Paris (AFP)
The Russians Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov were crowned world ice dance champions for the first time, in the absence of the French Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, crowned them four times, Saturday in Stockholm, one year from the Olympics- 2022.
Sinitsina and Katsalapov, also European Champions 2020, won with a total of 221.17 points.
The Russian duo were clearly ahead of Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (214.71), and Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (214.35).
Faced with the upset and uncertain schedule under the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic for a year, Papadakis and Cizeron, 2018 Olympic vice-champions, announced in January their decision not to skate on Swedish ice and to focus on their Olympic preparation.
Their N.1 opponents, world silver medalists behind them two years ago in Saitama (Japan), have benefited to the maximum.
Leading after the rhythmic dance, they confirmed with a solid free skate, rewarded with a new personal best (133.02 against 131.69).
They also slightly improved their best overall score (previously 220.42).
A little over a year ago, it was already Sinitsina and Katsalapov who had inflicted on the French dancers their first setback in almost two years to become European champions.
"I'm so happy, I don't know what to say, I just want to smile and cry," Sinitsina responded.
"I'm totally drained, it's extraordinary," Katsalapov added, stressing that "the only thing that (them) lacked is the audience".
Hubbell and Donohue are on the world podium for the third time, after silver already in 2018 and bronze in 2019;
Gilles and Poirier for the first time.
Third after the rhythmic dance, the Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates fell back to the foot of the podium (212.69).
The two French duos involved had qualified for the free dance.
Adelina Galyavieva and Louis Thauron placed sixteenth (173.55), and Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud seventeenth (169.70).
© 2021 AFP