Russian skaters Alina Zagitova and Alexandra Trusova in the European team became winners of the Japan Open tournament held in Saitama. The team, which in addition to the Russians included the Spaniard Javier Fernandez and the Latvian Denis Vasiliev, scored 614.73 points in total and outstripped the local athletes by 12.57 points. Third were representatives of North America (593.42).
The format of the competitions held annually under the auspices of the Japan Figure Skating Federation differs from other starts of the season primarily in that it involves performing only in an arbitrary program. Thus, each athlete has only one attempt to bring his team the coveted points. In addition, since 2006, only singles have been participating in Japan Open.
Despite its commercial status, the tournament in Saitam traditionally attracts the strongest representatives of this sport, and 2019 was no exception. So, the Japanese national team, among others, included the silver medalist of the 2018 Olympics, Shoma Uno and one of the leaders of women's skating Rick Kihira. The North American team was represented for the third time in a row by two-time world champion Nathan Chen.
He won a landslide victory in the male part of the tournament. Uno took the second line in the protocol, and another American, Vincent Zhou, took the third, which predictably brought the representatives of the New World to the intermediate first line. The European team lagged behind the leaders by 57.68 points, and all the hope for a repeat of the success of two years ago fell on the shoulders of the Russians.
The first of the Russians on the ice went Zagitova. She cleanly completed her program, receiving 154.41 points for her and almost 10 points ahead of Kihira. However, then Trusova’s turn came, which just two weeks ago in the free program performed three quadruple jumps and broke the world record in the free and total two programs. Fans expected from the two-time world champion among juniors an equally brilliant performance in Saitama.
And the 15-year-old Russian woman did not disappoint the fans. She rewrote the story again, performing four quadruple jumps within the same number - Lutz, sheepskin coat in a cascade with a triple, salchow and sheepskin coat with an oiler and a triple salchow. For her performance, she earned 160.53 points, which brought her victory in the individual standings, and brought the Europeans to the team first place (not least because of the unsuccessful performances of the American Brady Tennell and Mirai Nagasu).
“Our girls were a single team”
After the competition, all the attention of fans, experts and even colleagues was riveted to Trusova. So, Chen posted excerpts from a figure skater’s performance on his Instagram page, signing the video “Brain Explosion”.
The choreographer Daniil Gleichengauz, working with the group Eteri Tutberidze, also congratulated their wards on the success of Japan Open.
“The winners of Japan Open 2019! Team Europe. I congratulate everyone on the victory, our girls are the best, ”the specialist wrote.
Of course, Tutberidze herself did not stand aside, stating: "Today our girls were a single team."
The performance in Saitama once again proved that at the largest competitions in the 2019/20 season, the main struggle for awards, most likely, will unfold between Zagitova and Trusova. Moreover, experts often give preference to yesterday's junior, who managed to stock up on a unique arsenal of the most complex elements. However, the more experienced Olympic champion, who is distinguished by stability and the ability to assemble at the right time, is given due.
According to the three-time European champion Kiira Korpi, the success of Zagitova can be achieved only if she feels more relaxed on the ice.
“She's just super! She would only have a little more freedom in her heart and relaxation, for example, as it was with Carolina Costner. Understanding that it will be supported for any rental. But, probably, it is difficult in her current training environment, ”the Match TV ex-skater quotes.
In turn, the silver medalist of the 2002 Olympic Games, Ilya Averbukh, noted the character of the 17-year-old native of Izhevsk, who, in his opinion, makes her one of the main favorites of the season.
“Alina showed herself to be a great fighter, she was in a fever. Not everything turned out at the European Championship, but then - a great victory at the world championship. In the fall, chickens are considered to be sick now. There were fears that due to the difficult last season, she would give herself a slack in this. But brave Eteri Tutberidze! At test rentals, Zagitova showed that she was in a cage and in perfect order, ”the choreographer said in an interview with Sport-Express.
As for Trusova, he suggested that she would be able to achieve the highest results already in her first season at an adult level.
“Based on her form, from what she saw, Trusova is now able to win the World Cup, even losing in the second mark for the components. There, she still loses to Zagitova and Zhenya Medvedeva, but Alexandra’s technical gap is so wide that it’s almost impossible to win back such an advantage, ”Averbukh is confident.