The post-Olympic Russian National Championships in the pleasant city of Saransk, capital of the Republic Mordovia, showcased the depth of talent in Russian figure skating. In the Pairs, Ice Dance and Ladies, Russia's future looks bright. However, the Men, for many years a Russian stronghold, need to catch up.
On the day of the Exhibition Gala, the National team for Europeans and the Universiade was announced as follows:
European Championships
A. Leonova, K. Makarova, K. Menshov, A. Gatchinski, Kawaguchi/Smirnov, Bazarova/Larionov, Gerboldt/Enbert, Bobrova/Soloviev, Riazanova/Tkatchenko, Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Universiade
M. Artemeva, E. Kozyreva, S. Voronov, I. Bariev, D. Leushin, Iliuschechkina/Maisuradze, Imaikina/Bezmaternykh, Ozerova/Golubev (TBC), Gorshkova/Butikov, Telegina/Molotov
Competition reviews
Day Three
Bobrova/Soloviev dance to victory
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev confirmed their current leading position in the Russian team and danced to their first National title (senior level). Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkatchenko were a strong second and earned their first medal at Nationals while Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov captured the bronze medal in their debut at the senior level.
Bobrova/Soloviev gave a convincing performance of their romantic dance to „Melody of the White Nights“. The twizzles were a bit slow but clean and a level 4 as well as all other elements except for the diagonal step sequence. The program is sugar-coated but nice to watch and had good flow (164.93 points). „This (title) is a nice New Year's present for us, our coaches and everybody around us. At the Grand Prix Final, it didn't go so well, I messed up the twizzles in both programs and when I make a mistake, I'm upset and can't pull myself together until the end. I have to learn to move on and people win even with mistakes or falls“, he explained.
Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkatchenko displayed great speed and power in their dance to Mexican music. They too earned a level four for six out of the seven elements, only the circular footwork was graded a level three and as they got a lot of +2 GOE for the execution of most elements,they even edged out Bobrova/Soloviev in the technical score by 0.05 points. „Finally we are at the podium at the Russian Championships. That is a big honour for us and we've worked a lot for it. We are very pleased with our performance, not only today's but also the day before yesterday's and in all other competitions of the season so far“, Tkatchenko said. „After the New Year holiday, we'll start our active preparation for the European Championships with many run-throughs, we cannot relax. There is not much time“, he continued.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov looked a little nervous and seemed to hold back. He stumbled on the twizzle (level 2) and they only earned a level 2 for both footwork sequences and the second part of their curve-rotational lift. The couple ranked fourth in the free dance and overall slipped from second to third (149.72 points). „Overall it was at better performance than in our previous events and we've made progress“, said Ilinykh. „Mistakes happen. We are happy that we'll go to Europeans and we'll perfect our performances.“ She also talked about boot problems that caused an injury and loss of training just before the Championships. „We are very happy with our third place and it is a motivation for us“, Katsalapov added.
Jana Khokhlova/Fedor Andreev danced to a medley of Beatles songs. The free dance obviously is easier for them to do. They focused on the elements and had a level 4 for the lifts, the twizzles and the spin and a level 3 for the two step sequences. However, there is not much in between the elements and he still appears cautious and a little stiff compared to the other male partners. Khokhlova/Andreev were ranked third in the free dance and moved up to fourth (145.74 points).
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov had a clean performance but their footwork was graded only a level 2 and also their component score was lower than Khokhlova/Andreev's and they dropped to fifth. This might be the final blow for this team that has stagnated in the past few years (142.83 points).
Adelina Sotnikova regains Ladies title
14-year-old Adelina Sotnikova regained the Ladies title that she had lost last year. Alena Leonova took the silver like one year ago and Lisa Tuktamysheva surged from 7th to claim the bronze.
Sotnikova really shone in her program to „Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso“, reeling off a 3Lz-3R, 3F, big 2A-3T, 3Lz, 3R, 3S-2T, 2A and excellent spins. She is also musical and expressive. The full package is there (197.44 points). „I was in a good mood when I went out and I did everything as planned“, the now two-time champion said. „Back then (in Kazan 2009) I didn't expect to win, then last year in St. Petersburg I was sick and my coach was busy with Artem Borodulin and was not with me at all practices, but this year things went well in the Final and here. I'm very happy that I was able to win and make a present to my coaches, my parents, grandparents and everyone“, Adelina continued.
Leonova skated last, a starting number she used to dislike and that has led often to rather disastrous performances for her, but this time she pulled herself together. The 22-year-old hit a solid 3T-3T, 3Lz, 3R, 3S-2T-2T, 2A and when she landed the final jump, a 3F, she pumped her fist in triumph. The only glitch was a three-turn out of the 3F (in combination with 2T) (187.68 points). She broke into tears of joy at the end of her performance. „I'm so happy that I was able to prove that I can skate this program“, she said, referring to criticsm she had received from Tatiana Tarasova. „Since Nice I like to skate last. There I did well skating last and I went out with the same attitude as in Nice“, she explained. For Europeans, her goal is „certainly not to skate any worse than here“. She doesn't plan major changes to her programs, but might upgrade her triple-triple combination.
Tuktamysheva produced a 3Lz-2T-2R, 3Lz, 3F-2T, 3F, 3R, 3S and 2A^1A sequence as well as strong spins and showed character in her interpretation of „Asturias“ by Isaac Albeniz. „It wasn't a great skate but it wasn't bad either. There were a few sins, but overall I'm satisfied. I wanted to do the triple-triple (Lz-T), but it didn't happen“, she said. „I do the triple Axel in practice, but it is not as consistent as my flip, Lutz or my triple Lutz-triple toe. Once it is more consistent I will include it into my program“, the now 14-year-old added. (180.71 points).
Julia Lipnitskaia performed to „Carmen“, for whatever reason. But she was on and nailed a 2A-3T-2T, 2A-3T, 3Lz, 3R, 3F-2T, 3F and only doubled the Salchow. The 12-year-old again showed off her flexibility in her spins and the spiral sequence (176.27/4th).
Overnight leader Ksenia Makarova seemed to crumble under the pressure. She stepped out of her 3T-3T as well as out of the 3F and crashed on the entry of her Salchow. The defending champion had only a clean 3R, 3S-2T-2R as well as two 2A one of which was underrotated, which is just not enough in this field. Makarova slipped to 5th (173.91 points). She still should be selected for Europeans as Sotnikova, Tuktamysheva and Lipnitskaia are all not age-eligible for ISU senior level championships.
Sofia Biriukova who had looked good in practice also faltered and made similar errors as Makarova with stepping out on the 3T-3T and 3F, she missed the 3S as well, put down her hand on the 3R and only managed a 2Lz and wobbly 3S-2T (159.14/6th).
Polina Shelepen skated quite well considering how much training time she had lost. She landed 2A-3T, 3Lz-3T, 3Lz-2T-2T, 3S, 3R, but stepped out of another 2A and popped the flip. She seemed rather happy after her skate (159.03/7th).
Rosa Shchevleva turned in a clean performance that included a 3R, 3Lz-2T, 3F, 3R-2T, 2A^2A, 3T and 3Lz as her final jumping pass. She moved up from 13th to 8th (156.81 points).
Polina Agafonova started strongly with a 3Lz-3T, but underrotated the 3R (<) and then crashed on 3F (<), the second 3Lz (<) and the solo 3T (<). Her spins were again impressive but that didn't help too much today. She was very disappointed in the K&C (154.48 points/8th).
Day Two
Konstantin Menshov skates off with Men's gold
Konstantin Menshov won the Men's title and made the podium at Nationals for the first time in his long career. Artur Gachinski overcame a knee injury from the short program to earn the silver medal and the bronze went to Zhan Bush.
Menshov opened his Michael Jackson medley with an excellent 4T-2T followed by a 3Lz and another 4T. But then he doubled the Axel and Salchow and stepped out of the 3R. At the end of the program he landed a 3T-2T-2T and a 2A-2T, but the latter was a fourth combination that didn't count. Menshov still won clearly with 225.17 points. „To be honest, I haven't fully realized yet that I won. It was hard for me, I was first after the short and I skated next to last, everyone else was done and I had to wait“, Menshov commented. „My coach was angry with me because of the fourth combination. I added the toe on the loop, and then I did the double Axel-double toe as it was planned in my program. Actually I'm not so happy with my skate because I did clean run-throughs the past two weeks in training. I skated both short and long program each day in practice.“
Gachinski competed in spite of the knee injury that he sustained in the short program. He left early into the morning practice as he was in pain, but got a painkiller shot before the competition. The 17-year-old landed a 3T, 3A-2T-2R, 3R, 3Lz and 2A^2A, but he popped the second Axel, and touched down with his hand on 3F and the second 3Lz. His marks were rather generous (211.28). „I'm not totally pleased. There was no quad, but we decided not to risk it“, he explained. „My leg didn't bother me too much, I felt pain only at the end of the program.“ He added that he didn't reveive a diagnosis yet and will have the knee examined once he gets back home. „It is a big surprise for me (to finish up second). I was a bit far away. Now I'm happy that I'm second“, he said at the press conference.
Bush turned in a solid performance that featured a 3A (again a long set up), 3F-3T, 3R, 3T-2T, 3Lz-2T-2R (with a turn out on the last jump), 3S and 2A, but he doubled the second flip. „It was a decent performance, but it could have been better. The triple flip at the end of the program, I always did it this season, but I doubled. That is a shame“, Bush said. Asked about his obvious resemblance to Evgeni Plushenko, he sighed. „I already thought about wearing a paper sign that says, „no, I'm not the brother of Plushenko“, he joked. „I got used to it. Everybody is saying that I look like him. The only way I wouldn't look similar to him would be plastic surgery. But I don't want to imitate him. My idol in skating is actually Alexei Yagudin.“
Sergei Voronov recovered from his poor short program.He completed a 3T, 3A, 3A-2T, 3R, 2A-2T-2T, 3R-2T, 2A, 3S and overall looked smooth to pull up to 4th (204.71 points).
Ivan Tretiakov produced a 3A-2T, 3R, 3F-2T-2T but also made a few errors, singling the Salchow and an Axel, he also stumbled on 3F, touched down on his first 3A and underrotated the toe in his 3Lz-3T (204.54/5th).
Gordei Gorshkov underrotated the 3A (<) like in the short, then reeled off 3Lz-3T, 3R-2T-2R, 3R-2T and 3F as well as two level-four spins, but then faded towards the end of the program, doubling and falling out of the second Lutz and going down on the 3S (203.50/6th).
Artur Dmitriev, who stood in second place after the short, had a messy skate. Most landings were not clean and he looked unpolished. He also missed the 3F and repeated a third triple jump, the Lutz, that he didn't get credit for (202.72/7th).
Denis Leushin hit two 3A (one in combination with a 2T), but doubled a Lutz and fell on another cheated 3Lz (downgraded) at the end of the program (196.17/8th).
Ivan Bariev again was expressive and stood out. He underrotated the 3A (<) and first 3R (<) and stepped out of the 3Lz but landed a 3S, 3S-2T, 3R-2T, 2A-3T and 2A (193.61/9th).
Vladislav Sezganov stepped out of his 3A-2T and touched down on the 3T but landed four triples. He is tall and looks a little akward (190.37/10th).
Maxim Kovtun lost quite a few points by popping his first combo into 1A-1T but put out five triples. The 15-year-old definitely is a talent to watch (188.50/11th).
Mark Shakhmatov doubled some jumps and clearly lacked stamina (185.02/12th).
Volosozhar/Trankov skate to Pairs title, dethrone Kawaguchi/Smirnov
After teaming up only last May, Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov skated to the Pairs title and ended the reign of Yuko Kawaguchi/Alexander Smirnov who had won three consecutive titles since 2008. in Vera Bazarova/Juri Larionov took the bronze like they had last year. It was an exciting high-level competition that reminded of the former glory of Russian pairs.
Volosozhar/Trankov gave a technically impressive performance to „Romeo and Juliet“ by Sergei Prokofiev, reeling off a 3S, 3T-2T combination, huge 3Tw, throw triple loop and difficult lifts. There were only two minor glitches, they were out of sync in the side by side spin and she two-footed the throw triple Salchow. Their program is not yet as elaborated and choreographically refined as the program of other top teams in the world, but this is a matter of time. They are still a new team and the focus was on getting the elements done (214.66 points). „This was our best performance of the season so far“, said Trankov. „We were skating for the audience today“, added Volosozhar.
Kawaguchi/Smirnov's lyrical „Clair de lune“ was marred by some errors that cost them the title. Kawaguchi landed on the toe-pick and put down her hand on the 3T, later she singled the first Axel. The triple twist was not great but ok, the throw triple Salchow and loop were fine and the lifts strong this time. But overall they looked a bit slow (201.44 points).
Bazarova/Larionov had a shaky practice this morning but skated well tonight. They hit the 3T, a nice 3Tw, throw triple flip and interesting lifts with original entries. Only the 2A^2A was wobbly and out of unison and she slightly two-footed the throw triple loop (195.77 points).
Katarina Gerboldt/Alexander Enbert were strong as well. Their routine to „Rhapsody in Rock“ included a 3T-2T-2R combination, throw triple loop and flip. However, they collided on the 3Tw and she doubled the Salchow and stepped out of it (182.77/4th). Enbert has been called for army service right after the end of the Championships and already cut his hair short. If he can't move the army service he won't be able to train for two to three weeks and the couple would be unable to compete at Europeans if selected.
Liubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze wanted to make up for the faulty short program and turned in a strong performance to „Conquest of Paradise“ that included a 3T^2T, 3S, high 3Tw, throw triple loop and good lifts, but she fell on the throw triple flip (179.49 points/5th)
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov had two uncharacteristic falls on the throw triple flip and throw triple Salchow, but hit the 3T-2T-2T and 2A (jump in opposite directions). Their program to „La Strada“ is fun to watch (168.08 points/6th).
Maria Mukhortova/Jérôme Blanchard unfortunately had a rather rough skate. Their opening 3Tw was good, but then they run into trouble as she singled the Salchow (he stepped out of a triple), then he went down on the 3T while she landed 3T-2T. She crashed on the throw triple loop and their group four lift was short and shaky. Too bad, as they look beautiful together and are a very classical, balletic couple. But they obviously were not quite ready (148.63/7th).
Ekaterina Petaikina/Maxim Kudriukov performed to „Assassin's Tango“. They completed a 3Tw a throw triple flip, throw triple loop and an unusual reverse lasso lift, but he struggled with the solo jumps 3T and 2R. Overall they looked a bit heavy and unpolished (145.74 points/8th).
Anastasia Martiusheva/Alexei Rogonov gave a decent performance to „Sleeping Beauty“ that was highlighted by a throw triple loop, 2A^2A and nice lifts, but she stepped out on a 2S and crashed on the throw triple Salchow. The side by side spin started off very well but unfortunately they lost unison at the end. This couple looks so nice together and their programs are interesting, too bad about her jump issues (143.49 points/9th)
Sabina Imaikina/Konstantin Bezmaternykh could have done better. She fell on the 3S while he touched down with his hand, she also stumbled on the throw triple loop. They landed 2A^2A, a 3tw and a throw double Lutz (139.20 points/10th).
Ksenia Makarova takes lead in Ladies Short
Defending Champion Ksenia Makarova won the Ladies Short Program ahead of Adelina Sotnikova and Alena Leonova. The level was high with eight girls going for a 3-3 combination, and there were only three falls.
Makarova hit a solid 3T-3T, 3R and 2A out of a spiral move to score 64.16. She sold her Flamenco program well and payed attention to details, although the choreography overall could be more demanding, especially her in-betweens. ´She got a level 4 for the combo spin while the other spins and the footwork were a level 3.„I'm pleased with my performance but there is still one more day“, the defending Russian Champion said. „I didn't fully express myself as I didn't want to get tired. I did what I had to do. I don't want to think about pressure too much, I just want to skate for myself and the audience“, she continued and added that she liked the fact that many girls are now going for triple-triple combinations. „That is good. It's better than doing doubles and it's getting closer to the men.“
Sotnikova went for the 3Lz-3R but she stumbled and then slipped on the landing of the loop (<), going down on hands and knees which meant a fall deduction. She rallied back to hit a 3F and 2A as well as strong spins (level 4), but she was too upset to come to the mixed zone, although her score was good at 63.79. She showed up at the press conference. „I didn't do everything as planned today, hopefully I can do that tomorrow“, she said and revealed that she had high temperature after the Grand Prix Final and needed a week before she fully recovered.
Leonova, who had drawn to skate second out of 16 girls, opened with a big 3T-3T, but then stumbled out of the 3F. She nailed the 2A, but the combo spin was only level 2. Leonova earned 60.14 points. „I'm glad that I did my triple-triple with a plus two (GOE), but I'm upset about the flip. That was stupid mistake. And I don't know what went wrong on the last spins“, explained Leonova. She joked that she feels like she is in a foreign country here and added that she usually skates better abroad than at home.
Performing to „Tosca“, Sofia Biriukova two-footed the second jump of her 3T-3T, and her 3R was a little shaky too. She held back and didn't look as light on her feet as usual (59.49 points/4th). 12-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia impressed not only with her solid jumps (2A, 3T-3T, 3F) but her amazing flexibility that allows her to hit incredible positions in her spins and spiral moves like a full split (59.13 points/5th).
Polina Agafonova delivered a strong performance to „Khorobushko“ that featured a 3Lz-3T and 2A and amazing spins. The 3R was underrotated (<). Her flying camel and her layback especially stood out with beautiful positions and speed. However, overall the skater is still lacking speed and ice coverage. Coach Alexei Urmanov lifted her up to hug her as she came off the ice (58.42 points/6th).
Lisa Tuktamysheva rushed her 3Lz (<) and fell, but quickly recovered to switch her combination and did a 3R-2T followed by a high 2A (56.30 points/7th).
Maria Artemeva downgraded her combination to 3T-2T, did a 3Lz, 2A and was expressive (54.63 points/8th).
Polina Shelepen stepped out of the 3Lz but reacted instantly to tack a 2T on to her 3R for a combination. She also landed the 2A and her overall skating has improved. Polina's preparation wasn't the best as she was diagnosed with retinal detachment and was supposed to have surgery (subsequently she was not allowed to train), but finally the diagnosis was not confirmed and she was allowed to compete at Nationals at the last minute (53.89 points/9th).
Polina Korobeinikova, another student of Viktoria Volchkova, had a decent skate with 3F-2T, 3R, 2A and looks elegant (53.62/10th)
Alexandra Deeva, a tiny 13-year-old from Moscow, went for a 3Lz-3R, but both jumps were shaky and the loop was cheated and downgraded (<<). But she completed a 3F, 2A and strong spins (51.23 points/11th).
Rosa Shchevleva landed a 3Lz-2T but popped the flip. She is a lovely skater, though (46.33 points/13th).
Day One
Konstantin Menshov grabs lead in Men's Short
Konstantin Menshov grabbed the lead in the Men's Short Program. Artur Dmitriev surprised in second place and Ivan Tretiakov finished third. Artur Gachinski, considered as one of the top contenders, took two bad falls and came 9th, and also two-time National Champion Sergei Voronov had an off-day and placed 13th.
Menshov opened with a strong 3A, but the two-footed the landing of the 4T and only added a 2T for his combination. He recovered to land a triple loop and his spins were good. The crowd liked his playful Tango program. Menshov scored 78.42 points. „My quad wasn't so good today, but it counted.“ The 27-year-old skater is in the top three at Nationals after the short program for the first time. „I have had chances before, but I didn't always skate well. Today I skated more or less clean“, he commented. „All of us have been working hard and we aim at the top three. Each time we hope for that and we try.“
Dmitriev pulled off a big 3A, a 3Lz-3R with a three-turn on the landing, a triple flip and had the highest technical score. Overall he earned 77.65 points. „I think it went well for me. Of course, you always can do better, but for now I did the maximum. I wanted to do something new and different, and as the quad isn't quite ready yet, I went for the Lutz-loop“, the son of two-time Olympic Pairs Champion Artur Dmitriev said. He declined to comment on why he recently switched coaches from Alexei Mishin to Elena Vodorezova and only would say that he now can train more as his back that bothered him before is better.
Tretiakov produced a 3A, 3Lz and two level-4 spins, but stumbled on the back end of his 3F-3T combo. Overall he seemed tentative. „I rate this performance as mediocre, especially because of the combination that I usually can do easily“, he told the press. Tretiakov got 72.05 points.
Gordei Gorshkov in 4th gave a nice performance showing off his soft skating and strong spins, all a level 4. The 3A was not fully rotated (<), but the 3Lz-3T and the 3R were solid (69.98 points).
Zhan Bush (5th) stepped out of his 3A after a long set up for it, but hit the 3F-3T and 3R.
A nice surprise was Maxim Kovtun from Ekaterinenburg (6th). He reeled off an effortless 3A and 3R, has nice skating skills and only wobbled on his 3Lz-3T combo.
Artur Gachinski faded to 9th after falling on his 4T (<) and 3A. Both jumps were off-axis and he had no chance to land them. He hit his left knee badly on the second fall and interrupted the performance, but came back after the three-minutes medical break. Although he seemed still in pain and was cautious, he landed the 3R and got a level 3 for the spins and the footwork.
Ivan Bariev in 12th missed the 3A and two-footed the 3T-3T combo, but his Michael-Jackson interpretation was excellent. He was the most expressive skater out of the 17 men.
Already in practice, Sergei Voronov (13th) didn't look ready. He went for the quad, but two-footed and underrotated (<), still added a 2T, but then he popped the Axel. The combo spin and the footwork were graded only a level two.
Volosozhar/Trankov upset Kawaguchi/Smirnov in Pairs Short
Newcomers Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov upset European Champions Yuko Kawaguchi/Alexander Smirnov in the Pairs Short Program Sunday at Russian Nationals. Volosozhar/Trankov put out a strong performance while Kawaguchi/Smirnov had a rather rough skate. Vera Bazarova/Juri Larionov are currently sitting in third place.
Volosozhar/Trankov skated third out of the 11 couples. They opened their dynamic program to „Carmina Burana“ with a huge triple twist, so big, that a quad seems possible. The triple toe was rock solid, the throw triple loop somewhat shaky. The couple picked up a level 4 for their lift, side by side spin and death spiral to score 72.71 points. „We were a little more nervous, after all this is Nationals. For Tatiana, it's her first Russian Nationals and for me my first Nationals with her“, explained Trankov. Asked about a possible quad twist, Tatiana smiled. „We might do that next season. For this season we are satisfied with a triple.“ Maxim continued: „We are working on the levels of our elements. So far we get a level 2 for the twist, hopefully we can push it to a level 3.“
Kawaguchi/Smirnov never really got into their „Thus Spoke Zarathustra“ program. She wobbled on the triple toe and the lift was akward and ended abruptly. The throw triple loop was good, the triple twist better than ususal. Kawaguchi/Smirnov earned 68.15 points. Interesting enough, they also lost on the component score to Volosozhar/Trankov, but the performance overall indeed suffered because of their errors. „Mainly we didn't cope with ourselves today, maybe we tried too hard“, said Smirnov. „Finally we got a plus for our throw and the twist was much better, so that was good“, he added.
Bazarova/Larionov slightly touched down with her free foot on the triple toe and also put down her hand on the throw triple flip. They achieved 67.83 points. „We had a little error on the throw, but overall our performance went well“, commented Larionov. „We don't want to think about the competitors too much but just show what we can do“, explained Vera.
Katarina Gerboldt/Alexander Enbert gave an entertaining performance of their Waltz medley, skated with a smile and won over the crowd. They landed a nice side by side triple Salchow, throw triple flip, but the triple twist was messy (61.99 points).
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov in fifth place didn't look like juniors. She stepped out of the triple toe but the throw triple flip was a beauty. The twist was a double, but garnered a level three. The Junior World bronze medalists sold their Spanish program well, but the costumes could have been more elegant.
Nodari Maisuradze/Liubov Iliushechkina didn't skate as well as in the Grand Prix and came 6th. She fell on the triple toe and they had to abort their side by side spin as they came too close to each other. They still got a level 2 for it.
Maria Mukhortova/Jerome Blanchard finished 7th. He went down on the triple toe and the lift was shaky (level 1), and they were also out of sync in their side by side spin. But they are a beautiful couple and match each other really well. Unfortunately, they both struggled with injuries before Nationals and are not in top shape.
Bobrova/Soloviev capture lead in Short Dance
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev captured the lead in the Short Dance Sunday at the Russian National Championships, followed by Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov and Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko.
Performing to „Dalilah“, Bobrova/Soloviev started off with the twizzles and he was a little off balance (Level 3), but still did a lot better than this morning in practice. The two sequences of the Golden Waltz lacked speed and confidence (Level 4 and 3), while the lift (Level 4) and side by side footwork (Level 3) were solid. However, the song „Dalilah“ somehow doesn't go with the Golden Waltz. The judges were generous and put them into first place at 65.34 points. Ilinykh/Katsalapov and Riazanova/Tkachenko are almost tied with 62.30 and 62.17 points respectively. Ilinykh/Katsalapov looked very energetic and showed off their fast twizzles (Level 4) and intricate footwork (Level 3). They slowed down in the second sequence of the Golden Waltz (Level 2). Their unusual Waltz by Alfred Schnittke set them apart although the switch to the Tango is rather abrupt. „We showed everything that we can do at this point, and our coaches were also pleased“, Katsalapov said. „There were a few inaccuracies but we'll work on them“, added Ilinykh and revealed that she suffered from a foot injury after the Grand Prix and was unable to train for a little over a week. Elena then talked about new rivals Jana Khokhlova/Fedor Andreev. „I've seen their practice and I really like them. I'm happy for Jana that she found such a partner. When I was skating in Detroit, Fedor was helping his mother and even was coaching me a little, so it is funny now to compete with him!“
Riazanova/Tkachenko's Waltz to „Snowstorm“ is beautiful, but today they seemed to hold back and didn't have the same flow and power as in practice. They had a level 4 and 3 for the Waltz, a level 2 for the side by side footwork and a level 4 for the twizzles and rotational lift.
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov made no big mistake except for his wobble in the side by side footwork (Level 2). They earned 57.30 points. Jana Khokhlova/Fedor Andreev had chosen a classical Waltz. He seemed cautious and also stumbled on the twizzles (Level 3).Overall they didn't look bad considering that they have been training only for about six months and he never was an ice dancer before, but the gap to the other teams is big, which also was reflected in their score of 53.74 points. The skaters were pleased with their outing. „I think we've improved a lot since our first competition (Golden Spin in Zagreb)“, commented Andreev. „I made a mistake today, but it wasn't such a big deal“, he continued.
