Kazakhstani figure skater Sofya Samodelkina made history for her country by landing a triple Axel in official competition — at the fourth stage of the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix, infohub.kz reports.
In her free skate, the 19-year-old athlete performed the ultra-C element, a jump of elevated difficulty. Samodelkina became the first skater from Kazakhstan to land the jump at a competition of this level.
Technical specialists flagged the triple Axel as underrotated by a quarter turn. Samodelkina earned a total of 137.56 points for the skate, posting the fourth-best free skate.
After the short program, the Kazakhstani skater was in 11th place. With an overall total of 198.59 points, she finished fifth at the event in Everett, United States.
Samodelkina also placed fifth at the Grand Prix stage in Kelowna, Canada. She collected 14 points toward the international series standings out of a maximum 30. The Kazakhstani skater did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final, which features the six skaters with the best results.
Japan's Ami Nakai won the stage in the United States (236.81). Russia's Alexandra Ignatova (213.90), also known under the surname Trusova, took silver, while another Japanese skater, Rino Matsuike (211.63), claimed bronze.