Graz (Austria) (AFP)

French skating, weighed down by two cases, counts on its tutelary figures, its golden dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, and its rising face, Kevin Aymoz, to take center stage at the European Championships, from Wednesday to Saturday in Graz (Austria).

Winter is troubled for tricolor skating.

In early December, Morgan Cirès, reigning European champion and 2018 world bronze medalist in pairs - but who had decided, with his partner Vanessa James, to blow this season to extend their careers until 2022 - was implicated by the American newspaper USA Today. The daily reported that the 28-year-old skater sent two obscene photos at the end of 2017 to a thirteen-year-old girl who trained in the same rink in Florida.

After a few days of silence, the French Ice Sports Federation indicated that it did not have "as the information available, a reason for not placing its trust" in Cirès, "without however excusing this fact if it were to prove to be correct ".

In early January, it was on another field that the news of French skating skidded: a positive cocaine control by Laurine Lecavelier (23), fifth in the 2019 European Championships, revealed by the Team.

Neither Cirès nor Lecavelier - the latter temporarily suspended - will skate on Austrian ice.

- "Legendary couple" -

On the contrary, Papadakis (24) and Cizeron (25) should shine there: sacred without interruption since 2015, the two dancers are about to equal the most successful duo in history at European level, the Soviets Liudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorchkov, six times crowned in the 1970s, but not consecutively.

A sixth continental gold medal would also make them the most successful French skaters in history on the European scene, ahead of Surya Bonaly, crowned five times between 1991 and 1995, and Alain Giletti, who won the same award between 1955 and 1961.

This winter like the previous one, there is Papadakis-Cizeron and the others. Those who have not bowed since their Olympic misadventure two years ago continue to take ice dancing to hitherto unexplored horizons. Both in terms of scores, like their rhythmic dance noted above 90 points (90.03), a first at the Japanese Grand Prix in November, as well as artistically, with their free dance mounted on a slam.

Once again, nothing is expected to stand up to the four-time world champions (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019).

"I'm not going to say that their opponents no longer even try to beat them, but they know that they are competing with a legendary couple, of a level rarely achieved. I see the respect they impose. I feel that "There is no disappointment in the others when they finish second behind Papadakis and Cizeron. Somewhere, it is an honor to have been beaten by great champions like them", described their AFP coach Roman Haguenauer.

- Aymoz "thinks" about gold -

If Papadakis and Cizeron have largely spread their wings on their discipline, Aymoz (22 years old) takes off.

First podiums in Grand Prix, the main circuit of the first half of winter, in Grenoble then in Japan, first qualification for the prestigious Grand Prix final and first podium (3rd), alongside the two star skaters of the moment, the American Nathan Chen and Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu, and here he is, pretending to be natural on the European podium, and even gold.

"I want to get on the podium, that's my goal, assumes to AFP the skater, who has been training in Florida for almost three years, and had finished fourth a year ago. I want to continue on the good dynamics of the season. "

"The title, I think about it, when we can get it, of course we think about it," he concedes, "but I don't want to put myself under pressure by saying to myself:" I absolutely want to be first. "

In any case, the opportunity is good: the continental throne, which has been treasure since 2013 by the Spanish Javier Fernandez, now retired, is vacant. It is precisely since this date that French skating has no longer won a European medal in the men's competition (Amodio in silver).

© 2020 AFP