For fans of figure skating, the main event in April immediately after the World Team Championship in Osaka will be the Champions on Ice show, organized by the team of Eteri Tutberidze.
The best skaters of Russia have already gone on tour across the country, and their main performance took place in the capital's Megasport.
The concept of “Champions on Ice” is that Tutberidze's students and invited athletes show not their show numbers, but competitive programs, trying to do without simplifying them.
The tour was supposed to start a year ago, but it had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the second attempt, a large-scale show with a visit to several cities still took place and has already presented several bright events, which would be enough for an independent tournament.
The personal fans of Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva had to wait with special impatience for the tour of the skaters.
Their appearance on the ice is rare this season.
The Olympic champion has had a pause in her sports career for almost a year and a half, and her main rival in the Games in Pyeongchang fought all autumn with injuries and diseases that prevented her from successfully performing and qualifying for the national team.
Zagitova's performance in Moscow began with the Cleopatra program, well known to the fans.
Compared to the rental in Kazan, where the Olympic champion did not perform a single jump, she made significant progress.
Zagitova performed a triple flip, but instead of a triple lutz she performed a "butterfly".
In the second part, the fans saw the premiere of the number “Inner Light”, which was announced back in March.
Zagitova performed lyrically to the music of The Cinematic Orchestra and performed lutz and flip cleanly.
The most memorable moment happened when the lights went out in the arena - then a white ball lit up on the athlete's chest, referring to the name of the program.
After the end of the rental, Zagitova brought Daniil Gleichengauz to the ice, who put this number, and briefly commented on her future plans.
She admitted that she is still thinking about resuming her career, and the new number belongs only to the category of arbitrary.
Medvedeva also performed with two skates, and from both performances it was possible to conclude that the athlete is in good shape.
In the production of Echo of Love, the two-time world champion performed a cascade of salchow and sheepskin coat - she has not shown two jumps in a bunch since the September test skates.
After that, Medvedeva showed her Olympic "Anna Karenina", which could cause mixed feelings of nostalgia among the fans.
Of the jumping elements, the skater left only the rittberger and the salchow, but both turned out great.
After the speech, Medvedeva noted that she finally began to feel good, but she was still not sure about competing.
“I decided to try the cascade, it starts to go slowly in training.
It didn't work out in Kazan, but here I landed the first jump normally, decided to try the second one.
We have six jumps, as a skater I am obliged to perform them.
The recovery took place quite a long time ago, I had to go to the hospital again, but now, I think, it is clear that I look healthier, the body began to work as it should.
All major failures have been fixed.
I'm not complaining about my health.
Next competition?
Let's wait for the season to go right, and then we'll see, ”Medvedeva told Sport-Express.
Within the framework of Champions on Ice, many of the main characters of this season also performed at Megasport - Anna Shcherbakova, Kamila Valieva, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Mikhail Kolyada, Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov (their rental was overshadowed by the fall of their partner), Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov , Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin.
There was also one figure skater among them, whose appearance the fans were waiting for.
Alena Kostornaya went on the ice with two numbers and showed that the first month of training with Tutberidze was not in vain.
All jumps, including cascades, she did.
True, while in her arsenal there was no triple axel, which brought the girl the title of European champion.
In a conversation with reporters, Alena commented on the new rental for Billie Eilish and told when she would return the branded element.
“The program is about getting out of your comfort zone.
After returning to "Khrustalny" I rather entered it.
In general, it turns out to get in shape.
I was a substitute at the World Championships, I had to skate all the programs.
And pretty good, because there were pretty clean, almost flawless whole rentals.
Now Dudakov was leaving, I decided not to try without a fishing rod.
Because after some unsuccessful attempts, immediately without her, minor microtraumas occurred, and I would not want to fly out of the training process, ”explained Kostornaya.
Although the show was held in Kazan and Moscow with great interest from the fans, not everyone liked it.
1994 Olympic champion Oksana Baiul criticized him.
The former Ukrainian athlete recalled that the original show "Champions on Ice" was organized by figure skater Tom Collins back in 1969, and urged not to confuse the two events.
“These kids have no idea what the real“ Champions on Ice ”are and who created this brand. Tom Collins, rest in peace, your tour was versatile and had skaters from all over the world. We will always remember you, ”Bayul wrote on Instagram.