Figure skaters Eteri Tutberidze dominate international competitions
Russian pairs Gusev/Ovchinnikov and Sheshelev/Karnaukhov took first and second places at the junior Grand Prix in Ankara. The winners were the first in the history of juniors to perform a quadruple tweak of the 4th level, gaining 196.91 points. The silver medalists updated their personal record and guaranteed their participation in the final of the series in Chongqing. Both pairs train with Tarasov and Zobnin. The Spanish duo closed the three.
Russian couples occupied the first two places and established a historic achievement at the Junior Grand Prix in Ankara.
Russian sports couples Taisiya Guseva and Daniil Ovchinnikov, as well as Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov took the first two places in the fourth stage of the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, which was held in Ankara, Turkey. The competitions were marked by a historic achievement of Russian athletes performing in the international arena in a neutral status.
The winners of the tournament were Taisiya Guseva and Daniil Ovchinnikov, for whom this gold medal was the first in their career at international competitions. Wards Eteri Tutberidze took the lead after a short program. In free rolling athletes performed a quadruple twist of the fourth level. This element has become historical: Guseva and Ovchinnikov are the first junior couple in the history of figure skating, who performed this jump with the highest level of difficulty after the introduction of a new judging system. Previously, at the adult level, this was possible only to the American duo Alexa Shimek-Knirim and Chris Knirim.
Despite the fact that the Russians conceded to their compatriots in an arbitrary program, they retained the first line of the protocol by the sum of two speeches. Their final result was 196.91 points, of which 126.43 points were awarded for arbitrary rental. The technically challenging program included a cascade of triple lutz, oiler and triple salchow, as well as a parallel triple rittberger. Almost all the elements were evaluated by the judges in the plus zone and received the fourth difficulty levels, except for the triple lutz ejection, where the partner allowed a mark, touching the ice with her hand when landing.
Silver medals of the tournament were won by Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov, who scored a total of 190.79 points. For them, this start was the second in the current Grand Prix series. After an annoying buck in the short program, the duo brilliantly rolled back the arbitrary, performing a cascade of triple flip, oiler, triple salch and parallel triple lutz. All elements were made with plus bonuses and the fourth level of difficulty. This rental allowed athletes to update their personal record in the free program, which is now 127.53 points.
A successful performance in Turkey guaranteed Shesheleva and Karnaukhov a ticket to the Grand Prix final. The duo had previously won the first stage of the series in Xi'an, and silver in Ankara mathematically secured them a place in the main start of the season among juniors.
The third place according to the results of the competition was taken by representatives of Spain Anita Mapelli and Noah Quesada Grau, who scored 154.07 points.
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It is noteworthy that both Russian prize-winning pairs train in Moscow in the same group under the leadership of Philip Tarasov and Dmitry Zobnin. It was this coaching team that prepared the athletes for a successful performance on the Turkish ice, where Russian skaters confirmed their high class.
The final of the Junior Grand Prix series will be held from December 10 to 13 in Chongqing, China, where the best pairs of the season will play the main awards of the tournament.
