European Figure Skating Championships today. Composition of the Russian national team at the European Championships
ON-LINE TRANSLATION
23:35. This concludes our broadcast from the European Figure Skating Championships. Let us remind you that in a dramatic struggle she won the gold medal, beating the total of two programs Evgeny Medvedev. Two Russian women on the top steps of the podium - isn’t that wonderful? The top three were completed by the Italian Carolina Costner, which, by a controversial decision of the judges, was ahead of another representative of Russia Maria Sotskova. We wish you a good weekend and thank you for being with us all this time! See you again!
23:30. “Without any respect. Now Zagitova is Russia’s main hope?” - operational report from Andrey Shitikhin.
Without any respect. Now Zagitova is Russia's main hope?
What else can you call a figure skater who beat a two-time world champion at the age of 15? So what should Medvedeva do now?
23:15 . Trainer Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova Eteri Tuteberidze accepts numerous congratulations and stands with a whole bag of soft toys.
23:00 . Cute French girl Lauren Lecavalier took only 12th place and complained that she had to change the program that she really liked. But a temporary setback is not a reason to be discouraged, is it?
22:45. Maria Sotskova admitted that she was dissatisfied with the final fourth place at the European Championships.
“Could I get ahead of Carolina? Nothing is impossible. But I didn’t set a goal to overtake anyone. The most important thing for me is to go out and skate cleanly, to prove to myself that I can. Is it a shame to be fourth? It is my fault. I have never been to the Olympics in my life and I sincerely hope that I will be the one to go there - I’m not sure about that yet. I don’t want to make any plans or make any plans yet, I just want to prepare and get back into shape that will allow me to feel confident.”
22:30. demonstrated a magnificent and very emotional performance, but this was not enough to win the European Championship. Evgenia has 232 points versus Alina’s 238. Zagitova becomes European champion! Carolina Costner closes the top three. Maria Sotskov a - fourth.
22:15. Alina Zagitova! Wow! This is a rental. Simply gorgeous. Alina has 238.24 points based on the sum of two programs! It will be very difficult now Evgenia Medvedeva. Let's see!
22:10. Carolina Costner made a huge number of mistakes, but somehow still remained ahead of our Maria Sotskova. We have questions for the judges! What if something similar happens to the Russians at the Olympics? Fans are outraged on social networks.
22:00. Nicole Rajicova from Slovakia will not be able to compete for a medal at the European Championships. The third intermediate place does not give any hope for a miracle. The main drama of the tournament is ahead! Costner, Zagitova and Medvedeva will take to the ice of the Megasport Arena. The spectators lay low in anticipation.
21:55. Maria Sotskova failed to avoid mistakes, but still occupies the first intermediate position. The young Russian woman has 200.81 points in total. To get on the podium, Maria will have to wait for serious mistakes from her rivals.
21:45 . Here it is - the final group of six skaters. Will start first Anita Estlund from Sweden, and will continue - Maria Sotskova, Nicole Rajichova, Carolina Kostner, Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, who will perform in a new dress. Something will happen.
21:35. Now the fun begins, are you ready? Our girls are getting ready for the decisive skate at the European Championships.
21:30. After the performance of three groups, the leader is the Belgian Lena Hendricks. Swiss woman takes second place Alexia Paganini, and the Frenchwoman closes the top three Mahe-Bérénice Meite.
21:25. The squirrel, the competition's mascot, has a fluffy tail so large that you have to hold it while turning.
21:15 . A brief survey of fans showed that Evgenia Medvedeva significantly more fans than Alina Zagitova. Here is one point of view.
21:05. The current leaders can take a breather without going to the locker room, but watching the performances of their opponents in the mixed zone.
20:55 . The third group will perform Laurine Lecavelier, Lena Hendricks, Alexia Paganini, Eliska Brzezinova, Emmi Peltonen and Mahe-Bérenice Meite. These skaters took places from 7th to 12th in the short program.
20:45 . This is how they prepare for a performance And. A telephone and oranges are the key to success.
20:35 . Of the first two warm-ups, only the German was of interest to journalists Schott. The rest of the time the mixed zone is empty. But in just over an hour it will be crowded.
20:30 . After the performance of two groups, the German woman took the lead Nicole Schott. In second place Yvette Toth from Hungary, finishing the top three Viveca Lindfors from Finland. But we all understand that the main forces of women's figure skating are ahead of us.
20:20 . And this is how the athletes of the second starting group were presented at the European Championships in Moscow.
20:10. The Russian Olympic Committee Twitter wishes the Russians good luck tonight. The climax is approaching!
20:00 . Ex-Russian Anna Yanovskaya, performing in tandem with Adam Lukacs for Hungary, discusses the results of his performance with his partner and coach. The Hungarian couple finished 14th.
19:45. In the second group they will perform in front of the Moscow public Nicole Schott, Anne-Line Gjersem, Lea Joanna Dastich, Yvette Toth, Viveca Lindfors and Anna Khnychenkova. These skaters took places from 13th to 18th in the short program.
19:35 . Based on the results of the performance of the first group, two Italians are in the lead - Micol Christini and Giada Russo.
19:30. We invite our readers to express their opinions on this matter.
19:20 . Cool photo gallery of the short program in women’s single skating at the European Championships in Moscow from the “Championship” photojournalist Alexandra Safonova. Enjoy!
19:10 . “The Queen is delighted. Zagitova is cooler than Medvedeva, and it’s real” - review of the short program from Andrey Shitikhin.
The Queen is delighted. Zagitova is cooler than Medvedeva, and it’s real
Medvedeva returned from injury, but lost the short program to Zagitova.
19:00. Let us remind you of the alignment in the leading group after the short program. These skaters will close out the evening.
1. (Russia) – 80.27 (personal record).
2. (Russia) – 78.57.
3. Carolina Costner (Italy) – 78.30 (personal best).
4. (Russia) – 68.70.
18:45. The finals in women's single skating have started! The Italian was first on the ice Micol Christini, took 19th place in the short program . According to the regulations, 24 best figure skaters will take part in the free program after the first part of the performances, which will be divided into four subgroups of six people. Together with the Italian in the first group they will perform Pernille Sørensen, Giada Russo, Sylvia Gugetz, Elzbieta Kropa and Dasha Grm. These are the skaters who took places from 19th to 24th in the short program.
18:30 . You can even buy a flag with a hammer and sickle in the souvenir shop. Rumor has it that it could be very relevant at the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
18:20 . A press conference of the European Ice Dancing Championship winners began at the Megasport Arena. Let us remind you that two Russian couples made it into the top three - Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitry Solovyov and Alexandra Stepanova / Ivan Bukin.
18:10 . There is practically no one at the ticket office - all tickets were purchased in advance. At the “red” ticket office, located closer to the metro, the queue is not much longer.
18:00. Interview in the official championship program Medvedeva and Zagitova placed on one spread. Only 30 minutes until the start of the women's singles final! We wait!
17:45 . The Russian couple, although they did not take a place on the podium at the European Championship, really pleased the audience with their bright images.
17:35 . The most popular place during breaks is, of course, the buffet. There are dozens of similar kiosks throughout the entire sports complex.
17:25. Bronze medalist of the European Championship Ivan Bukin, performing in tandem with Alexandra Stepanova, studies the judges' scores in anticipation of the awards ceremony.
17:15. Silver medalist of the European Championship Dmitry Solovyov, performing in tandem with Ekaterina Bobrova, shared his impressions of the performance with a “Championship” correspondent Mikhail Chesalin.
“Overall, we are satisfied with the rental. There was only a blot on the second support, which did not turn out very clean. Maybe we performed less emotionally than at the Russian Championship, but still at a good level. We already know what to work on next, and we have time to correct and add something. We will pay even more attention to rumba, because we don’t want to miss out on those precious points, the absence of which can lead to unpleasant consequences. After the short program we were angry with ourselves. But we were spurred on by the fact that there is competition in Russia. This doesn't allow us to relax. We know that the guys are stepping on our heels and are becoming stronger. This helps us move forward too.”
17:00 . The competition in the free program in ice dancing at the European Championships in Moscow has ended. The French duo predictably won Gabriela Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron for a clear advantage. And the top three were completed by two Russian couples - Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitry Solovyov and Alexandra Stepanova / Ivan Bukin. Another couple of us Tiffany Zagorski / Jonathan Gurreiro took sixth place.
17:00. There are already quite a lot of spectators in the stands. A full house is quite possible today. Although it should be noted that the multi-colored seats of the Megasport do a great job of masking the voids.
16:50 . The souvenir shop has a wide selection of everything that will help spectators remember the European Championship with pleasure: from magnets to large cups.
16:40 . While we are waiting for the main battle of the evening in women's single skating, the fate of medals in ice dancing is currently being decided. Russian couple Tiffany Zagorski / Jonathan Gurreiro She has already completed her free program and is now in third place. At worst they will be sixth, which is little progress since the pair were only eighth after the short program.
16:30. Information stands installed at almost every entrance to the stands tell spectators about the results and program of the competition.
16:15 . Official poster of the European Championship. The Moscow landmarks in the background change, but the profile of the figure skater remains. Many people entertain themselves by trying to guess who it belongs to and agree that there is something Italian about it.
16:00. Hello, dear figure skating fans. The 2018 European Figure Skating Championships is coming to an end, and for a dessert that is crazy in its magnificence, we get the women's free program. And this means a battle between Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova. A stunning event in the world of figure skating, missing which means committing a minor crime. “Championship” begins an online broadcast from “Megasport”, stay with us and find out everything!
In the current season 2017-2018. Figure skating fans will be able to enjoy the European Championships at home. The best figure skaters in Europe will come to Moscow for the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships. Athletes will demonstrate their figure skating skills and try to prove that they are the best in Europe.
Who will take the European Championship gold among girls?
16.01.2018 - 06.02.2019
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For many, the train to Russia will be the first and, given the high level of development of skating in Russia, it will be a great honor for them, just like us Russians, who will be happy to see European figure skaters on the ice in the capital of Russia.
Details of the European Championship 2018
- Date (day and month): January 15-21, 2018
- Venue: Moscow, Russia
- Stadium: Megasport Palace on Khadynskoe Field
- Season: 2017-2018
- Organizer: ISU (International Skating Union)
The European Championship competition program is divided into several types:
- Sports couples
- Dancing on Ice
- Women's single skating
- Men's single skating
This is the second time that Moscow will host the European Championships. Russian Empire -> USSR -> Russia received the right to host the European Championship for the 6th time.
Where to buy tickets for the European Championship 2018?
Ticket sales for the European Championship began on September 11, 2017; they can be purchased at the Megasport central ticket office.
On the website you can book the best seats and order tickets with delivery. It is possible to buy in bulk and order a subscription for all competition days. We have tickets for any type of competition - men's singles, women's singles, ice dancing and pairs.
Buying tickets to the European Championship 2018 from us will be more profitable. Do not wait until all the tickets are sold out, otherwise you will have to buy at exorbitant prices on the black market.
You can order tickets now, with delivery throughout Moscow and throughout Russia, using. Please indicate “Purchasing tickets for the European Championship 2018” as the subject of the letter; in the response letter you will receive all the information - available seats and prices for European Championship tickets. Delivery is free throughout Russia.
2018 European Championship schedule
Training will take place on January 15 and 16; on these days, entry to the Megasport stands is free for everyone. On January 17, the opening ceremony of the championship and the first competitions will take place - short programs, competitions will be held until January 21 - on this day a colorful closing ceremony will take place (demonstration performances, in which the best athletes, according to the organizers, will take part).
Chances of Russian victory at the 2018 European Championship
If we talk about the chances of winning, then each of the types of figure skating has a number of its favorites. Russian athletes, the obvious contenders for medals are the singles girls: Evgenia Medvedeva - two-time world and European champion, Alina Zagitova - the current champion of Russia and Maria Sotskova.
Will make his debut in adult FC. A student of the SAMBO-70 school of the Khrustalny department, training under the leadership of seasoned coach Eteri Tutberidze, behind whom there are such athletes as Olympic champion Yulia Lipnitskaya, multiple winner of everything Evgenia Medvedeva, and other top skaters, for example, junior . Zagitova broke the world record for the total points scored for CP and PP at the World Junior Championships in the last 2016-2017 season.
Russian dances and couples can also boast of strong athletes, and they can claim the highest places, but men... This is a separate topic for conversation and it is not yet clear who is in what form and what the federation will decide regarding the composition of the European Championships.
In any case, the home European Championship will provide an incentive to work better and perform cleaner for all athletes. Everyone understands that when playing for Russia you need to give it your all.
Composition of the Russian national team at the European Championships
It is not known who will go to the 2018 European Championships. The decision on the composition of the Russian figure skating team is made by the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKR) based on the season spent - the grand prix stages. The final decision on the composition of the Russian European Championship team is made by the federation on the basis of the national tournament - the Russian Championship.
It is generally accepted that the national team includes skaters who took 1-3 places at the Chechen Championship, but within the federation, when consensus is reached, other behind-the-scenes issues cannot be ruled out. At the moment, the composition is not known, we are waiting for the Russian Championship, after which we will publish a complete list of athletes for each of the types on this page.
Update: The composition of the Russian national team for the European Championship has been announced
The Executive Committee of the FFKKR named composition of the Russian national team for the European Figure Skating Championships.
The team included:
Women: Alina Zagitova, Maria Sotskova, Evgenia Medvedeva.
Substitutes: Stanislava Konstantinova, Polina Tsurskaya.
Men: Mikhail Kolyada, Alexander Samarin, Dmitry Aliev.
Substitutes: Sergei Voronov, Artur Dmitriev.
Couples: Evgenia Tarasova - Vladimir Morozov, Ksenia Stolbova - Fedor Klimov, Natalya Zabiyako - Alexander Enbert.
Substitutes: Kristina Astakhova - Alexey Rogonov, Alexandra Boykova - Dmitry Kozlovsky.
Dancing on Ice: Ekaterina Bobrova - Dmitry Solovyov, Alexandra Stepanova - Ivan Bukin, Tiffany Zagorski - Jonathan Gureiro.
Substitutes: Betina Popova - Sergei Mozgov, Sofya Evdokimova - Egor Bazin.
“The FFKKR Executive Committee approved the proposals of the All-Russian Coaching Council on the composition of the Russian national figure skating team for the 2018 European Championship, which will be held on January 15-21 in Moscow... The past Russian Championship in St. Petersburg can be considered successful. The organization and conditions of the event were at a high level. FFKKR wishes everyone a Happy New Year. We wish health and sporting success to the skaters and their coaches,” said FFKKR General Director Alexander Kogan.
Watch live online broadcast of the 2018 European Championship on TV and the Internet
It is not known exactly where the broadcast of the European Championship 2018 will take place. It is expected that the television broadcasting rights will be bought by the Match TV channel, so we are watching the live online broadcast on this channel.
- Match TV is broadcast on TV around the clock. They can be viewed online on the channel’s official website.
- Another viewing option: ISU has an official website where it conducts live broadcasts of figure skating, this applies to all competitions - the World Championships, Grand Prix stages, Olympics and others. Website: eurovisionsports.tv/ISU
- You can use them and then publish them on YouTube for other people.
Check it out and don’t miss anything interesting :)
Participants: representation by type
According to the results of the last European Championship, more than 1 person can represent the following countries (division by discipline)
Russia, as the host of the championship, has 3 quotas in each of the types: dance, pairs, men's and women's singles.
Athletes from all European countries are eligible to take part in the competition, including Turkey, Israel, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. To represent the country, a skater must be 15 years of age.
The women's competition can easily be called the most anticipated event of the European Championship. Even before the start of the season, many called its main intrigue the rivalry between two-time world and European champion Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, who is only spending her first season at the senior level.
Both skaters started the season with victories in Challengers, and then won 2 Grand Prix stages, but there was no head-to-head competition. Evgenia Medvedeva received an injury from which it took a long time to recover. Meanwhile, the young talent with her super complex programs showed her talent in all its glory. Alina Zagitova won the Grand Prix final in her debut season and became the champion of Russia.
This season, both athletes were invincible, and the head-to-head meeting at the European Championships will be a turning point in their competition in absentia.
If we ignore the fight for gold, then two athletes Maria Sotskova and Carolina Kostner (Italy) are vying for the remaining vacancy on the prize podium. At the last European Championships, the head-to-head competition ended in victory for the Italian figure skater.
The short program at the European Championships confirmed that in the Old World there are no equals to this quartet of wonderful figure skating stars. The closest competitor was more than 7 points behind. The first of the four to take to the ice was Italian Carolina Costner.
The athlete, who started the season with the master of Russian figure skating Alexei Mishin, returned to her former coach Michael Huth and shortly before the European Championships announced that she would go with him to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. It is difficult to say whether the change of coach affected the figure skater’s results, but the Italian showed excellent skating in Moscow.
Carolina Costner She cleanly performed the triple flip-triple toe loop cascade, as well as the triple lutz and double axel in the second half of the program. She showed the best result of the season with 78.30 points and set a very high benchmark for her rivals.
“I performed very well today. I stood firmly on my feet. I especially want to highlight the reaction of the audience, they empathized, as if they were breathing with me.
The first among Russian figure skaters was Maria Sotskova. The athlete received a score of 68.70 by performing a triple lutz at the beginning of the program on two legs, a triple flip cascade, a triple toe loop and a double axel.
I was nervous, worried. But in general, the rental, although I won’t say that I was completely satisfied with it, was good. I didn’t cope with the first cascade, but I improved in the second half, and in this regard I’m pleased with myself. The stands were supportive, the audience was very warm, it helped. On the path I laid out all my emotions, showed my image, conveyed it. I really really enjoyed skating today,” Sotskova told reporters.
Evgenia Medvedeva made a mistake on the double axel (landing on two legs). The skater performed the remaining jumps cleanly: triple flip - triple toe loop in a cascade and triple lutz. All jumps in the second half of the program. With a score of 78.57, she fell short of her best result of the season, but managed to get ahead of Carolina Costner.
“Today I didn’t feel the consequences of the injury, my health is fine, don’t worry. I want to say thank you to all those people who were with me, there were a lot of them, they did a lot for me to be here. These are my fans, supporters , parents, coaches, many doctors who at one point performed a miracle, because my leg recovered very quickly,” Medvedeva said at a press conference.
“I’m not happy with the performance of the short program, but there is time to tighten the bolts so that everything is in order,” the skater added.
“I follow the rule: “I follow my own way.” We have an individual sport, competition spurs us on, but everyone concentrates on their own skating,” Medvedeva said at a press conference, answering a question , how she feels about her rivalry with Zagitova.
Alina Zagitova performed immediately after her main rival and you can understand how difficult it was for her psychologically. In the autumn part of the season, it was the short program that was the main stumbling block for Alina; it was in it that she made mistakes and let the leaders go far ahead, so that she could then brilliantly win back these handicaps in the free program.
But this time everything happened completely differently. Alina completed her short program absolutely cleanly for the first time this season. The skater performed a triple lutz cascade - triple loop, triple flip, double axel. All jumps are the same as Medvedeva’s in the second half of the program. She scored 80.27 points - the best result of the season and first place. In terms of technique, she was expected to be ahead of Medvedeva by 3.5 points, but in the components she lost by almost 2 points.
“First of all, I try to look only at myself, concentrate only on myself and try to show a clean performance. But at the same time, it’s very exciting for me to compete with such experienced, outstanding rivals,” 15-year-old Zagitova told reporters.
“I’m happy with today’s performance, everything worked out. There are small shortcomings, but, in principle, I skated a good program for myself this season. I tried to work more on the stability of the programs during the break between the Russian Championship and the European Championship,” the athlete noted
So, the first head-to-head duel of the season brought success to Zagitova, who demonstrated her advantage in the complexity of her programs. However, they talked about this even before the start of the season. The free program should show which of the contenders for gold has a stronger nervous system and leadership qualities.
| № | Sportswomen | A country | Sum | TES + |
PCS + |
SS | TR | P.E. | CO | IN | Ded. - |
| 1 | Alina Zagitova | ROS | 80.27 | 43.99 | 36.28 | 8.96 | 8.82 | 9.18 | 9.14 | 9.25 | 0.00 |
| 2 | Evgenia Medvedeva | ROS | 78.57 | 40.43 | 38.14 | 9.46 | 9.39 | 9.57 | 9.57 | 9.68 | 0.00 |
| 3 | Carolina Costner | ITA | 78.30 | 39.93 | 38.37 | 9.39 | 9.25 | 9.75 | 9.71 | 9.86 | 0.00 |
| 4 | Maria Sotskova | ROS | 68.70 | 35.13 | 33.57 | 8.36 | 8.14 | 8.46 | 8.43 | 8.57 | 0.00 |
| 5 | Nicole Rajicova | SVK | 61.01 | 32.47 | 28.54 | 7.21 | 6.82 | 7.29 | 7.14 | 7.21 | 0.00 |
| 6 | Anita Ostlund | SHVE | 56.04 | 32.04 | 24.00 | 6.07 | 5.82 | 6.04 | 6.14 | 5.93 | 0.00 |
The European Figure Skating Championships ended in Moscow on Sunday. Sportbox.ru remembers what surprises it brought.
The French surrendered in Moscow
The excellent performance of the short program promised that those who soared to first place would fight for at least bronze.
If the French had skated their free program at the same high level, even they would not have been able to move them from the first line, who finally gave their best skate of the season at the most opportune moment. Nina Moser's students beat James and Cipre, who couldn't cope with their nerves, and took gold. But in Korea, errors in one of the programs will not allow either the French or the Russians to fight for first place. It is especially alarming before the Olympics for and, which are still far from their form of four years ago and have not shown a single clean performance in Moscow.
Europe championship. Couples. Award ceremony
Star Duel
In women's single skating there are now two absolute figures - the opening of the current season, the 15-year-old and the world champion, who has returned to the ice after injury. Both students of Eteri Tutberidze, both will go to the Olympics for the first time in their careers. It is not surprising that it was their confrontation that was the main attraction of the tournament. Bright, fast, confident Zagitova showed champion skating, and the judges agreed with this.
Europe championship. Free program by Alina Zagitova
Medvedeva, for whom the European Championship was her first start in the last two months, found it difficult to compete in technical assessment with Zagitova, who was at the peak of her form. But emotionally, Evgenia was unattainable. The audience greeted her performance of Anna Karenina while standing.
Europe championship. Free program by Evgenia Medvedeva
In women's singles skating, Russia has three quotas for the Olympics. Maria Sotskova, who took fourth place at the European Championships, will go to Korea along with Zagitova and Medvedeva.
From extravaganza to failure
If the Moscow public applauded someone as furiously as the Russian figure skaters, it was only after her short program. It’s not surprising, because the Italian is not only the main long-liver of women’s figure skating, but also collaborates with Russian specialist Alexei Mishin. Costner's strength has always been not the technical complexity of the elements, but their expressive performance and musicality. At the last start before the Olympics, Carolina was incredibly focused and motivated. This made her disastrous performance in the free program even more unexpected. Costner nailed almost all the difficult jumping elements. With such skating, the Italian could have been left without a medal altogether.
Europe championship. Women. Free program
Silver path to the Olympics
The toughest fight for tickets to the main competition of the four-year anniversary for the second Olympic cycle in a row took place in men's single skating. Three athletes competed for two Russian quotas - , and . Kolyada skated his programs at the European Championships, not without errors, but also without serious breakdowns, and confirmed his right to participate in the Games. The fate of the second spot depended on Dmitry Aliyev, who unexpectedly found himself, after the short program, higher than all Russian athletes - in second place. In the free program, the draw was not in favor of the debutant at the European Championships. Dmitry was the last to take to the ice in the strongest warm-up, and even after Javier Fernandez’s championship run. Even experienced athletes do not always cope with such pressure, but Aliyev was able to perform all the declared quadruple jumps, which even Kolyada failed to do. His silver has a touch of gold for coach Evgeniy Rukavitsyn, who recognized this achievement as the best in his coaching career.
Dmitry Aliyev won silver at the European Championship
For the Russian Figure Skating Federation, the results of the European Championships became decisive. Therefore in Korea.
European king
In men's single skating, the question of who will take gold at the continental championship has not been raised for a long time. In Europe, the Spaniard remains unattainable even when he makes mistakes when skating. Already in the middle of the free program, Javier seemed to forget that he was primarily performing complex elements, and not playing a role on the ice. In the image of Don Quixote this season, the Spaniard looks very organic. But if at the European tournament Fernandez can afford to show off, then at the Games in Korea the Japanese, Chinese and Americans will not forgive him for this in the fight for medals.
Europe championship. Free program by Javier Fernandez
Rehearsal for Korea
The French duo broke into the elite of ice dancing in the post-Olympic 2015. Since then, the French have consistently taken first place at the European Championships. At the world championships, their only competition is from North American pairs, who for the last two Olympics have not allowed anyone from the Old World to reach the top step of the podium. And if any European is capable of winning gold in Korea, then only Papadakis and Cizeron. They understand this, so they held a dress rehearsal in Moscow before the Games, updating their own world record. How will the Canadians respond to Virtue and Moir? The fact that the tournament will be held on a “neutral field” - not in Europe or America - adds intrigue to the most subjective type of program in figure skating.
Europe championship. Dancing on Ice. Free program
“Cuckoo” by Medvedeva – the return of the queen
The real return of the champion happened during the exhibition performances. Evgenia Medvedeva reminded not only the audience, but primarily herself, what happens when sparkles light up in the eyes of a figure skater. Incredible chemistry that pulls viewers in and doesn't let go. “And if there is gunpowder, give it fire” - only Medvedeva can do this. And with her skate, Evgenia showed that this is the only way she is going to skate at the Olympics. This means that the confrontation between Russia and Russia will continue – and it will be even more interesting.
Europe championship. Demonstration performances. Evgenia Medvedeva
Svetlana Aseeva, Sportbox.ru
21 January 2018, 21:42The European Figure Skating Championships ended today. This is the last start before the Olympic Games, which begin in 3 weeks. So to speak, a dress rehearsal. The results, of course, surprised even the most devoted figure skating fans. Women's singles: Alina Zagitova - gold. Evgenia Medvedeva - silver. Maria Sotskova - 4th place (lost to Caroline Kostner).
So, I’ll start with the main thing - the return of Evgenia Medvedeva, who for the third year in a row has been carrying women’s singles skating, snatching gold medals at every competition. In the fall, Zhenya received an injury (a stress fracture of the metatarsal bone of the foot), and she had to miss several starts in order to recover in time for the Olympic Games, although she was eager to fight until the very end. The Russian Figure Skating Federation, led by coaches, persuaded Zhenya to take a break and skip the Grand Prix final and the Russian Championship. The fact of the injury was hidden until the last moment, and only when Zhenya was noticed in a cast did her team make an announcement. I was shocked when I found out that Evgenia, already injured (!!!), won two stages of the Grand Prix in Moscow and Osaka, riding on painkillers and overcoming herself. On December 5, Zhenya went to Lausanne, where she defended the right to go to the Olympic Games on behalf of all athletes, where she won for Russia the right to participate in team competitions.
In her absence, another skater climbed to the podium.
Alina Zagitova is Zhenya’s 15-year-old classmate, they both study in Eteri Tutberidze’s group. “Technical monster”, “Bouncer” - that’s what it’s called all over the world. This is her first senior season. Alina has the highest technical base, the main task of a figure skater is to skate it, which she finally managed to do at the European Championships.
The main event of the championship was their head-to-head meeting. Before that, they competed twice, and both times Zhenya defeated Alina. If the programs are performed purely, their scores will be the same - Alina will have a slight advantage in technique, Zhenya will have a slight advantage in components. The media and press, coaches and federation escalated the situation, only both girls calmly trained under the leadership of Eteri Georgievna.
Alina Zagitova won gold. In the short program, Zhenya made a small mistake - she landed her jump on two legs. Alina skated perfectly: powerfully, strongly, finally executing her program without errors. Well done!
Short program by Alina Zagitova "Swan Lake":
Short program by Evgenia Medvedeva “Flight of the Soul”:
Alina Zagitova has been skating her free program for the second year now, having polished it to perfection. Things are getting more difficult for Zhenya this season - she had to change her routine in the middle of the season, and then a subsequent injury took away her precious time.
Alina's free program "Don Quixote":
“This is my first senior season, I need to skate confidently, without mistakes, and in the image of Kitri I feel very good. The program is great, everyone likes it, so we decided to keep it,” explains Alina.
Evgenia Medvedeva once made her contribution to this program. Throughout last season, Alina skated in a red tutu dress, which previously belonged to Zhenya and became a kind of talisman.
Zhenya's free program "Anna Karenina":
Notice how well Zhenya accepted her first silver medal in 2 years, thanking her for her grades. All this time she won every start.
A difficult psychological situation is brewing, which Yagudin and Plushenko once had when they trained together. Today, their coach Alexey Mishin, speaking about the situation of Medvedeva and Zagitova, advises remembering what happened to his students:
“Zagitova and Medvedeva are now under close attention, but I am against such a stir around our skaters.
This is an unhealthy situation that Plushenko and Yagudin went through at one time. When they competed, for us as a federation it was not important which of them would be the winner. If not the first, then the second.
So it is here. These are students of the same coach. Each of them deserves to win.»
Well-known coach Tatyana Tarasova believes that the media caused psychological trauma to Evgenia Medvedeva, constantly comparing her with Alina Zagitova, and vice versa.
“I’m glad that I saw Zhenya in such good shape. Of course, the press tried so hard and escalated this meeting so much that it got on Zhenya’s nerves. The journalists inflicted psychological trauma on her,” Tarasova said.
Psychological trauma - and this is for the fearless Zhenya, who is famous for her iron character and ability to pull out all the jumps in any situation, and who in all her blots asks for forgiveness from the fans and blames herself, and not her health, fate, weather, and so on. And he starts working even harder.
In Eteri Georgievna’s group there is a scattering of brilliant girls who are already doing quadruple jumps. And they all practice on the same ice. Every day they see their biggest competitors.
“We communicate with Zhenya normally, in a friendly way,” says Zagitova. - She tells me everything I ask her, supports me. We are all behind her."
“Of course, they understand that there is only one place on the podium. But Alina and Zhenya are well-mannered girls. They train together without sidelong glances,” said choreographer Alexei Zheleznyakov in an interview with SE. - And if a squabble starts, the coach will always stop it. Thank God we don't have that. The girls treat each other well."
The coach of Eteri Tutberidze's group, Daniil Gleikhengauz, said that two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva is not broken after winning silver at the European Championship.
“Zhenya is not broken because of this result. Just as Alina reaches out for Zhenya, Zhenya does not allow herself to relax.
We are happy that everyone saw such a confrontation and it is not for nothing that they say that it can be compared to what once happened between Plushenko and Yagudin. But I don’t think that Zhenya follows this and reads the press,” said Gleikhengauz.
Awards for women. Pay attention to Zhenya and Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova from 11:05. Touching to the point of tears.
There is so much love in Tatyana Anatolyevna’s eyes. She knows what’s going on inside Zhenya:
I respect Alina very much, but my heart is forever with Zhenya. She tears my soul with her skating. This season her path is difficult and thorny, but she endures all the trials with dignity. There was something new in Zhenya’s skating that touched my soul. Oddly enough, the fact that she won silver made the fans fall in love with her even more. So many hot waves of love and support are sent to her from every corner of the globe. A true champion must pass this test of strength. She had injuries before (she was skating with a broken arm, for example), but this injury and break turned her entire worldview upside down, this event helped her open up in a new way, gave her some kind of inner strength and strings that she had not felt before, and Now they ring and bring me to tears. It was as if she had bared her soul to us. And this found a huge response in the hearts of the audience. My friends were in the stands at the European Championships, grown men, with their mouths open, without breathing, looked at Zhenya, and fell in love with her. She creates magic on the ice and touches hearts. I want to give credit to Alina, she is a huge smart girl, and so is Masha Sotskova.
Zhenya admitted that she was once again convinced that figure skating was her life, and that the hardest thing for her was sitting at home and watching how everything went on without her. At the end of the interview, she even had tears in her eyes:
Funny and open interview:
Quotes from Evgenia Medvedeva:
I hate it when people feel sorry for me! My loved ones know this, so they never lament over me, like: “Zhenya, don’t worry, it didn’t work out today, it will work out tomorrow.”. Why is that bad? Because such words can be repeated to a person day after day, ad infinitum, making him believe that he will succeed in something as if “tomorrow”. And as a result, nothing will ever work out.
Zhenya with mom
You need to overcome yourself all the time. Each medal is a new assemblage point. This is the end of one stage of work and the beginning of the next. As soon as you step off the pedestal, you start all over again. I think any professional athlete will agree with me.
On the ice I am not a person, but an athlete. I don't have the right to give free rein to my emotions, I have to go out, do my job and be completely focused on myself. I go out not with a cold heart, but with a cool head. I deliberately make it so that you can’t tell from my face what’s going on inside me. I know that my face is usually stony, probably even frightening - I withdraw into myself so much.
Behind any of my success is the work of our entire team, my coaches, parents, doctors. Without them there would be no me.
I feel happy at the moment when the small performance that I try to show on ice touches the hearts of the audience.
It's easy for me to put myself in my place. Whenever I start to get arrogant, I remember that I can’t really do anything except figure skating, and I quickly calm down.
Competition is good. It's not scary if 15-year-old girls come and beat me. That's how it should be. This has been the case with all generations. The main thing for me is to continue working. And understand that I do it well. And in general, in fact, it’s not scary to lose - it’s scary to be afraid of it.
The best demonstration performance I have seen by Evgenia Medvedeva was to the song “Cuckoo”. Amazing, strong, powerful, piercing. Zhenya is like a raw nerve. The text hits home, because all of 18-year-old Zhenya’s peers have now dropped out of the fight and are being replaced by 15-year-old girls:
Who will follow the lonely trail?
Strong and brave heads laid down in the field in battle.
Few remain in fond memory,
In a sober mind and with a firm hand in the ranks.
Should I lie down like a stone or burn like a star? A star.
