The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics kicked off last week and is in full swing.
For the first time, the team figure skating event was incorporated into the Games and none other than home country Team Russia took home the gold, followed by Canada with silver and USA with bronze.
This year, Russian skater Yulia Lipnitskaya has shocked the crowd with her flawless short and long program performances.
Her short program on Saturday gained her a score of 72.90. On Sunday, she gained her personal best score of 141.51. Her combined score was 214.41.
The 15-year-old's part was crucial to bump team Russia to first place this weekend.
Lipnitskaya's performance was the highlight of both the short and long skate as she fearlessly took to the ice to become the youngest figure skater ever to win an Olympic gold medal.
The youngster, who made the minimum age cutoff for the Olympics by a mere 25 days, has become one of the youngest skaters to win a gold medal after her team's victory on Sunday. She received a standing ovation from President Putin and her home crowd and has become the one to watch for this year's figure skating event.
Watch Lipnitskaya's promo video below:
Lipnitskaya will be a big threat at the ladies individual event for gold medal favorites Yuna Kim of South Korea and Mao Asada of Japan. Olympic gold medalist and NBC commentator Tara Lipinski called Lipnitsakaya the dark horse of the event. "I have been saying the whole year that she is a dark horse. I loved the energy and the fight in her."
The Russian also gained the admiration of 1996 Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi who tweeted: "Awww I just love this skater - Yulia Lipnitskaya. So fun to watch...although i say ouch during her spins."
Here are five things to know about 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, also known as Julia Lipnitskaia:
- She won the 2014 European championship, becoming the youngest person to do so
- As the youngest competing in the Olympic ladies individual, Yulia is known for her flexibility and her super fast spins that make even the viewers dizzy
- Skated since the age of 4
- Relocated from Yekaterinburg to Moscow in 2009 after deciding to continue skating
- She had no falls on the ice in all of her competitions throughout 2011-2012
Fox news' Peter Schrager and Julie Stewart-Binks recaps the weekend team figure skating events with Michelle Kwan in the video below:
