“I’d like to believe European skaters miss us. But everyone is busy with their own thing – it’s doubtful that skaters think much: it’s a pity that the Russians aren’t here; or it’s good that they aren’t.” European Championships preview by Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva about European Championships.
original source: Sports
In her blog on Sports, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva shared her thoughts about the upcoming European Championships. Here’s a translation.
“Hello everyone!
The European Championships start in Tallinn on January 29. This is the first international competition of the year.
I want to share memories of my performances at the Euros and make predictions for this season. Will they match yours?
Two championships – two medals: memorable excitement and cozy Zagreb
One characteristic of the European Championships is that they follow shortly after the New Year. On one hand, it’s the first competition of the year, but in figure skating, it’s the peak of the season.
Skaters going to the Euros for the first time may find it challenging to know when to peak after the New Year. It’s worth skipping lengthy holidays; one must keep in shape to perform well at the Euros. Perhaps, that’s the only difference from other competitions.
I participated in two European Championships. My first (in 2013) was quite nerve-wracking. I remember being nervous before the short program, and it turned out to be extremely unsuccessful. I was in fourth place, trailing the leader by more than 10 points. I had almost lost hope of winning a medal.
It was a time when such situations frequently occurred: I’d mess up the short, then recover in the free skate. That’s exactly what happened that time. I skated the free program well, won it, and overall, I managed to reach the podium.
Adelina Sotnikova and I were very young, and performing at such a competition was simply amazing. I recall walking around Zagreb and marveling: a beautiful, cozy city with diverse shops and picturesque streets; it was very interesting for us.
The second European Championships was more successful. It was held in Stockholm in 2015. That year, I was fully focused. I hardly explored Stockholm, although I love discovering European cities. I was staying with Anna Pogorilaya, and mostly we walked around the hotel with Elena Radionova joining us. We went shopping, talked, and got along well. The atmosphere was calm, but at the same time, we were all very focused on our performances. It paid off – all three of us ended up on the podium.
Among my favorite competitions I’ve watched, I would name two championships in woman’s skating: 2018 (when Alina Zagitova won) and 2022 (when our girls fought for the podium again). Alongside the one I won in 2015, these are the most interesting and emotional competitions for me.
In men’s figure skating, I remember Florent Amodio’s beautiful victory in 2011, and a phenomenal comeback by Konstantin Menshov in 2014: from 11th to 3rd place – incredible! Dima Aliev’s win in 2020 also stood out as bright and confident.
What’s the problem with Euros now?
I can’t speak for all skaters, but for me, it’s obviously a significant competition. Yes, it can’t be compared to the World Championships – that’s clear, the world stage is much more significant. Any international medal isn’t easy to win. Although a European champion title doesn’t intimidate competitors as much as a world champion title does.
Of course, higher titles are important for popularity and contracts. But in any case, the European Championships is a cool competition, and winning it matters.
On the other hand, its importance seems diminished now. If we look at the ISU ranking, we’ll see skaters from Japan and the USA at the top. It’s not like before: if you win the Russian or European Championships, you’d be at the top at the Worlds as well.
Still, European figure skating – especially women’s – isn’t as strong right now. There is competition, but the level has dropped.
Without Hendricks, there’s no clear favorite; I believe she’ll return
This year, I think the women’s battle will unfold between Nina Pinzarrone from Belgium and Kimmi Repond from Switzerland. If Anastasia Gubanova performs cleanly, she will also contend for the top three. It’s difficult to make predictions, but I’d back these three girls.
The competition will be interesting because there’s currently no clear leader in Europe. So a new name might appear. Now is a beautiful opportunity to go out, skate cleanly and confidently, and possibly win a European Championship medal.
The fact that Loena Hendricks is missing the competitions is a loss. On the other hand, it’s good that this didn’t happen during the Olympic season. For her, the main thing now is to heal her injuries properly and rest.
She can even start preparing for the next season earlier – there’s nothing stopping her from starting the Olympic season earlier, participate in smaller competitions, and catch up in the rankings. Then she can approach the Olympics with a fighting spirit and good results. I believe she can do everything right.
Duels among men: the French will compete for gold, and the Italians for bronze
Undoubtedly, the leader among men is Adam Siao Him Fa. Based on recent results, he’s unbeatable unless he suffers some emotional setback. He does have occasional breakdowns, but not as often as Kevin Aymoz.
So I think Adam will win, even if something goes wrong. I don’t see anyone who could beat him in Europe. Of course, he can be beaten, but only if he messes up several quads. And suppose Kevin performs perfectly at his best. Then even with two quads and two triple axels, he has a chance.
Kevin made it to the Grand Prix Final this season and achieved good results, while Adam missed the Final. Even though Aymoz didn’t perform his best there, that would still be taken into account. So the battle will unfold between two Frenchmen.
Daniel Grassl will vie for third place. Judges have rated him well this season, probably and the Italian federation is betting on him. If he skates clean, without under-rotations, he will aim for high places. He also made it to the Grand Prix Final, which is always a strong claim.
Nika Egadze could compete with him. I want him to show his potential. He’s a talented guy, always close to medals, but hasn’t yet reached a big one.
I’m not discounting other Italians either.
There’s Nikolai Memola – tall, well-built, skates nicely. Although, perhaps, it’s still challenging for him to compete for medals in Europe. But there’s also Matteo Rizzo – one of my favorite skaters. This season he’s recovering from an injury, and it shows. But if he manages to skate clean, with his experience, he might push Grassl off the podium.
I bet on the British in dance – they have great programs
In ice dance, I’m betting on British skaters Fear and Gibson. Their programs this season seem more successful than those of the Italian pair Guignard and Fabbri. I think the British should take the lead, but Italy could also be placed first – this will be a serious rivalry.
Next in line are the French duo Lopareva and Brissaud, who are bright youngsters and have noticeably improved this season. I hope Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin will also climb a few steps up.
My favorites in pairs – Hase and Volodin
Last year, I remembered the unexpected victory by Matteo Guarise and Lucrezia Beccari. But they are healing from injuries this year, so we won’t see them.
I think the championship will be won by Nikita Volodin and Minerva Fabienne Hase. I’m sure the Georgian pair – Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava will perform well. And for third place, I’d like to bet on Maria Pavlova – Alexei Sviatchenko. I haven’t given up hope that if they skate clean, the judges will score them well. The guys skate powerfully and steadily, but they always seem to lack just a little something.
Do they miss our skaters?
If our skaters were allowed at the European Championships, I think we would win among the women and in pairs. In dance, we’d likely be at least third – a lot depends on ranking and current performances. The boys would also contend for medals.
So Europe could have been all ours, as it was in 2022 before the suspension.
Do European skaters miss us? Of course, competitions are always more spectacular with tough competition – it attracts more viewers. And participating in such competitions is more interesting.
I’d like to believe they miss us. But everyone is busy with their own thing – it’s doubtful that skaters think much: it’s a pity that the Russians aren’t here; or conversely: it’s good that they aren’t. Everyone just does their job. And if it’s easier for them to win medals without us, they probably won’t be too sad.”
Related topics: Adam Siao Him Fa, Daniel Grassl, Elizabet Tursynbayeva, European Championships, Kevin Aymoz, Lilah Fear Lewis Gibson, Loena Hendrickx, Minerva Fabienne Hase, Nikita Volodin
Liza is alwas classy. And huge congrats to Niina!
YEEES, NIINA, NIINA, NIINA!
Yeah! Huge congratulations to Niina for winning and making history!
Petrokina, she forgot about Petrokina! And she obviously timed her form perfectly!
I would love to see Lukas Britschgi get some good ranking too – he has big jumps, he’s very cool.
Kinda agree with her on the rest. It makes me want to watch the competition.
Can’t wait !