Reigning European champion and Olympic gold medalist Alina Zagitova of Russia was far from her best on Friday in the free skate, and she was surpassed for the title by countrywoman Sofia Samodurova. Both are 16, though Samodurova is a few months younger than Zagitova. This year is Samodurova’s first season among the senior ranks.
Zagitova fell on the toe of her triple Lutz, triple toe combination, two-footed the landing of her triple Lutz, and turned out of the triple flip in combination with a single toe. She managed 123.34 points in the free skate, giving her 198.