Figure Skating-Moscow-born Petrosian misses podium after falling on quad jump

MILAN, Feb 19 : After shaking up the field with a short programme that lifted her from obscurity into fifth place, neutral athlete Adeliia Petrosian missed the podium on Thursday when she fell during a quad jump - an element only she attempted in the women's figure skating event.

Competing at the Milano-Cortina Games as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) under restrictions imposed on Russians after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Petrosian arrived in Milan as a bit of an unknown quantity since Russian skaters are barred from global competitions.

She launched herself to an international audience on Tuesday with a vibrant short programme to a medley of Michael Jackson songs that earned her 72.89 points and a spot just behind the established medal hopefuls. 

She scored 141.64 points with her free skate, performed to Astor Piazzolla's tango 'Yo Soy Maria', to finish sixth with a total of 214.53, trailing American champion Alysa Liu by more than 12 points.

Petrosian's stony-faced exit from the rink summed up her disappointment.

"I feel a bit ashamed in front of myself, the Federation, the coaches and the spectators that things turned out this way," a visibly shaken Petrosian told Russian media with glistening eyes.

"I understand that it's my own fault. That's probably the hardest part," she added.

The 18-year-old booked her spot for the Winter Games by winning a qualifying event in Beijing in September, her only senior event outside Russia before she arrived in Milan for the Olympics.

Petrosian has drawn attention in Milan due to a coaching set-up that includes Eteri Tutberidze, whose influence as a coach has been under the spotlight since her former charge, Russian Kamila Valieva, was at the heart of a doping scandal at the 2022