Who will challenge Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner and Polina Edmunds at Sochi? Answers are coming at the European figure skating championships. Not surprisingly, Russians are rising among the women.
Adelina Sotnikova and Julia Lipnitskaia were the top two after the women's short program at Budapest, Hungary, on Wedneday. They were trailed by Carolina Kostner of Italy and the third Russian competitor, Alena Leonova. Russia will send two skaters to the women's competition.
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Friday's free skate could determine which of the three Russians gets the call.
Also headed for Sochi:
— Pairs winners Simon Shnapir and Marissa Castelli and runners-up Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay.
— In ice dance, reigning Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White; Madison Chock and Evan Bates; and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani.
— In men's, Jeremy Abbott and Jason Brown
The U.S. team will feel at home in Sochi: Edmunds' mother is from Russia, and she keeps in touch with family there. Shnapir was born in Russia; asked for a reaction to making the Olympics, he said in Russian with a big smile, "We're going to Sochi."
Abbott, who finished ninth in Vancouver, earned his second trip to the Olympics on Sunday with his fourth U.S. championship. He is the 11th man to win at least four U.S. championships, a list that includes Dick Button, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Todd Eldredge.
Lipnitskaia's opening triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, the same jump used by Gold to begin her short program at the U.S. Championships last week, was the most difficult of all the jumps executed at the event. It also helped her score the highest total for technical elements, 38.06.
Only 15 years old — the same as Edmunds — and taking part in her first European Championships, Lipnitskaia's style points were third behind Kostner and Sotnikova.
Wagner is heading to her first Olympics. Mirai Nagasu, who finished fourth at the Vancouver Games, was left off the U.S. squad despite finishing ahead of Wagner at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
By dipping to fourth place to send Wagner to Sochi instead of Nagasu, American skating officials hope to avoid another medal shutout in women's figure skating. The one in Vancouver was the first since 1964.
Contributing: Associated Press