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During the figure skating team competition of the Olympics, 15-year-old Russian Yulia Lipnitskaya wowed the world with two perfect performances. Lipnitskaya helped Russia win gold in the team event and was expected to continue excelling during the individual event.
But her youth and inexperience came out during both her short program and her free skate, and she fell in both performances. After each performance she looked crushed.
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After her free skate, the 15-year-old held it together for the cameras while waiting for her score, which would eventually put her in 5th place and out of medal contention.
But the real soul-crusher came after that, when Lipnitskaya talked to the press. From Sally Jenkins at the Washington Post:
"For the jump I didn't have enough strength. I got very tired on the steps sequence [Lipnitskaya told a Russian news channel]."
She added, in a near whisper, "I will fight tomorrow."
Then she stepped out of the light and cried.
Pure heartbreak.