PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Technically, Russia did not win its first gold medal at these Winter Olympics on Friday.

Strictly speaking, Alina Zagitova, the 15-year-old victor in women’s figure skating, competed as a neutral “Olympic Athlete From Russia.” At a medal ceremony later Friday, she was to see the five-ringed Olympic flag raised instead of the Russian flag and to hear the Olympic hymn played instead of the Russian anthem.

There was no question which country Zagitova represented in winning her gold medal with a score of 239.57 points as fans chanted her name and waved the Russian tricolor.

“In our souls we know,” she said recently.

Her friend and training partner, Evgenia Medvedeva, took the silver medal with 238.26 points. Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada won the bronze with 231.02 points.

The Americans secured their worst showing in modern-era Olympic women’s figure skating with its highest-scoring skater, Bradie Tennell, finishing ninth. Since World War II, at least one American woman finished sixth or higher.

1-2 finish for Canada in skicross

Kelsey Serwa turned to best friend and Olympic roommate Brittany Phelan in the starting gate before the women’s skicross final and went through the ritual one more time. The Canadian teammates bumped fists then began chanting “Here we go!” in an over exaggerated accent that would sound right at home back in The Great White North.

“That’s what we need to get fired up,” Serwa said with a laugh. “It says everything in three words.”

They let their skiing do the rest.

Serwa sprinted to gold and Phelan made a daring pass midway down the course in the final to earn silver to cap a dominant performance by the Canadians.