On Saturday night, 18-year-old Gracie Gold won her first title in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Following in second place was 15-year-old Polina Edmunds and third was Mirai Nagasuf, a previous Olympian in 2010.
Former two-time titleholder, Ashley Wagner, gave her titled away by falling twice during her performance, landing her in fourth place. Ironically, in 2013 Gold was second to Wagner but has now improved immensely.
Although Saturday wasn’t Gold’s best number, she was more than confident in taking the winning spot.
“The nerves are something I’ve battled with and have let get in my head, but tonight I was strangely calm,” Gold told ESPN.
Last year, Gold made one of the best decisions of her life. She moved to California from Illinois in September to start fresh training with a brand new coach.
In a statement by Gold’s coach, Frank Carroll, he was happy to see his protégé overcome her slip-ups on the ice:
“What made me happiest was to see her miss the [triple] flip a little bit. She didn’t go down, which she’s worked hard on. And then to go out and skate perfectly after that … I thought her performance was brilliant tonight, and I was so happy to see her overcome that little tiny flaw and not go bonkers.”
Gold’s night ended very well with an outstanding score of 211.69 points.
Now she has created her own winning headline: “Grace Gets Gold.”
Decisions are still being considered by officials in regards to which three women will be heading to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
The officials plan to make their announcement Sunday. Looks like Gold will be in their top picks of potential candidates to bring back a gold for the U.S. Olympic team.
Here is an interview with Gold about the skating trials that took place in Boston on Wednesday 8th: