Moscow (AFP)

Alexander Samarin became the first Russian since Evgeni Plushenko in 2009 to win the Russian Cup, 5th and penultimate round of the ISU Grand Prix on Saturday in Moscow: already leader after the short program, the vice-champion of Europe 2019 has also dominated the free.

Samarin kicked off his free program with a quadruple combination of triple-puckered loops and chained six triples including two Axel triples.

With a total of 264.45 points, he precedes Dmitri Aliev (259.88 pts), vice-champion of Europe 2018, and Makar Iniatov (252.87 pts), for his grand debut on the Grand Prix, already 2nd and 3rd after the short.

The latter made an error that was fatal when he tried a triple salchow that turned into a simple.

This is the second time in the history of the competition that the podium of the Russian Cup is 100% Russian.

In women, the power has changed hands compared to yesterday: the phenomenon Alexandra Trusova, 15 years old and double world junior champion (2018, 2019), has doubled the double world champion (2016, 2017) and 2018 Olympic vice champion Evgenia Medvedeva, leading after the short. The Ryazan nugget also qualified for the grand final of the Grand Prix, held in Turin in December.

Trusova, thanks to a program of a very high level on the music of "Games of Thrones", which more than made up for two small mistakes - on his first quad and on the reception of a triple Lutz-triple-loop combination-- totaled 234.47 points. She precedes Medvedeva (225.76 pts) and the American Mariah Bell, 3rd far behind (205.67 pts).

In pairs, Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, bronze medalists at the 2019 European Championships, retained their first place finish the day before after the short program.

The two youngest pairs in the 17- and 19-year-old pairs stand before 229.48 points, another Russian duo, composed of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, two-time European Champion 2017/2018 (216.77 pts). ). The Germans Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert are on the podium with 186.16 points, their first on the Grand Prix.

In dance, the podium remained unchanged compared to that at the end of the short program: the pair Victoria Sinitsina-Nikita Katsalapov, vice-world champion 2019, won with a total of 212.15 points.

She leads Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (207.64) and Spain's Sara Hurtado and Kiril Khaliavin are third (185.01 pts).

Final classification of the Russian Cup, counting for the ISU Grand Prix:

gentlemen:

1. Alexander Samarin (RUS) 264.45 pts

2. Dmitri Aliev (RUS) 259.88

3. Makar Ignatov (RUS) 252.87

...

ladies:

1. Alexandra Trusova (RUS) 234.47 pts

2. Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS) 225.76

3. Mariah Bell (USA) 205.67

...

couples:

Alexandra Boikova-Dmitrii Kozlovskii (RUS) 229.48 pts

2. Evgenia Tarasova-Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 216.77

3. Minerva Fabienne Hase-Nolan Seegert (GER) 186.16

...

Dance:

1. Victoria Sinitsina-Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) 212.15 pts

2. Piper Gilles-Paul Poirier (CAN) 207.64

3. Sara Hurtado-Kiril Khaliavin (ESP) 185.01

...

© 2019 AFP