Olympics: Zagitova wins figure skating gold, Miyahara 4th

Japan's Satoko Miyahara came up short in her bid for a place on the podium on her Olympic debut on Friday, finishing fourth as Olympic Athlete from Russia Alina Zagitova won the women's figure skating competition gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The 15-year-old Zagitova held onto her lead from the short program to win with 239.57 points, giving OAR its first gold medal of the games. OAR's defending world champion Evgenia Medvedeva took the silver with 238.26 and Canadian Kaetlyn Osmond won bronze with 231.02.

"I won. Honestly, my hands are shaking, because I haven't understood yet that I am an Olympic champion," said Zagitova, who recovered nicely from a blip on her first planned combination jump at Gangneung Ice Arena.

"We discussed this with my coach, so in case the first combination doesn't work out, I will do the second lutz with the loop," said Zagitova.

"I was in shock, because I was ready to (do) everything on the first try. But this can happen, each athlete has to deal with it and it is another experience that I went through."

Zagitova came into the free skate having posted a world record score in Wednesday's short program to seize the lead.

"I was very nervous today. I was calmer in the short program, because I understood I had no room for error and I have to skate clean. There was a lot of pressure on me and Zhenya (Medvedeva). All fans were waiting for us athletes from Russia to be on top."

Four-time national champion Miyahara delivered a personal-best free skate (146.44 points) to finish with a total score of 222.38, while Japan's Kaori Sakamoto was sixth with 209.71.

Performing to Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Miyahara opened with a triple loop and the crowd clapped along to the music as her skate sparkled like the sequins on her blue dress.

Miyahara cleanly landed all of her 11 jumps and was flawless the rest of the way. Perhaps sensing she had earned her best score and given herself hope of a medal, she pumped both fists in the air with a mixture of joy and relief at the end of her performance.

"I think I did everything I could and I feel honored that I was able to be here (at the Olympics)," said the 19-year-old Miyahara, who started the day in fourth after also registering a personal best score in the short program.

"Having come this far I wanted to put absolutely everything out there on the ice. I'm disappointed with the result but I did the best I could and that will put me in good stead for the next competition."

Seventeen-year-old Sakamoto, also a first-time Winter Olympian, stepped out of a triple loop in an otherwise solid skate.

"I am disappointed at not being able to get through my skate without making any mistakes but feel like I gave my utmost," said Sakamoto. "I wanted to finish with a smile and was able to do that."