After a difficult year for Russia’s figure skaters, Sunday sees the start of the national championships. And when the stars take to the ice in Saransk, fans will keeping an eagle eye on any signs of a new generation of talents to continue the country’s glorious legacy in the sport.
While the likes of Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov seem set to remain Russia’s flag-bearers in the pairs, the upcoming tournament is a great opportunity for other hopefuls to show off what they can do.
Promising pair
Kavaguti and Smirnov may not have it all their own way on the Russian scene in the coming years, with a second duo making rapid progress.
Katerina Gerboldt and Alexander Enbert only came together a few months ago, but experts say they have some promising chemistry despite a brief spell of training together. And their performance at the Rostelekom Cup in Moscow last month hinted at a bright future, even if they couldn’t quite force their way into the medals.
The new Plushchenko
Male ice skaters across the world are wrestling with the legacy of Yevgeny Plushchenko, banned from sporting action but widely regarded as the brightest talent in the business.
The 2006 Olympic champion set new standards of technical excellence and the rest are playing catch-up.
Which is why Russia’s so-calld “new Plushchenko”, Artur Gachinsky, was trying out an audacious quad toe-loop / double toe-loop combo in his recent Moscow outing and landing it with aplomb.
While it may be too early to saddle Gachinsky with comparisons to Plushchenko, he looks capable of confirming his place as Russia’s top man on the ice next week.
Under pressure
Figure skating chiefs have long admitted that there is a shortage of raw talent among the women ? and Alena Leonova and Ksenia Makarova will be out to prove that wrong in Saransk.
The pair are Russia’s most experienced female skaters, but were taken by surprise last month when Sofia Biryukova placed ahead of them both in Moscow. And the trio are set to clash once again in Mordoviya next week.
The Russian Figure Skating Championships run from Dec. 26-29 in Saransk.
Source: themoscownews.com
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