US Women's Olympic Figure Skating 2014: Favorites Following Short Program

The field at the top of the women's figure skating event following the short program is tightly contested, as several competitors have left themselves within striking distance of the gold after strong performances.

Figure skating has received much of the attention at Sochi, as the discipline contains several different events spanning nearly the entirety of the 2014 Sochi Games. The women's event is the final installment in the discipline, and it will conclude on Feb. 20 with the women's free skating competition.

Here's what the top 10 in the standings looks like after the short program:

Athlete	Country	Short Program	Free Skating	Total
Yuna Kim	South Korea	74.92	-	74.92
Adelina Sotnikova	Russia	74.64	-	74.64
Carolina Kostner	Italy	74.12	-	74.12
Gracia Gold	United States	68.63	-	68.63
Julia Lipnitskaia	Russia	65.23	-	65.23
Ashley Wagner	United States	65.21	-	65.21
Polina Edmunds	United States	61.04	-	61.04
Akiko Suzuki	Japan	60.97	-	60.97
Maé-Bérénice Meité	France	58.63	-	58.63
Nathalie Weinzierl	Germany	57.63	-	57.63

As you can see, there are several gold-medal hopefuls. Here are the three to look out for in the free skate.

Yuna Kim, South Korea

Vadim Ghirda/Associated Press

South Korea's Yuna Kim leads after the short program, and she's in line to win the gold after winning in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. However, her road to Sochi was odd, to say the least. Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune breaks it down:

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In the four years since winning the 2010 Olympic gold medal with a performance for the ages, the South Korean took an entire season off and competed just four times internationally before Wednesday’s short program at the 2014 Olympics.

Two of those international events were World Championships. The first, 2011, was her only competition of the year, and she finished second to Japan’s Mao Asada. The second, last year, was another demonstration that a Kim at or near her best is still a singular sensation, since she beat defending champion Carolina Kostner for the title by a whopping 20 points.

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Her brief competition experience over the past few years clearly hasn't slowed her down. She possesses enough raw talent to need just a few tune-up events before big competitions. She's showing that fact off in Sochi.

Kim's 74.92 in the short program was the highest score in that event this season, and it would be a major disappointment if she didn't post a similar score in the free skate.

Kim is being counted on as one of South Korea's top athletes. They'll be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2018, and Kim will enter as one of the favored competitors in ice dancing events if she wins the gold in Sochi. At the very least, though, she'll earn a medal.

Adelina Sotnikova, Russia

Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

Adelina Sotnikova's performance in the short program was nearly flawless. She was definitely deserving of her second-place score.

Sotnikova has taken a backseat to 15-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia in terms of favorite Russian figure skaters. Even though Sotnikova finished ahead of Lipnitskaia at the Russian nationals last year, she still hasn't gotten the same type of following.

After Sotnikova outperformed her Russian teammate in the short program, though, the focus seems to be on her.

Sotnikova was just 0.32 points behind Kim after the short program and, for all intents and purposes, is tied with the South Korean entering the free skate. It will take a career performance for Sotnikova to take home the gold, considering how heavily favored Kim is in the event.

Kim is definitely the favorite, but Sotnikova could steal the gold away.

Gracie Gold, United States

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Gracie Gold knows what it will take for her to win the gold, even if it won't be easy. She told John Powers of the Boston Globe about her approach in the Olympics: "The Olympics is about throwing everything and saying, ‘This is what I have, can you beat it?’"

Gold will be looking to follow the gold-medal performance posted by Meryl Davis and Charlie White in the ice dancing event, and though she's a few points back of Kim, a strong program can get her to the top of the podium.

What sets Gold apart from the other competitors is her charm and likable personality. Powers describes what Gold can bring to the United States: 

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Now comes the 18-year-old Gold with her Massachusetts roots, her Midwestern sensibility, and her California flair hoping to turn the spotlight her way. As these Games come down to their final few days, America still is looking for a fresh female face in a glamour sport.

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As one of the United States' best new athletes, Gold has the pressure on her entering the free skate. It will take a nearly perfect performance to best Kim, but the 18-year-old certainly has it in her.

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