SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Like old times, Russia is dominating Olympic figure skating.
Fifteen-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia had the look of an Olympic champion on Saturday night, dazzling the home crowd with a near-perfect routine in the women's short program. Then it was Russia's backup pair, Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, earning cheers as they routed the field in the free skate.
With only the men's and women's free skate and the free dance left to contest in Sunday's finale, Russia has 47 points to Canada's 41 and the United States' 34. Italy has 31 and Japan has 30.
With her countrymen chanting her first name, Lipnitskaia put on a mature presentation that had fans stomping their feet and showering the ice with flowers and dolls. Her flexibility and rapid rotation on her spins and jumps were reminiscent of Tara Lipinski when she won the 1998 Olympic gold.
And Lipinski, who was the same age at those games in Nagano, was on hand to see it.
View galleryKsenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia react after …
Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia react after competing in the team pairs free skate figure …
"I have been saying the whole year that she is a dark horse," Lipinski said of Lipnitskaia — yes, the names are nearly the same. "I loved the energy and the fight in her."
Lipnitskaia easily outskated far more experienced competitors Carolina Kostner of Italy, who is in her third Olympics, and Japan's Mao Asada, in her second. The moment wasn't too big for her in any way.
"My trainers told me people would cry," she said. "They told me they would be clapping to the music. But I didn't think the spectators would be so loud. But it helped me to perform really well."