2014 European Championships - Pairs, Free Skate

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy have withdrawn from competition due to a cold, after finishing the short on second place. With their biggest rivals out of the way, it is almost certain Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov will claim the European gold once more. The biggest question now is who will finish second? Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov seem the obvious answer, but Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are anything but quitters.


Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres bring back Requiem for a Dream, the song that used to be skaters' darling. They pair it with Angels and Demons, but except for the costumes, there isn't much that mimics the epic battle. Choosing the fastest music part to do the slowest elements doesn't help either. The only technical mistake was her fall on the second Triple Toeloop. They earn 122.45 points. Overall: 185.48.

Married life suits Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende, who are more in sync than ever before. Their music is the soundtrack of Your Highness, a comical story they tell well today. This is the second season we see this programme. Their score: 113.13. Overall: 168.32.

Andrea Davidovich/Evgeni Krasnopolski, of Israel, are this year's pleasant surprise. Even though they're at their first European Championships, the only problem they have is with the side-by-side spins. Skating on Romeo and Juliet and wearing two very pretty costumes, they manage to impress. They earn 108.61 points. Overall: 163.93.

Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek do their best to keep last year's Bronze medal, but with a fall on the side-by-side Triple Salchow and non-synchronized spins, it seems unlikely. Artistically, they're very impressive in their roles as Dracula and Mina Harper. The costumes are impeccable. Their score: 126.39. Overall: 195.61.

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov skate on Polovetsian Dances, the first of their long programmes that doesn't make us doze off. She messes up all the side-by-side jumps, but they don't have any major errors. Great costumes! They earn 129.91 points. Overall: 201.61.

Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov are exquisite as Morticia and Gomez Adams. All the quirkiness and the strange attraction that comes with it fill the ice as they finish the routine without mistake. Keeping this theme turns out to have been an excellent decision. Their score: 137.08. Overall: 207.98.

Telling the story of Jesus Christ's last week of life is no easy task, as Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov find out. It's shocking to watch them both fall, him during the side-by-side jumps, her during the last thrown Triple. Nonetheless, they have too great an advance to miss the gold. They earn 136.40 points. Overall: 220.38.

Congratulations to Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov for their third European title and let's hope they've learned not to let their guard down after what happened today. Congratulations to Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov for proving they are far from being Russia's underdog pair and congratulations to Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov for getting back their medal-winning
form.

Comments

  1. Anonymous22 January 2014 at 08:43

    Stolbova looks exactly like a Morticia :) so charming :)
    -TheGothicEme-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daiana Damacus22 January 2014 at 12:28

      She does, doesn't she? Some people were complaining about her not wearing a black dress, but with that attitude, she doesn't need one to be Morticia. It's great that they decided to keep this routine. Smart thinking!

      Delete

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