As figure skating programs go, it was about as flawless as it could be.
South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na put on a mesmerizing display of textbook jumps, exquisite steps and graceful spins in the free skating portion of the ladies’ singles competition at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Thursday.
On this night, however, it wasn’t quite enough for the 2010 Olympic champ.
Kim took the silver medal behind Adelina Sotnikova of Russia in one of the marquee events in the Winter Games, after earning 144.19 points in her free skate for a total of 219.11 points.
Sotnikova, a bubbly 17-year-old armed with technical prowess of a seasoned veteran, scored 149.95 points in her free skate for a total of 224.59 points. She gave Russia its first Olympic title in the ladies’ figure skating, and in the process denied Kim a piece of Olympic history. [Yonhap]