Competitive overtaking: Moscow wins the Channel One Figure Skating Cup

The Moscow team won the First Channel Cup in figure skating. During the two days of the tournament, she scored 2,097.26 points, while St. Petersburg scored 2,057.11 points. On the second day, free programs for duets, women and men, a jumping battle and team relay races were presented. Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin (Moscow team) won the duet free dance. Maria Zakharova (Moscow team) won the women's free skate, Peter Gumennik, representing St. Petersburg, won the men's free skate with 195.52 points. Mark Kondratyuk (Moscow team, 190.64) showed the second result.

Tarasova is delighted with Humennik's skating

The Channel One Cup was originally conceived before 2022 as an end-of-season show and a celebration. Both the audience and the skaters need it.: not only to be happy, but also to earn money. Are those who say that while Sakamoto is preparing for the World Cup, Petrosyan is collecting "toys" for speed? Maybe, but it all depends on the angle from which you look.

A year ago, the Moscow team with Adelia lost to Peter's team by a few points in the national team jumping championship with controversial refereeing. And she probably wanted to take revenge. Succeeded.

Collecting "toys" was a real competition on the second day of the competition. This part with relay races, sliding on one leg between the racks and jumping for speed was just amusing and a little distracted from the already familiar programs. However, by the second day of the competition, it became clear to the naked eye that Moscow was stronger due to the more solid performance of the girls in the short programs.

So Peter had to help. In the jumping relay, the Muscovites were both faster and cleaner, in any case, the two teams had equal penalties, and the difference in speed was 15 seconds, but they were given 150 points each and drove on. Petrosyan tried to argue, but to no avail. Oddities were also observed in the following contests. But — let's count it for saving the intrigue (is it really appropriate when the winners receive 14 million rubles against 7 million from the losers?).

Peter the Great: Humennik confirmed the status of the best figure skater in the country

The final of the Russian Women's Grand Prix was won by Dvoeglazova, and the pairs were dominated by Boikova./Kozlovsky, dancing — Stepanova/Bukin

If you close your eyes to such things that we saw at the Cup: the return of Kamila Valieva, albeit blurred by a fall from a quadruple sheepskin coat.

"It's really nice to see Kamila not only in the jumping tournament, but also with a full program," Olympic champion Natalia Bestemyanova told Izvestia. — It's a delight and pleasure to see her on the ice. God grant her to improve! Of course, there were errors, but this is a new program, and it has not been rolled out as much as we would like. However, it was very beautiful and elegant.

Evgeny Semenenko's free skate with five fours. Petrosyan's clean quadruple sheepskin coat and the format of the women's short program with quads. Another cool performance by Mark Kondratyuk on ice with "Schindler's List". Unexpected quadruple flip by Artur Danielyan. Interesting relay formats from the simplest triple jump to the most difficult quadruple. Chikmareva's applications/Yanchenkov and Kaganovskaya/Nekrasova is on the lead next season with high scores. It seems like a lot, which means that everything was not in vain.

— The guys were all in a good mood, they all took a responsible approach to their performances, — Tatyana Tarasova, Honored Coach of the USSR, told Izvestia. — I really liked Kondratyuk's rental, but I would like to highlight Humennik's amazing performance. I'm thrilled with how clean he's been skating all season. This is a great achievement. He skated the most difficult program with two quadruple jumps. Congratulations to Peter and his coaches on this season.

Valieva took the first trophy after returning

By the women's and men's free programs, Peter's gap did not decrease much — it still amounted to 39 points. Anna Frolova and Dina Khusnutdinova and Kamilla Nelyubova, who train in Moscow but represent the regions, had to save the situation. However, even here they did not help the same Camilla — despite the fall of Alice Dvoeglazova, she remained below the winner of the Grand Prix final.

Peter's guys are potentially stronger — the Russian champion, the vice-champion and the fourth-place winner were in the team for the final stage (in the USA he would have stood on the podium with a tin medal). Pyotr Gumennik skated well, Evgeny Semenenko — incomparably, and Matvey Vetlugin did not win. His legendary program about Alexander II, probably for the last time in his career, he could not roll out — fall, step-out, "butterfly". After such a hat-trick, Gordie Howe Peter did not claim victory. Alexander Gallyamov showed his attitude to the situation well and honestly — he definitely wanted to win. While his Zenit was beating Dynamo in Moscow, chanting "Petersburg is the capital of football," Muscovites were rejoicing in their native Yubileyny.

Moscow finally won the team tournament against St. Petersburg, Kamila Valieva takes her first trophy after returning, and Adelia Petrosyan ends the season on a positive note (if she does not go to the Russian Challenge). And in the comments, fans are breaking spears about whether St. Petersburg was sued or Moscow got a stronger squad. Everything is as it should be.

Will we celebrate our return to the international arena with this tournament in a year? Probably no one will answer for sure.