Russia captures first gold in Sochi

In an arena filled with waving flags, the coronating presence of President Vladimir Putin, bouquets of tossed flowers and a whiff of scandal, Russia won its first gold medal Sunday as host of the Sochi Olympics, taking first place in a new team figure skating competition and reasserting its prominence in the marquee sport of the Winter Games.

The victory at the Iceberg Skating Palace brought a buoyant moment for the home country and a restorative achievement for a dominant figure skating nation that had failed to win a single gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

L'Equipe, a French sports newspaper, recently quoted an unnamed Russian coach as saying that the U.S. and Russia conspired to fix the team event and pairs and ice dancing competitions at the expense of Canada.