r we forgetting that figure skating is a points based sport with the final result being a combination of the free and short program scores?? people are so intent about her 5 quads and forgetting the fact that the short program still exists.

Sasha’s short program during that season had always been her worst component. since women cannot do quads during the short, her technical level is lower without the quads, and not to mention that triple axel. sasha fell on her opening 3a basically every single competition she did, and she fell at the olympics too. her short was littered with falls, step outs, and was overall not a clean performance. (this is also how aliona was able to beat both Sasha and Anna without any quads since she could use her 3a in the short program, gaining more points)

going back to the 5 quads, sasha actually placed 1st in the free program. she placed 4th in the short and 1st in the free, while Anna placed 2nd in short and 2nd in the free, giving her 1st place. whether you believe anna's score was inflated, it doesnt change the fact that sasha still fell out of her 3a.

i think this is less about "artistry vs technique" and instead about consistency. anna had two clean performances while sasha had a rougher short. cruella and her 5 quads were not enough to make up for her lost points on her short. i honestly believe that if she just did a 2a or a different triple, she could've gotten gold.