The unconditional triumph of the Russians ended the European Figure Skating Championship in Graz, Austria. According to the results of the short and free programs, Alena Kostornaya won. The silver medal was left to Anna Scherbakova, the bronze - to Alexandra Trusova.
None of the students of Eteri Tutberidze managed to avoid falls on the last competitive day, however, after a short rental, the much more complicated programs left no chance for their rivals. The newly-made European champion admitted that due to the mistakes made, she did not hope to get to the highest level of the podium.
“I am very happy, it came as a surprise to me, as there were mistakes. Now I want to improve my programs in order to achieve even greater success. What were you thinking during the rental? Honestly, about nothing, because it is always focused on the only goal - to skate cleanly, ”Kostornaya said immediately after the announcement of the results.
According to the athlete, before the start of the tournament, she did not think about ratings or a specific place on the podium.
“I am very glad that I can simply be on the podium of the European Championship. Not even a victory, but getting on it is a great joy, ”Kostornaya admitted.
“When I went to competitions, I just wanted to show myself, I didn’t think about places or points. Now I try not to focus on what would happen if everything worked out. Let's see what will happen next time, ”said the skater at a press conference.
In addition, she explained why she did not follow the performance of compatriots.
“I didn’t see the rentals of Ani and Sasha, because they simply did not let me go to the ice, they did not open the curtain. Since points were declared in two languages, I paid no attention to English, and in German I just didn’t understand anything, ”Kostornaya added.
Two other Russians after the competition were less optimistic. So, Shcherbakova showed the best result in a free program, but a seven-point gap from Kostornaya after a short rental did not allow her to take gold.
“The emotions are mixed. I started the program well, then I felt that I had put the flop on the flip, I wanted to increase the speed. Of course, the quadruple flip was already executed on fatigue, maybe it didn’t feel so physically good, ”Shcherbakova said.
The skater admitted that she felt more confident compared to the short program. At the same time, she noted that she was counting on higher grades.
“While there is some devastation, tomorrow, probably, I will realize and draw a lesson from this start. Of course, places are important to me, but I will draw conclusions later. Today is upset, but joy is also present. I am very emotional: this is both a plus and a minus, ”the figure skater summed up.
Trusov did not hide her disappointment with the results of the continental championship. She emphasized that the cause of the failures was not fatigue, although after the New Year holidays her form left much to be desired.
“I just can’t concentrate, very upset. I could not collect after the first fall, so the second followed. But I like to perform when there are a lot of fours, I like complex content. With three quadruples, I have no right to make a mistake, that's the point. In Moscow, we decided to reduce their number, and after the New Year we were not able to restore everything, ”Trusova explained.
However, she promised that she would strive for unmistakable performances.
“I am very glad that I managed to get on the podium. At such a young age, we are already performing at the European Championships, we will go to the championship of the planet, ”concluded the bronze medalist.
The current season for Kostornaya, Shcherbakova and Trusova is the first at the adult level. However, they still retain the right to compete in junior competitions. However, after the end of the European Championships, all three assured that their next tournament was the planet's championship in Montreal, which will be held from March 16 to 22.
Thanks to just three single medals, the Russians managed to repeat the USSR national team record for the number of medals won in the continental tournament. In total, they have ten awards of various denominations out of 12 possible. The General Director of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) Alexander Kogan praised this success.
“I think that the skaters were correctly assigned tasks in all forms, and they brought the result. All our athletes did not just worthily perform and win medals - they showed the development of figure skating in the world, ”Kogan summed up the tournament.
A similar opinion was expressed by the Honored Trainer of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova.
“And there is nothing to say. Only two medals were given out of 12. You can not love us, but you need to remove the hat and bow. I congratulate all the trainers, and thank you very much to the federation, ”Tarasova said.