Russia tallied its first gold medal of the Sochi Olympics on Sunday when 15-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia and national favorite Evgeni Plushenko each won their free skates to clinch the top spot in figure skating’s inaugural team event.
Canada took silver, while Ashley Wagner and Team USA settled for bronze.
Team USA Olympic newcomers Jason Brown and Gracie Gold turned out solid performances, and ice dance skaters Maryl Davis and Charlie White scored a record 114.34 in the free dance.
“Jason and I were definitely a little nervous,” said Gold, via USA Today. “Our parents told us that neither of us did team sports because we didn’t like having other people rely on us but also having that extra pressure.”
Russia finished with 75 points, Canada finished with 65, while the United States had 60.
