New star of 2018-19 season? Tantalizing Tuktamysheva rocks at Japan Grand Prix stage
The 2015 world champion immaculately landed her signature triple axel to set a new personal best in the short program of 76.17 points, surpassing Japanese rival Satoko Miyahara by just 0.06 points.
READ MORE: Striptease on ice: The revealing trend taking over the figure skating season
The 21-year-old Russian, who won the Grand Prix in Canada three weeks before, can book a place in the Grand Prix final if she claims gold or silver at the competition in Japan.
Tuktamysheva, who failed to make the Olympic team last season, is making a stunning comeback to figure skating’s elite, producing mature and solid skating at Grand Prix events. In Canada, she managed to beat Russia’s long-time leader, Evgenia Medvedeva, who took silver at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang.
Apart from winning gold in her season-opening event, Tuktamysheva also stole the exhibition show in Canada, delivering a provocative routine to Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ and sending the crowd into meltdown.
The skater removed her flight attendant jacket during the Gala Show, showing off her black lingerie, a step which was widely discussed on social media, with some attempting to repeat her daring dance under the hashtag #TuktikChallenge.
