Niina Petrõkina, a two-time European champion in figure skating, made her Olympic debut on Tuesday evening in Milano where she placed tenth in the high-level short program. Competing as the second-to-last athlete in the fourth group, she executed a double axel, a triple lutz, a triple toe loop cascade, and a triple flip which earned her a total of 69.63 points. This score is just 0.98 points shy of the national record she set a month prior in Sheffield when she won her second European gold medal.

Despite finishing tenth, Petrõkina's performance left her within striking distance of the top five, which is only 2.14 points from her score. The competition was fierce, with nine women surpassing the 70-point mark. According to comments made by Eva-Lotta Kiibus during the ERR broadcast, Petrõkina reflected on her performance, acknowledging that there were areas, particularly in her technical execution, where she could have potentially gained more points if some moves had been cleaner in execution.

The event highlights the competitive landscape of women's figure skating, with tight scoring creating an exciting but challenging environment for athletes. As Petrõkina continues in the competition, the focus will be on her ability to improve her scores in the next rounds, pushing her towards higher placements against a backdrop of high-caliber performances from other skaters.