Neither Anna Shcherbakova, reigning Olympic and world champion.

Ni Kamila Valieva, the 2022 European champion swept away by a resounding doping affair in the middle of the 2022 Olympics, after having signed the first quadruple jumps in the Olympic history of women's skating.

Nor Alexandra Trusova, she recent Olympic silver medalist and world bronze medalist a year ago.

By excluding the Russians from its competitions, the International Skating Federation (ISU) followed the recommendation made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the end of February.

Which means, in this case, removing a heavyweight from world skating, especially in the women's and pairs categories, the two to open competition on Wednesday.

"It's sad for the athletes, but I think it's the right decision: we have to say that what's happening in the world is not okay," Belgian Loena Hendrickx told AFP. second position after the short program.

"I'm sad for the athletes, because they can't do anything about it, but it's a good thing to say that we don't allow that," she insists.

Belgian Loena Hendrickx, 2nd at the end of the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships, March 23, 2022 in Montpellier Pascal GUYOT AFP

In the absence of the Russians, Sakamoto, an Olympic bronze medalist a month ago, took the lead with 80.32 points, a new personal best.

She leads Hendrickx (75.00) and American Mariah Bell (72.55).

Illustration of the stranglehold of Russian skaters on the category which will necessarily be interrupted: since 2015, and with the exception of 2018 (and the cancellation of the Worlds-2020 because of the Covid-19), it is every year one of them who won world gold.

They also monopolized the entire podium at the Worlds-2021 and the European Championships in January, in addition to two thirds of the Olympic podium in February.

They will not remain idle, however, since the Russian Figure Skating Federation has announced the holding of an event bringing together the best skaters in the country this weekend in Saransk, 500 km south-east of Moscow.

According to the Russian press, Valieva is expected there.

It would be his first outing since the whirlwind of the 2022 Olympics, while his fate remains in the hands of anti-doping authorities.

There are also announced Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, respectively Olympic vice-champions of ice dancing and pairs, all four present during the ultra-patriotic celebration for the eight years of the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow a few days ago.

In Montpellier, the women's free program is scheduled for Friday evening.

The competition continues in the evening with the short pairs program.

© 2022 AFP