursynbayeva from Kazakhstan is in third. Olympic silver medalist Russian Evgenia Medvedeva is fourth, and debutant at the world championship, European champion Sofia Samodurova is ninth. Alina Zagitova was the last to take to the ice in the strongest warm-up, but this did not stop the Olympic champion from giving her best performance of the season, scoring 82.08 points, falling just short of Japanese Rika Kihira's world record in the Grand Prix Final. -- I can't say that my short program always turns out very well, there were some underrotations this season. But I enjoyed skating here. I couldn't stand the fact that I had to hold on with all my might until the very end, and everything just went well. The Japanese public was very supportive. I'm glad that I'm performing here. It's mutual love. I know that Russian fans came here, I heard their words: "Come on." It was great. I won't say what Eteri Georgievna (Tutberidze - ed.) told me after the performance. It's a secret. After the scores, I was a little happy. And that's it. Now I'm getting ready for the free program. I can't say that preparing for this World Championship was easy for me, so I want to thank my coaches, who found the right words to motivate me, - said Alina Zagitova. All of Zagitova's jumps were done with pluses - a cascade of 3 lutz - 3 ritberger, 2 axel and 3 flip in the second half. Of the 40 skaters participating in the short program in Saitama, no one except Zagitova did this cascade. Kaori Skamoto, Evgenia Medvedeva, Sofia Samodurova and Rika Kihira performed 3 flip - 3 toe loop. Rika Kihira, who was considered one of the favorites of the competition, included a triple axel in the short program, but got nervous on this element, did a "butterfly" and ended up in 7th place. The surprise of the competition was the performance of Elizabet Tursynbayeva, who closed the top three. However, this season the athlete, who returned to Eteri Tutberidze's group, appeared in a new light, a new image - at the recent Four Continents tournament, Tusynbayeva was second. The athlete jumped a more "expensive" cascade of 3 salchow - 3 toe loop in the program, which was done in the second part of the program, was listed as the last jumping element, due to which the athlete gained additional "bonuses". In other words, the program was strategically and mathematically calculated and composed competently. Almost one and a half points separate Elizaveta and Russian Evgenia Medvedeva, who performed the short program emotionally and cleanly, but the judges noticed an underrotation on the second jump in the cascade - a triple toe loop, which cost the athlete lost points. "I really missed the positive emotions after the performance," commented Evgenia Medvedeva. "I went to the start today to skate well no matter what. I told myself: I will not leave this stage in tears. I'm tired of it. How many times has this been - six times this season? My hands dropped. And my coaches are also tired of it. Yes, I went out today to overcome myself, my fears. I am happy that I skated without major mistakes. There were some blots, but, as Jason Brown says when he calms me down, step by step. So today I took another step forward. As for the audience, the spectators add positive energy. Any figure skater is happy to perform in Japan. We feel at home here. As soon as you step onto the ice, you get applauded. The audience doesn't expect anything, they enjoy figure skating itself. The audience doesn't follow the action, the show. They just enjoy the most beautiful sport on our planet - figure skating... I work on myself, my brain has changed, I try to be positive. Before the start, I don't walk around, I don't "cut" with my eyes, but I behave more calmly, - admitted Evgenia. Russian Sofia Samodurova also coped with the program quite confidently, but, it is clear that the debutant of the adult world championship was a little cautious, and therefore the performance was not as bright as at previous competitions. Nevertheless, the athlete, according to her, received her points, although, of course, she was aiming for a higher place. - It seems to me that the world championship is a more important start - the most important one of the season, - said Sonya. - Of course, there was excitement. You can't do without it. As Alexey Nikolaevich (Mishin - ed.) says: if you are not nervous, you are not an athlete. In principle, I am happy with the performance. With each start I am getting better and better. I think it is visible. Let's talk about stability after the free program. When I get into the starting position, I switch to the performance, I try to forget about the nervousness. I hope that I will cope with the free program as well.