Teen makes history with quad jump

ROC scored 74 points in total from the four categories, nine points clear of silver medalists the United States, who had 65. Japan won the bronze with 63 points. Host China was fifth after qualifying for free skate for the first time.

The ROC finished first in two of the three competitions featured in the free skating on Monday－the pairs and women's singles, and second in ice dancing to collect a total of 29 points on Monday. They had nine points from the men's singles free skating held on Sunday.

Valieva came out the first female skater to have completed quadruple jumps on an Olympic rink, delivering a quad salchow, a combination of 4+3 toeloop and a quad toeloop during her free skate to Bolero by Maurice Ravel.

The 15-year-old claimed a total segment score of 178.92 points to top the women's free skating standings, with seven jumps of a super high degree of difficulty, while all her spins and sequence were graded to the most, the fourth grade.

Having also placed first in the short program, Valieva thus added two full marks of 10 points to bring the ROC's winning score to 74 points.

The United States settled for a silver medal on 65 points, despite leading ice dancing couples Madison Chock/Evan Bates and Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue respectively finished on top of the rhythm dance and free dance.

Japan stepped onto the Olympic figure skating team event podium for the first time as the bronze medalists after a second-place performance from both the women's and pairs free skate on Monday, thanks to Sakamoto and Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara respectively.

In the pairs free skate, reigning world and European Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov from the ROC fell at their Group 3 Lift with just 10 seconds remaining at their free skating routine to The Snowstorm, Time Forward.

The rare and major error cost them two points directly and a GOE deduction of 2.28 points, but Mishina and Galliamov were still on top of the team event pairs free skating rankings with a total segment score of 145.20.

Japan's Miura/Kihara were the second on 139.60, while Chinese representatives Peng Cheng/Jin Yang, taking the place of two-time world champions Sui Wenjing/Han Cong for the free skate, settled for third on 131.75 with two out-sync jumps.

Peng and Jin temporarily lifted China to fourth place, before the ice dancing free dance and women's free skate hit the rink.

The host has taken part in all three editions of the figure skating team event since the discipline was added in the Olympic Winter Games programs at Sochi 2014.

AFP / XINHUA