European Figure Skating Championships start in Tallinn

The European Figure Skating Championships will start in the capital of Estonia, in which 171 athletes (34 singles, 37 singles, 21 sports pairs and 29 dance duets) from 38 countries of the Old World will take part.

Twelve years ago, in Tallinn, also on the eve of the Olympic Games, the European Championship 2010 was held. Russian skaters then won 5 medals on Estonian ice: 3 gold and 2 bronze. The winners of the European Championship were Evgeny Plushenko (men), Yuko Kawaguchi - Alexander Smirnov (pairs), Oksana Domnina - Maxim Shabalin (dances). Bronze medals were held by Maria Mukhortova – Maxim Trankov (pairs) and Yana Khokhlova – Sergey Novitsky (dances).

This time, of all the countries participating in the European Championship 2022,

only the Russian team is represented by the maximum composition - 18 athletes: 3 singles / pairs in each type of program.

The composition of Russian figure skaters for the European Championships in Tallinn was determined by the decision of the Coaching Council and approved by the Executive Committee of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FFKKR) following the results of the Russian Championships, which was held in St. Petersburg at the end of December. The only replacement later occurred in the male form. The silver medalist of the national championship 2022 Mikhail Kolyada, who was injured at the training camp in Tartu on the eve of the championship, was replaced by Andrei Mozalev, who won bronze in St. Petersburg.

At the moment, the Russian team includes: Kamila Valieva, Alexandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova (women); Mark Kondratyuk, Andrey Mozalev, Evgeny Semenenko (men); Alexandra Boykova – Dmitry Kozlovsky, Anastasia Mishina – Alexander Gallyamov, Evgeniya Tarasova – Vladimir Morozov (pairs); Diana Davis – Gleb Smolkin, Victoria Sinitsina – Nikita Katsalapov, Alexandra Stepanova – Ivan Bukin (dancing).

Eight of the 18 Russian skaters announced in the team will perform at the European Championships for the first time.

Most of the Russian team has already arrived in Tallinn. The skaters conducted their first training sessions, having previously passed the necessary testing for COVID-19. All participants of the European Championship 2022 - athletes, coaches, specialists, media representatives are required to take such tests daily. In addition, at the Tondiraba Ice Arena, all participants must comply with quarantine measures - to wear masks, which are allowed to be removed only before going out on the ice. Representatives of the International Skating Union (ISU) strictly monitor these points.

Women's Singles

At the European Championships in Tallinn, the Russian team is represented by the winners of the national championship 2022 - the champion of Russia Kamila Valieva, the silver medalist Alexandra Trusova and the bronze Anna Shcherbakova. All three athletes train in the group of coach Eteri Tutberidze.

Two years ago, at the same ice arena, Kamila Valieva won gold at the Junior World Championships. This time the 15-year-old athlete will make her debut at the European Championships. During the season, Valieva demonstrated stable skating, at the Grand Prix stage in Sochi she set new benchmarks in the world women's single skating, scoring 87.42 points in the short program, 185.29 in the free skating, 272.71 in the sum of the two programs. The Russian became the first athlete in the history of women's figure skating to score more than 170 points in the free program at international competitions and more than 250 points for two programs.

For Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, the upcoming European Championships will be the second in their careers. In 2020, in the Austrian city of Graz, Anna won silver, and Alexandra - bronze.

Men's Singles

All three Russians Mark Kondratyuk, Andrey Mozalev and Evgeny Semenenko will make their debut at the European Championships. Mark Kondratyuk won the national championship, Andrey Mozalev was the bronze medalist, Evgeny Semenenko took 4th place and was included in the team by the decision of the coaching council.

In the short program in Tallinn, mark Kondratyuk will be the first of the Russians to start - 25th. Evgeny Semenenko will come out under the 29th number, Andrey Mozalev - under the 33rd. The current world champion among juniors Andrei Mozalev, like Kamila Valieva, won the gold of the YCHM at this arena of the Tondiraba rink.

Pair skating

In pair skating in Tallinn, the duets that took the first three places in St. Petersburg will perform: the winners of the Russian Championship Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov, the silver medalists of Alexander Boykova - Dmitry Kozlovsky and the bronze Evgeniya Tarasova - Vladimir Morozov. Current world champions Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov have never started at the European Championships. Alexandra Boykova – Dmitry Kozlovsky – won the gold medal at the European Championships in Graz in 2020 and the bronze medal at minsk in 2019. In the collection of Evgenia Tarasova - Vladimir Morozov there are six medals of the European championships - 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.

According to the results of the draw before the short program, the first of the Russian pairs will start Tarasova - Morozov under the 19th number, then Boykova - Kozlovsky under the 20th and Mishina - Galyamov under the 21st.

Ice dancing

Silver and three-time bronze medalists of the European Championships Alexandra Stepanova - Ivan Bukin this season won the championship of Russia, becoming two-time national champions. Diana Davis - Gleb Smolkin in St. Petersburg took the 2nd place - for the students of Igor Shpilband, who this season perform at the level of masters, this European Championship will be the debut. European champions Victoria Sinitsina - Nikita Katsalapov withdrew from the free program at the Russian Championships due to injury to a partner and were included in the squad for the European Championship in Tallinn by the decision of the coaching council and the executive committee of the FFKKR. Dancers will start competing for medals in Tallinn later than skaters of other types - the rhythm dance athletes will show on January 14.

European Championship Schedule

(local time)

 

january 12

11.50 Men. Short program

18.00. Opening Ceremony

18.45. Pairs. Short program

 

january 13

11.15. Women. Short program

19.00. Pairs. Arbitrary program

 

january 14

12.00. Dancing. Rhythm dance

18.00. Men. Arbitrary program

 

january 15

13.35. Dancing. Free Dance

18.30. Women. Arbitrary program

 

january 16

15.30. Demonstration performances

Championship results on the ISUwebsite: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/ec2022/

Broadcasts of the championship on the website of the First Channel: https://www.1tv.ru/sport/chempionat-evropy-po-figurnomu-kataniyu-2022

In the photo: ice arena and mixed zone of the European Championship 2022 in Tallinn