Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA) dance to lead
Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat of France danced to the lead in the Short Dance, followed closely by Russia’s Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev. Sinead Kerr/John Kerr of Great Britain came third in the first segment of the dance competition.
Pechalat/Bourzat had drawn to skate last out of the 21 couples. They put out a romantic Waltz to music from “Dr. Zhivago” and produced smooth footwork and a whirling rotational lift. The Grand Prix Final silver medalists picked up a level four for the twizzles, one section of the Golden Waltz and the lift while the side by side footwork and the other Waltz sequence were a level three. The couple scored a seasons best of 66.91 points. “We felt the pressure due to possible medals. Our goal is to win the competition and to skate a good performance. But as soon as the music starts, it’s like home. I forget about the temperature, judges and everything else. I focus on the skating”, Pechalat said.
Bobrova/Soloviev debuted a new Short Dance in competition, dancing to “Where I Want to Be” from the musical “Chess”. The Russian Champions gave a powerful performance and had the same levels as the French couple to score 65.46 points. “This dance is so much stronger. The other dance was nice and everyone liked it, but this program is more powerful and it is just better material for us”, Bobrova explained. “When I heard the music for the first time, I got goose bumps and I’m on an emotional high performing to it”, Soloviev added.
Kerr/Kerr entertained the crowd at the Postfinance Arena with an elegant Waltz to “At Last” and a lively Quickstep. The brother-and-sister team earned a level four for the lift and a level three for the other three elements to collect 62.87 points. “We are very happy with our performance. We couldn’t have skated it much better but in the end it is up to the judges. The audience reacted really well to our performance. After we finished all the elements, we could just enjoy ourselves”, Sinead Kerr noted.
Reigning World Junior Champions Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) finished fourth with an intense performance (60.93 points), edging out teammates Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko by just 0.02 points. Nora Hoffmann/Maxim Zavozin (HUN) are ranked sixth (58.00 points). Reigning 2010 European silver medalists Federica Faiella/Massimo Scali (ITA) are currently sitting in 9th after she stepped out on a twizzle (57.18 points).
Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER) take Pairs Short Program
Germany’s Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy took the Pairs Short Program ahead of the two Russian couples Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov and Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov.
Savchenko/Szolkowy put out a characteristic folk program to “Khorobushko” that was highlighted by an excellent throw triple flip, a side by side triple toe, triple twist and difficult lift. The three-time European Champions scored 72.31 points. One judge awarded the couple a perfect ten for performance/execution. “We are satisfied. It was a good performance”, Szolkowy commented. “The first three elements, the throw, the twist and the triple toe, are the hardest, although you also can make a mistake in the footwork. But when the first three elements are done, you almost can let it flow. Obviously, it is a relief”, he explained.
Skating to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, Kavaguti/Smirnov produced a triple toe, throw triple loop and level four step sequence to score a seasons best of 69.49 points. “We are happy with tonight’s performance. I think we showed what we prepared for this competition, and tomorrow we also want to show what we prepared”, Kavaguti commented. “It’s really freezing in here, like the Russian winter! There were not so many spectators but their applause warmed our hearts”, Sirmnov said.
Bazarova/Larionov’s landed a triple toe, a high triple twist, but she stepped out of the throw triple flip in their routine to “Adagio” by Secret Garden. The couple from Perm earned 62.89 points. “We are upset about the throw. We usually don’t have problems with this element”, Bazarova said. “This isn’t the final result yet. We still have to fight, or better to show our best performance. So we don’t want to get too emotional right now”, she added.
Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek of Italy came fourth with a strong Tango program (60.08 points). Katarina Gerboldt/Alexander Enbert (RUS) also skated well to finish fifth at 57.50 points.
The ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2011 continue Thursday with the Men’s Short Program and the Pairs Free Skating. For more information, full entry lists and results please see: www.isu.org and http://www.euroskate2011.com/en/news
