she did not earn a spot on the podium — she finished 2.51 points behind Russian bronze med- alist Elena Radionova — she helped the United States earn three spots for the ladies competition at the 2016 World Championships, which will be held March 28–April 3 in Boston. Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, who landed a triple
Axel in the short program, became the first Rus- sian woman to claim the World crown since Iri- na Slutskaya in 2005. Satoko Miyahara of Japan took the silver medal. Gold’s showing in the free skate was a re-
markable rebound for the skater, who had placed eighth in the short program and had struggled at the Four Continents Championships the previ- ous month in Seoul, South Korea, where she was favored to win but placed fourth. Ashley Wagner, the three-time U.S. cham-
pion, also displayed her ability to rally by moving up to fifth place after a disappointing 11th-place showing in the short program. Her gutsy routine, performed to music from Moulin Rouge!, placed her third overall in the free skate. Wagner, who trains with Rafael Arutunian, has substantially increased her technical prowess this season, add- ing a triple Lutz-triple toe loop to her programs. “It might sound silly because I’m 23 years
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue
old, but I’m still learning in this sport,” said Wag- ner, who was making her fifth appearance at the World Championships. “I was a late bloomer. To go out there under such immense pressure, to re- deem myself in a way, that’s something I’m very proud of. “If anybody looks at my track record, this season has had a lot of ups and downs. It’s safe to say that lots of lessons were learned within this season, and I learned a lot about competing. Last year, I got the technique, and now I’m working on the mental side of it. It’s not a complete pack- age yet, but things are starting to work together.” Polina Edmunds, who joined Gold and
Wagner on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team in So- chi, placed eighth in her second trip to the World Championships. Edmunds, the youngest mem- ber of the U.S. team at 16, came to these Worlds after earning the first major international victory of her career at the Four Continents Champion- ships.
“We will start working on new programs
pretty soon,” said Edmunds, who is coached by David Glynn and her mother, Nina, and has enlisted former U.S. champion Rudy Galindo as her choreographer. “I’m happy that I finished strong so I can take that with me into the off-sea- son and my preparation for next season.” — Amy Rosewater
Polina Edmunds
fourth overall. “Tat is what I had trained for — to come
here and do my job for myself, (coach) Frank (Carroll) and the United States,” said Gold, the top American finisher in the ladies competition. “After a rough short program, it’s tough to come
24 MAY 2015
out with your guns a-blazin’. It was a good feeling to skate a great program.” Gold’s performance, skated to music from
Te Phantom of the Opera, marked her highest placement at Worlds, as she finished fifth in 2014 and sixth in her Worlds debut in 2013. Although
PHOTOS BY XIAOLU CHU/GETTY IMAGES
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