Will Russian skater Alina Zagitova take over the ice rink?

Alina Zagitova, a next generation figure skater from Russia, is taking the women's figure skating world by storm. Zagitova, who won the gold medal at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final for woman single held in Japan early this month, also won the 2018 Russia Figure Skating Championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.

The 15-year-old, who made her debut at a senior stage this year, does not appear to be performing her first season but rather shows top capabilities of a world class skater. Zagitova started skating when she was five and received instructions from Eteri Tutberidze, who taught World No. 1 Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia. Allocating all jumps at the end of the program to maximize additional points also distinguishes Zagitova.

Alina Zagitova is a rising star and determined to show her presence through the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which is going to be her first Olympic Games.

Despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision to ban Russia from participating, she expressed her affection towards the Olympic Games, saying, “Hoping to participate in the Olympics is natural for a sports player.”

It is drawing attention if Zagitova can oppress Medvedeva, the current No. 1 in Olympics. Medvedeva, who won the competition in both 2016 and 2017, planned on participating at the 2018 Russia Figure Skating Championship but decided not to participate in order to focus on recovering from her injuries (microfractures on the upper part of her right foot).

Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com