Figure skater and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics team bronze medalist Gracie Gold won the women’s free skate at the NHK Trophy event in Osaka, Japan on Saturday. The victory allowed her to come in first overall and to secure a spot in the Grand Prix Final.
Gold, the 2014 U.S. national champion, was in first place after the short program, and went on to finish the free skate with 191.16 points, ahead of Alena Leonova of Russia (186.40 points) and Satoko Miyahara of Japan (179.02 points). The event marked the first senior Grand Prix victory for Gold.
Gold, 19, is the 2012 World Junior silver medalist, the 2013 U.S. national silver medalist and placed fifth overall at the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan.
Olympic skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan finished fourth in the men’s competition, which allowed him to qualify for the Grand Prix. Hanyu finished with 229.80 points, behind of Daisuke Murakami of Japan, who won the event with 246.07 points
GO @DaisukeMurakami!!!!! You were amazing tonight 😀 #NHKTrophy
— Gracie Gold (@GraceEGold) November 28, 2014
Little tidbit: @GraceEGold is the first American woman to win NHK Trophy, congrats!!! #NHK14
— dorinda (@SassMasterWill) November 29, 2014
In related news, in May Gold backed out of a prom date she agreed to, after being asked by a fan. Malibu High School student Dyer Pettijohn, then 17, compiled a video clip asking Gold, then 18, to be his senior prom date, which he describes as the sort of “quintessential high school experience, that (she) was never able to have.”
Here is the clip:
While Gold was making an appearance on Extra, she was asked if she’d seen the video, only to have gentleman caller Pettijohn appear, holding a bouquet of flowers.
Gold agreed to go to the prom in Malibu, and told Pettijohn, “If it works out, I would love to.”
Due to her gig with figure skating tour Stars On Ice, Gold was forced to cancel. Pettijohn claims he was not too let down, and was keeping his options open, and commented, “She (Gold) was incredibly gracious and gave me tickets to see her show last Saturday in Anaheim. I talked to her after, and we’re still trying to meet up once her busy schedule permits.”