Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin won their second title, while teammates Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski and Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer won the silver and bronze, respectively.
All medalists have earned a spot at the upcoming European Figure Skating Championships.
Domnina and Shabalin opened their powerful routine to Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances with a very good level four dance spin, followed by a solid level four diagonal step sequence, and an excellent level four straight line and straight line-rotational combination lift. The 2006-07 Grand Prix Final bronze medalists also produced good synchronized twizzles, an excellent level four serpentine lift, a very good level four circular step sequence, and an excellent level four rotational lift to earn 102.39 points for a first place finish in the FD. With a total score of 207.32 points, the Olympians, who were second last year at this event, placed first overall to win the title.
Khokhlova and Novitski also produced an incredibly well done dance which featured good synchronized twizzles, as well as four excellent level four lifts (one in combination) and dance spin, and two very good level three step sequences. The 2006 NHK Trophy silver medalists earned 95.68 points for their routine to Aranjuez Mon Amour by Joaquín Rodrigo, placing second in the FD and overall (192.94 points).
Skating to Swan Lake with Russian lyrics, Rubleva and Shefer produced a powerful program which included level four side-by-side twizzles, four very good level four lifts (one in combination with a level three lift), and a good level four straight line step sequence. The 2004 Junior National bronze medalists were awarded 85.36 points, placing third in the FD and overall (169.34 points).
Performing to a flamenco, Platonova and Maximishin put out a very good level four combination dance spin as well as four very good lifts. The 2006 Karl Schäfer Memorial silver medalists placed fourth (83.20 points) in the FD and overall (166.15 points).
Yakovleva and Manvelov, who stood in eighth after the OD, displayed good lifts, but seemed to be lacking somewhat in the serpentine and diagonal footwork sequences. The team placed fifth in the FD (72.01 points), moving up to sixth place overall (138.52 points).
Gmyzina and Lobanov produced an interesting dance with good choreography which included a very good level four straight line lift, but the second portion of their diagonal step sequence was slow and graded a level one. The team also received a deduction for an extended lift (again), scoring 70.08 points for a sixth place finish and fifth overall (140.27 points).
Zlobina and Sitnikov placed seventh in the FD (69.95) and eighth overall (128.78 points), while Shmyrina and Bazdyrev, who were sixth after the OD, placed eighth in the FD (66.51 points) and slipped to seventh overall (134.40 points).
