The 2005 European Championships went on with the Original Dance and the Mens’ Free Skating on Thursday in Torino, Italy.
Ice Dancing, Original Dance
Today’s competition started with the Original Dance, the „Rhythm Combination“. The couples can choose two or three of the following rhythms: Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot and/or Charleston.
Reigning World Champions Tatiana Navka/Roman Kostomarov of Russia strengthened their lead after the Compulsory Dance, while Elena Grushina/Ruslan Goncharov (UKR) remained in second place. Galit Chait/Sergei Sakhnovski (ISR) pulled up from fifth to third place in the OD.
Navka/Kostomarov’s dance to Quickstep and Foxtrot included a fast paced diagonal step sequence and two interesting dance lifts, but the couple lost unison in the side by side footwork. They scored 63.62 (23.22 element score/40.40 program component score) points and now have a total score of 107.81 points so far. ”It felt so easy for me to skate today. We just started and then it was already over. I skated very clean, but Roman lost coordination in the side by side footwork.”
Performing to a Charleston, Foxtrot and Quickstep, Grushina/Goncharov produced difficult footwork and lifts to earn 62.01 points (23.43/38.58), which added up to 102.40 points. ”We’re very happy with the way we skated today”, Goncharov told the post-event press conference. ”I hope we’re going to skate even better in the free dance tomorrow.”
Chait/Sakhnovski delivered an engergetic Quickstep and smooth Foxtrot, highlighted by a curve-rotational lift and fast footwork. They were awarded 60.67 (23.47/37.20) points and moved up two spots with a total score of 98.99 so far. ”We’re very happy with our performance”, Chait commented. ”The crowd was very good for us. They were giving us a lot of energy.
The Israeli team overtook reigning World silver medalists Albena Denkova/Maxim Staviski (BUL) and French Champions Isabelle Delobel/Olivier Schoenfelder. Denkova/Staviski struggled during the side by side footwork. They slipped to fourth place and now have a total score of 98.00 points. Denkova is still sick with the flu and bronchitis and the couple will decide tomorrow if they can skate the Free Dance or if they have to withdraw.
Delobel/Schoenfelder put out a very characteristic Charleston and Foxtrot and saved the demanding side by side step sequence for the very end of their Original Dance. They were ranked fourth in the Original Dance but remained fifth overall with 97.72 points.
Galit Chait/Sergei Sakhnovski (ISR)
(c) Teunis Versluis
Men, Free Skating
The Mens’ event concluded with an exciting Free Skating competition.
First to skate in the final flight was overnight leader Brian Joubert (FRA). The defending European Champion hit his opening quadruple-triple toeloop combination, followed by a triple Axel, a triple flip, a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, but he turned out on the second jump. The Frenchman completed two more triples in his program to ”1492 Conquest of Paradise”, but he stepped out of the last jump, a triple Lutz. Joubert was awarded 147.45 points (69.71 element score/77.74 program component score) and collected a total score of 224.43 points. He needed to wait and see where that would get him.
Next up was Stephane Lambiel (SUI), who stood in third after the Short Program. Performing to „The Truman Show“, the Swiss Champion hit a quadruple toeloop, triple loop and a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, but then he doubled the next element, a planned quadruple toeloop. His opening Axel was underrotated and counted only as a double. The 19-year-old seemed to lose his concentration after the second quad attempt and popped his Lutz, then doubled it in the second try, but his spins were excellent and his presentation strong. Lambiel earned 126.50 points (53.14/73.36) and had 196.47 points overall. After him, Belgium’s Kevin van der Perren took the ice. He turned in a strong performance to ”Robin Hood” as well, completing six triple jumps including his trademark triple Salchow-triple toeloop-triple loop combination. Van der Perren got 128.01 points for his program, beating Lambiel in the Free Skating, but remained behind him with 195.47 points.
Now Andrei Griazev of Russia was up. The 2004 World Junior Champion landed his first quadruple toeloop in competition as well as two triple Axels, but he doubled the Lutz and singled the flip. He earned 196.31 points overall.
The crowd then welcomed Evgeni Plushenko (RUS) with thunderous applause. The reigning World Champion reeled off a quadruple-triple toeoloop-double loop combination right at the beginning of his routine to „The Godfather“ by Edvin Marton, but he slightly two-footed the quad. Plushenko went on to produce a triple Axel-double toeloop combination, another triple Axel, triple Lutz and a triple flip-double toeloop. With the most difficult elements done, he really got into his energetic program, and the crowd cheered him on during his excellent circular footwork out of which he presented a double Axel. The only other glitch in his performance was a double loop at the end. As he finished, Pluschenko remained for a few seconds in his final pose, before he smiled and bowed. The judges awarded him 151.81 points (71.05/80.76) for his program, and the three-time World Champion recaptured the European title he had lost to Joubert one year ago with a total score of 227.14 points. It was his fourth European title.
But there was one more skater to come, and the battle for the medals wasn’t over yet. Germany’s Stefan Lindemann opened his entertaining performance to „The Big Bounce“ with a beautiful quadruple-triple toeloop combination followed by a triple Axel. The current World bronze medalist then showed nice spins, a triple loop and triple flip, before he went down on a triple Lutz and stepped out of his triple Axel. Lindemann recovered to finish on a high note with a triple Salchow, a straight line step sequence right on the beat of the music and he threw in an extra triple toe in the last seconds of the program. Lindemann scored 132.79 points which added up to 200.54 points overall. It meant he had won the bronze medal, his first medal at Europeans. Joubert took the silver. Lambiel was fourth, and the top four had repeated the result from the 2004 World Championships. Griazev finished fifth and van der Perren was sixth.
„After yesterday’s result, I told myself that I have to fight“, Plushenko told the press. ”I have found the strength in my mind to win. It wasn’t the hardest (earned) medal that I’ve won, but one of the hardest (earned). I’m not a 100 percent right now, and I was tired after Russian Nationals (in early January).“
„For me this silver medal is like a gold medal since I had a lot of problems before these European Championships“, Joubert said, referring to his recent change of coaches. ”I’m going to work very hard, I have one month and a half to be ready for the World Championships”, he promised.
„I don’t have words right now“, Lindemann said immediately after his performance. „It was difficult to skate last and right after Plushenko. But I had to risk everything. I fought from the beginning to the very end. I did a nice quad-triple combination at the beginning, and at the end I did the triple Salchow and the triple toeloop. I think the triple toe made the difference today.”
The 2005 European Championships continue Friday with the Ladies Short Program and the Free Dance.
Results Event website
