15-year-old Rachael Flatt, the U.S. national ladies silver medalist who was too young to qualify for the senior world championships, pulled off a win in last weekend's World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She triumphed against more heralded fellow Americans Caroline Zhang, who took the silver, and U.S. National Champion Mirai Nagasu. Nagasu was the leader after the short program but she struggled in the long and ended up third.
Zhang, the reigning world junior champ, lost by just .35. Flatt is making a habit of coming from behind by winning free skates; she also won the free skate at nationals, although the performance wasn't enough to beat Nagasu's mammoth lead from the short program.
The USA also captured the gold in men's (Adam Rippon) and ice dance (Samuelson/Bates), with Russians Krasilnikova/Bezmaternikh winning pairs. The senior worlds will be taking place later this month.