Nervous point: unexpected results of the Russian figure skating championship

The results of the first competition day of the Russian Figure Skating Championship in Omsk surprised not only the audience, but also the athletes themselves. Let's find out who was the best on Siberian ice during the short program on Thursday, December 19. On this day on the ice of the Omsk arena went all the participants of the tournament except for the girls, who will start on Friday, December 20.

The "queue" in dancing is no longer relevant

This time the dancers had a sensation - after the rhythm dance, the champions of Russia - 2023 Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva/Egor Bazin became only third, losing the small silver to the young Irina Khavronina/David Narizhny. Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva's reaction to the scores in the Kiss and Cry zone can be called a surprise or even a shock. Now the main question is: will Alexander Zhulin's pair get back tomorrow or will the stereotype about the "queue" in ice dancing lose its relevance? The promising Sofia Leontieva/Daniel Gorelkin ended up only in seventh place, and if nothing changes, the guys may not make it to the national team next season.

In pairs, Eteri Tutberidze's duo Alexandra Boikova/Dmitri Kozlovsky were only third due to a fall on an ejection. After the ride, the partner could not hold back tears and did not go to the journalists in the mix zone. At the press conference the guys said that on Friday in the free skating program they would go all-in and try to do everything to go higher.

- It was an unfortunate and incomprehensible mistake, there's no point in analyzing it," Dmitry Kozlovsky told reporters. - Banal - it didn't work out. But the free skating program is ahead. We will start from what we have. We'll start with a clean sheet. I don't think there will be an unusual performance from Sasha. There have already happened enough of them at this championship.

Natalia Khabibulina/Ilya Kniazhuk competed for the first time this season, but made a breakthrough. On Thursday, Nina Mozer's pupils managed to take an intermediate second place, beating all the rivals from Tutberidze's staff. The season favorites, world and European champions Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Galliamov, confidently took the lead.

- Mishina/Gallyamov have always been slightly stronger, not even stronger, but more stable," said Alexei Yagudin, Olympic champion and four-time world champion, in a conversation with Izvestia. And this always gives carte blanche and a trump card in nerves. If Boikova and Kozlovsky had botched the first element, I would have said psychology. But the first parallel Salchow is purest, it's not nerves, it's just life and chance. I'm going from my memories. When you do the first quadruple, you're on such a drive that it drives you forward. Usually if you fall apart, you pop right off the first element. But they realize that they are not competing against Petrova and Tikhonov, they are real competitors.

Dikidji and Semenenko are not in the top three

The results in men's single skating are also unexpected. The leaders of the Grand Prix stages and the previous Russian Championships are not even in the top three yet. Evgeny Semenenko lost a cascade and stopped only in ninth place and is unlikely to rise to the top-3 after the free skating program, while Vladislav Dikidzhi made a hand touch on the fourth lutz and is only in sixth place. Petr Humennik got the small silver medal, and now he has a chance for the gold medal at the national championships. However, Mark Kondratyuk, who won the short program with almost exemplary skating, will probably disagree.

- You have to learn and be able to perform in any conditions," the leader commented on some skaters' complaints about feeling unwell due to jetlag. - Competitions are held in different cities, and that's great. I like to travel and see different cities. If you look at it more globally, when we have international starts, they can be held anywhere in the world. Both in the USA and in Japan, where the time difference is much bigger than it is now in Omsk.

Gleb Lutfullin, who was in third place after the short program, was very happy with his clean ride at the fifth Russian Championships in his career.

- At last, at my jubilee Russian Championships I rolled the short program cleanly, I'm happy about it, I went to the tulup and thought: "If I don't do it now, I won't go to the Russian Championships again", - said the athlete.

Of course, this is all a joke, perhaps it was influenced by Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who met the skater behind the board as a coach. And though the leaders are determined by the results of the short program, after the competition in the free program everything may change and it is too early to give out medals.

- The men's programs brought the most powerful emotions - this is my specialty, - continued Alexey Yagudin. - And it's very funny that it's almost impossible to predict the men's competitions. That's why it's interesting. And here, too, psychology was a big part of the solution. Someone coped with it, someone didn't. I like a phrase I read recently: finally girls come to boys, not girls. So it's nice for our men's singles. As for the pairs and dancers - that's what the Russian Championships are all about. I asked Lesha Tikhonov, others - everyone was perfectly ready. But here was the start of the championship in pairs - in fact, the only impressive clean skating of Mishina/Gallyamov. Give or take breakdowns, big or small, everyone has them. Dancing - I agree, there's a lot I don't understand. But it felt like everyone wasn't running to the finish line, but barely sneaking around. Nerves? Yeah. You can see that people aren't themselves. The dancers skated quietly, carefully, very cautious.

On Friday there will be free skating (beginning 10:15), free skating program in pairs skating (13:35) and women's short program (15:35) Moscow time.

Russian Championships. Short program

Dancing

1. Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin - 85.62

2. Irina Khavronina/David Narizhny - 83.96

3. Elizaveta Khudaiberdiyeva/Egor Bazin - 83.55.

Pairs

1. Anastasia Mishina/Alexander Galliamov - 82.95

2. Natalia Khabibullina/Ilya Knyazhuk - 74.17

3. Alexandra Boikova/Dmitry Kozlovsky - 73.40.

Men

1. Mark Kondratyuk - 105.04

2. Piotr Humennik - 102.65

3. Gleb Lutfullin - 97.85