Here is the fifth entry of my favorite figure skating moments of 2014:

6. Adelina Sotnikova wins the first ladies Olympic gold medal for Russia in Sochi. In her first Olympic Games, Sotnikova, 17 at the time, delivered two solid performances despite and perhaps in spite of being left off the roster for the team event, where Russia claimed gold. Many previous female Olympic champions have been criticized for various reasons when certain favorites didn’t win (think Lipinski, Hughes and Arakawa), however, like those before her Sotnikova attacked every aspect of her performance with exuberance plus she actually looked like the only woman in the top 10 who wasn’t afraid or nervous to be competing in the free skate. Watch is back and tweet me if you disagree. If that isn’t a prerequisite for being a champion in sport or the prima ballerina on the dance stage I don’t know what is.