Russian ice princesses duel for Olympic crown

GANGNEUNG, South Korea: A Russian ice princess who craves silence will have to cope with the roar of the crowd if she beats her close friend to be crowned Pyeongchang figure skating champion.

Evgenia Medvedeva has looked every centimetre of her 1.59m frame Olympic title material since she began a two-and-a-half-year sweep of major titles including two world and two European crowns.

Supremely gifted and committed with a playful nature, the 18-year-old Muscovite holds the trifecta of world records in the short programme, free dance and combined. The 2018 Winter Games gold medal appeared hers to lose, until two things happened. First she broke her foot in October, sidelining her for over two months. Then she had to sit and suffer while her friend and 15-year-old training partner Alina Zagitova took centre stage. As Medvedeva nursed her injured limb, Zagitova emerged as her main threat to Olympic gold. In a sensational first season as a senior, the girl who lives with her grandmother in the Russian capital swept all before her, culminating in success at the Grand Prix finals in Japan.

Fast forward to Moscow, mid-January, and the European championships where the two buddies clashed in anger for the first time. With a returning Medvedeva perhaps not at her imperious best, a seemingly nerveless Zagitova took her continental title in style, almost six points clear of the deposed champion.

The two were in action again last week, helping Olympic Athletes from Russia claim second in the team event. Medvedeva was superb, setting a new world best score for the short programme, while Zagitova was no less impressive when setting a new personal best in the free dance. Their clash promises to be one of the highlights of these Winter Games. Both have incorporated techniques to boost their scores, Medvedeva raising her arms when she jumps, Zagitova backloading her jumps to the second half of her routine.