Russian national champion Anna Shcherbakova didn’t have a triple Axel, but she didn’t need one to take the lead at the world figure skating championships in Stockholm on Wednesday.
Shcherbakova skated clean, highlighted by a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, and tallied 81 points. She outscored two women who landed triple Axels — Japanese Rika Kihira (79.08) and Russian Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva (78.86).
Americans Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell are in fourth and seventh, respectively. Their results after Friday’s free skate must add up to no more than 13 (sixth and seventh place, for example) for the U.