Despite her young age, Kamila Valieva is already a figure skating sensation.
The 15-year-old representing the Russian Olympic Committee faces some much older competitors - some more than a decade her senior.
But that doesn't phase her.
As NBC Olympics commentator Terry Gannon stated, "It may be terrifying to be alone on the ice at the Olympics at the age of 15, but she has not skated like she's afraid of anything or anyone all year."
Kamila continued to impress again Saturday night as she captivated the world with her performance in the women's short program.
Kamila's opening triple axel made her the fourth woman to land that jump at the Olympics.
"A talent like this comes along once in a lifetime," 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski and Olympic commentator said.
Local
The ROC skater earned 90.18 points, a few tenths from her world record score, and is 15.45 points ahead of second-place Higuchi. To no surprise, she moved ROC into first overall now with 36 points to the U.S.' 34.
"I'm having a hard time finding the proper words but she is absolutely mesmerizing," said commentator Johnny Weir, a two-time Olympian in figure skating. "She can inspire the world with performances like that."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
People on social media have been awestruck by Kamila's performance, with some describing her as "simply stunning" and "the epitome of absolute perfection."
Commentators noted some have gone as far to describe the young figure skater as the "best they've ever seen."
"She skates with the best women in the whole world... and it felt like she was the only one on the ice," Weir said.
Don’t miss the most exciting moments of the Winter Olympics in Beijing! Sign up for our Olympics newsletter.
