OlympicTalk · Oct 24, 2015
Surprise U.S. leader at Skate America
Gracie Gold doubled a planned triple flip and placed second in the Skate America short program, opening the Grand Prix figure skating season in Milwaukee on Friday night.
Gold, who placed fourth at the Sochi Olympics and last season’s World Championships, scored 65.39 points and trails reigning World junior champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia by 5.53 going into Saturday’s free skate.
World silver medalist Satoko Miyahara of Japan is third, followed by U.S. bronze medalist Karen Chen and Yulia Lipnitskaya, the Russian darling of the Sochi Olympic team event.
Gold, 20, and Chen, 16, are trying to become the first U.S. woman to win Skate America since Ashley Wagner in 2012.