Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova was not at her best in her return to top-level international competition, placing fourth in the Rostelecom Cup short program in Moscow on Friday.
Sotnikova, skating in her first Grand Prix since the Sochi Winter Games, totaled 65.48 points and trails leader and countrywoman Yelena Radionova by 6.31 points going into Saturday’s free skate.
Sotnikova scored 74.64 in her Sochi short program en route to becoming the first women’s Olympic figure skating champion without a prior World Championships medal.
On Friday, Sotnikova performed a triple-double jump combination rather than a triple-triple, wobbled on her double Axel and stumbled on a step sequence.