Before the start of the free dance, the four-time world champion Gabriela Papadakis, live on the SVS TV channel, suggested that Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov should win in Stockholm in their absence with Guillaume Sizeron.
“Especially if they keep their old dance,” the Frenchwoman said.
The comment sounded somewhat arrogant and at the same time painful: last year's program was brilliantly performed by the Russians at the European Championships in Graz, and it was it that deprived the French of the opportunity to win the continental championship for the sixth time in a row.
That championship in general turned out to be exciting for the dancers: the difference between Gabriela and Guillaume and their pursuers in rhythm dance was only 0.05 points, but the free one - and also with a minimal advantage - was won by Vika and Nikita.
No one has provided such a tough, if not fierce, competition to the unconditional leaders in recent years.
Before losing to the Russians, they became second only three times in six years, but those were not defeats, but a kind of temporary tribute to the Vancouver Olympic champions, Tessa Vertiu and Scott Moir, who returned to the sport.
It is clear that Gabriela sympathized with Sinitsina and Katsalapov in the media and reasoned, perhaps, as follows: if it turned out that this particular duet once turned out to be stronger, he cannot lose to those whom he has always been ahead of.
Nevertheless, there was a certain danger: with the transition from Igor Shpilband to the famous Montreal school Dubreuil - Lozon, the vice-champions of the world - 2015 Madison Chock and Evan Bates found a second wind.
Another wards of the same coaches - Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donoghue - if they did not improve their skills, then they definitely did not lose their condition.
The fact that in rhythm dance, both the one and the other pair bypassed the champions of Russia Alexander Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, spoke of the seriousness of American intentions more than eloquently.
Even Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were ahead of Sasha and Vanya, who two years ago, at the last major international forum, were located in the unconditionally far seventh position (Chock and Bates went no further, closing the six).
On the other hand, Gilles and Poirier performed in Saitama as the second couple of their country, while they arrived in Stockholm already first.
And the grades went up right away.
As befits a dance.
But the rental of the strongest group began, and with respect to the first place everything fell into place.
In short, there were no absolutely objective equals to Sinitsina and Katsalapov, especially since both American duos skated with small blots.
The world champions set a new personal record in free dance, gaining 133.02 (last year's result of the European Championship was exceeded by 1.33), respectively, the total amount of 221.17 became a new personal achievement.
The world record owned by Papadakis and Sizeron survived (it is 226.61), but something else is important here: on the eve of the most important season, Sinitsina and Katsalapov had a difficult but very successful year, while the former hegemons were deprived of all opportunities: from training to the usual routine in Montreal before competing.
And it may well turn out that it will be much more difficult for them to return to the positions they left, than for the new champions to keep the conquered ones.
“They left everything on the ice, I don’t even know what to say after such an emotional outburst,” Katsalapov shared his own feelings after the skating.
The words were really completely useless.
The Russian team held an amazing championship, the result of which was exhaustively formulated by the Olympic medalist and well-known producer Ilya Averbukh.
“You don't have to look for words, you have to shout bravo.
It was as if they lifted us to another planet, where the perfection of beauty, where the soul freezes, where every word is about love.
Bravo!
I had no doubts that the world champions played in front of us.
We haven't won for 12 years, last year the guys beat the French at the European Championship.
Yes, they are not here, and next year a serious struggle is foreseen, but today we have become world champions in dancing by right.
Bravo, Zhulin!
He has done a gigantic job.
They went through thorns.
Look at their faces.
There is breath, striving, flight, passion.
This is the champion performance of Vika and Nikita.
A difficult season, it was not easy for them to enter it, so I want to smile and shout that our country has three gold out of four, ”Averbukh did not hide his delight.