Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling

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Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling Feb 8, 2014 22:17:37 GMT

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Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2014 22:17:37 GMT

The astonishing performance of Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya in the team figure skating competition Saturday capped a perfect Day 1 of the Sochi Olympics.

And it was 15-year-old Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya putting together a short program of such breathtaking brilliance in the team competition that it left the Iceberg Skating Palace trembling and perhaps even South Korean ice queen Kim Yuna quaking in her sequins.

Yulia Lipnitskaya of Russia waves after competing in the women's team short program figure skating competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics Saturday in Sochi, Russia.

Lipnitskaya has a lot of work to do before she can be mentioned in the same breath. She has a free skate in the team competition Sunday, and then she has to do it all over again in the women's competition later in the Olympics. But there was a healthy dash of such transcendence in the Iceberg Palace Saturday. The judges must have seen something wrong with Lipnitskaya's performance. The rest of us did not. It is their job to dissect her skate frame by frame and see where a foot might have been out of place, an edge missed. It is our job to enjoy it, and not a single person in the Palace didn't.

Ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White helped the USA make a big move in the team figure skating at Sochi.

It was quite a turnaround from the beginning of the night, when the U.S. was squarely on the bubble for the finals. Only the top five in the 10-team event made the finals, and the Americans were seventh. But Meryl Davis and Charlie White not only put the Americans on safe ground but also moved them into the medal mix.

Last Edit: Feb 9, 2014 1:00:39 GMT by Admin

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Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling Feb 9, 2014 23:06:08 GMT

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Post by Admin on Feb 9, 2014 23:06:08 GMT

Michelle Kwan, Peter Schrager and Julie Stewart-Binks recap a thrilling day of figure skating in Sochi.

Russia claimed it's first gold medal at the Sochi Olympics on Sunday but might have won something even bigger after unveiling a budding superstar who could achieve something the politicians have failed. At just 15, Julia Lipnitskaya has announced her arrival as the new darling of women's figure skating by helping Russia win gold in the inaugural team event.

Perhaps more importantly, the diminutive 5ft 2in Lipnitskaya has provided a skeptical outside world with one of the faces of the Games. If her performances in the team events are any guide, Lipnitskaya is headed for super stardom. The figure skating world fell in love with her when she won the European championships last month and now the rest of the world is finding out why.

The United States has its own new figure skating darling - the delightfully named Gracie Gold - and even she is smitten by Lipnitskaya. "She is dynamite. She is completely unfazed," said Gold, who is only 18 and picked up a bronze medal in the team event. "She has no spine, but she has iron in her bones. She goes, ding, ding, ding."

In front of the home crowd, Russia celebrates their figure skating team event gold medal.

Last Edit: May 2, 2014 2:14:44 GMT by Admin

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Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling Feb 10, 2014 6:00:41 GMT

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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2014 6:00:41 GMT

Yulia Lipnitskaia, the 15-year-old Russian wunderkind who blew our minds yesterday, just took the Olympic stage (er, ice rink) again to deliver a performance that brought the entire world to tears. Skating to the theme from Schindler's List, Lipnitskaya dons a red outfit to portray the iconic little girl in a red coat from the movie. It's just... it's something else.

Last Edit: May 2, 2014 2:18:03 GMT by Admin

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Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling Feb 11, 2014 0:35:49 GMT

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Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2014 0:35:49 GMT

One thing is for certain: A star was born in the team figure skating competition at the Sochi Games. Julia Lipnitskaia has spent under 7 minutes on the Olympic ice, but the Russian 15-year-old has quickly become the most talked about athlete at the games.

Another gold medalist at 15, Tara Lipinski, could relate to what Lipnitskaia went through. And what she brought to the ice.

"Judging from how prepared she looks - I can see it when they step on the ice - she looks like she believes this is her moment," said Lipinski, the youngest woman to win the individual women's gold, in 1998 at the Nagano Games. "Obviously she's a tough girl. To be in this sport and take the hits; you have to be. "She is the real package."

Lipinski doesn't think the prodigy will be affected by the attention or the pressure. "A lot of skaters can do the triple-triples and put out a performance," Lipinski said. "But to be able to do it when it counts is a special quality. I believe she is so special."

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Julia Lipnitskaya emerges as new ice darling Feb 24, 2014 15:16:03 GMT

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Post by Admin on Feb 24, 2014 15:16:03 GMT

Russia's Julia Lipnitskaia and her coach Eteri Tutberidze wait for her marks in the kiss and cry zone during the Women's Figure Skating Free Program at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Julia Lipnitskaia's coach said that after the media forced the 15-year-old local darling to flee Sochi to practice during the Games, someone bugged the skater's locker room at a practice rink in Moscow. The coach, via Yahoo Sports, also accused the media of stalking Lipnitskaia's family in her hometown of Nizhny Bardym, a tiny village in the Ural Mountains with a population of just 300.

Eteri Tutberidze said reporters bugged the locker room at Lipnitskaia's practice rink in Moscow with listening devices after the 15-year-old left the Winter Games to train for the ladies individual competition. The coach also accused the media of stalking Lipnitskaia's family in her hometown of Nizhny Bardym, a village in the Ural Mountains with a population of just 300.

Tutberidze said the media coverage got so bad that Lipnitskaia had to be evacuated from the practice rink every night to escape reporters. Also, Lipnitskaia had to be booked on numerous flights in order to keep her travel itinerary a secret from the press. The coach spoke out against the media circus after Lipnitskaia fell twice in her long program and finished in fifth place.

"We thought we had a chance here to go back to Moscow to practice at our pace," Tutberidze said. "But journalists just didn't give us a chance to be left alone. It was laughable because we had to evacuate this child from the practice rink," she added. "Listening devices and bugs were found installed in the locker room. And these weren't done by fans."