2024-25 Russian Pairs Figure Skating

[lariko]

Moskvina Public Master Class

Great. I hope to see them in competitions soon.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Great. I hope to see them in competitions soon.

They are planning to take part in Panin Memorial (4-5 Oct, it has its own thread).

 

[lariko]

They are planning to take part in Panin Memorial (4-5 Oct, it has its own thread).

Gonna take a look to see if it will have an accessible stream.

 

[Weathergal]

I want Kostornaya/Kunitsa to move to another fed. They could have won Junior Worlds easily this year (the level is ridiculously low in internationals, even with the Chinese back) and moved to Seniors next year, competing at the Olympics.

Even with Metulkina / Berulava competing again? They've mentioned they might compete at Junior Worlds this season. I think with already getting a silver at Euros and gold at JWC last season, it's a little superfluous, but...that is their choice, of course. So I wouldn't put Kostornaya / Kunitsa above them if they're competing. Don't get me wrong - there are definitely some things I like about Kostornaya / Kunitsa.

 

[Kittosuni]

Just a side note about Metulkina/Berulava, i think their reputation with the judges is going to hurt if they keep competing in juniors because their companents will still be perceived as juniorish even though they are one of the top senior skaters now. But, I also understand that the price money of winning junior worlds is probably appealing to them.

 

[lariko]

Even with Metulkina / Berulava competing again? They've mentioned they might compete at Junior Worlds this season. I think with already getting a silver at Euros and gold at JWC last season, it's a little superfluous, but...that is their choice, of course. So I wouldn't put Kostornaya / Kunitsa above them if they're competing. Don't get me wrong - there are definitely some things I like about Kostornaya / Kunitsa.

I dislike the comparison when I don't see people in the same competition, but I feel on Junior level if both went clean, Kostornaya/Kunitsa would take the gold. Not saying it won't be close.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Kostornaia on her social media:

Dear friends, without breaking the tradition of MONDAY - a bit of sad news.
As you know, I have suffered a serious illness and full recovery takes much more time and effort than we could have expected.
Due to this we will have to miss a significant number of competitions.
️BUT THERE ARE SOME GOOD NEWS!
I am rehabilitating and restoring my health under the supervision of doctors who have allowed certain loads and being on the ice .

Thank you for your support and faith in Gosha and I. We are waiting for the moment when we will be able to meet you at competitions and show our programs in full strength. And while I will be recovering my health you can always enjoy our skating in shows.

 

[lariko]

Kostornaia on her social media:

Dear friends, without breaking the tradition of MONDAY - a bit of sad news.
As you know, I have suffered a serious illness and full recovery takes much more time and effort than we could have expected.
Due to this we will have to miss a significant number of competitions.
️BUT THERE ARE SOME GOOD NEWS!
I am rehabilitating and restoring my health under the supervision of doctors who have allowed certain loads and being on the ice .

Thank you for your support and faith in Gosha and I. We are waiting for the moment when we will be able to meet you at competitions and show our programs in full strength. And while I will be recovering my health you can always enjoy our skating in shows.

I am just going to hope that this is code for transfer if they skip the season.

 

[Dreamer57]

I kind of doubt that K/K would be allowed to transfer, she is a European champion after all. But if they somehow were, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Georgia look good.
Best wishes to Aliona for a speedy recovery

 

[Skating91]

I thought K/K were good in the test skates, but she was already talking about being at the crossroads soon after the completion of their skate and was real negative, so she already had something planned then. The health thing seems like a cover to me. Maybe I'm being mean and cynical, but that's what it seems like to me.

I think they're going to skate in shows for the time being as a couple, and during this period she's going to attempt to switch countries and go back to singles skating. The husband has no real say in it I think he just goes along with it all. I feel embarrassed for the poor guy when I watch them together. He seems like a really great guy, keeps it together.

It's all so bizarre. I'm not sure which country she would go to or why a country would support her. Without Eteri she won't achieve anything. Eteri tapped into something in her psyche creating some of the best skating in history. That's the genius of Eteri she knows the exact buttons to push to create the best of all time (up until that point in 2019).

It's such a shame. They were going to be exciting to watch this season.

 

[lariko]

They are by far, far more valuable/competitive as a pair to transfer than a single skater woman, plus 2 people have more potential for connections abroad and RusFed can't stop pair transfer because of Eu title, since it was earned in singles. They are also capable of making next Olympics as a pair in 2030 since they are so young. Whatever they are planning, best of luck and I really hope for a solid fed for them if they leave.

Someone said Kazakhstan is out since they need a relative there, unless one of them does.

I missed the only time Kostornaya was in a GP in Canada, so would be super happy if they get out and I can see her skate live.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Kostornaia/Kunitsa are learning FoDs

 

[ajingmarg]

Kostornaia/Kunitsa are learning FoDs

That would be invalid element. She doesn't get close enough to the ice

 

[AlexBreeze]

That would be invalid element. She doesn't get close enough to the ice

Of course. They are just learning. And the position in FoDs is usually higher than in other death spirals. I think the main problem here is his position, not her.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

That would be invalid element. She doesn't get close enough to the ice

For outside death spirals, the head has to be at or below skating knee level, so she's not very far off that.
At this point, they're just doing a preparatory learning exercise, not attempting a proper death spiral (see his lack of toe pick pivot and pivot position), so they wouldn't be attempting it like this in competition anyway. Once his body is lower down, she'll be in the right position as well.

Of course. They are just learning. And the position in FoDs is usually higher than in other death spirals. I think the main problem here is his position, not her.

Yes, they are indeed just learning, and yes, her position isn't bad for an outside death spiral (which just physically is impossible to do as close to the ice as an inside death spiral). His position would not count for a death spiral (no anchored foot) but that's also clearly not the aim. For now, it's all about Aliona learning the movement and position.

 

[flanker]

This season was little depopulated in this discipline at Russian GP, only seven pairs competed in total (to be more precise 9 planned to compete but only 7 finished two skates*). I tried to make comparison with the last year where 15 pairs took part. So of those 15 pairs:

1 Anastasia Mishina / Alexander Gallyamov -still with us
2 Alexandra Boikova / Dmitry Kozlovskii - still with us
3 Natalya Khabibullina / Ilya Knyazhuk - injured
4 Elizaveta Osokina / Artem Gritsaenko - still with us
5 Ekaterina Chikmareva / Matvey Ianchenkov - injured
6 Yulia Artemeva / Alexey Briukhanov - missing for medical reasons, last news Nov 1: “There will be a decision on Yulia in the near future.”
7 Yasmina Kadyrova / Valery Kolesov - split, Kadyrova skates with Mironov this season, Kolesov retired
8 Alyona Kostornaya / Georgy Kunitsa - "skipping two seasons"
9 Taisia Sobinina / Denis Khodykin - Khodykin retired, Sobinina probably plans to continue according to her latest statements, I presume is in process of looking for a new partner
10 Anastasia Mukhortova / Dmitry Yevgenyev - still with us
11 Darya Boyarintseva / Roman Pleshkov - Pleshkov retired, Boyarintseva wants to try coaching accordoing to Mozer (statement from April)
12 Victoria Vasileva / Roman Zaporozhets - withdrew from the third stage due to illness, attended third stage of GP, withdrew after SP, I suppose still illness.
13 Maya Shegai / Igor Shamshurov - split, Shegai skates with Shaderkov in juniors
14 Karina Akopova / Nikita Rakhmanin - injuries, plans to move to Armenia
15 Elizaveta Kuleshova / Vladimir Sled - terra incognita, last info is they competed at Rusakov's memorial (local competition) in February 2024

-
*
Khabibullina / Knyazhuk planned to skate at GP Idel, but suffered from injury just before the competition. Vasilieva/Zaporozhets withdrew from the third stage in Krasnoyarsk after SP.

 

[flanker]

Update on pairs:

Artemeva/Briukhanov - still have not received medical clearance to compete.

Chikmareva/Ianchekov - will miss Russian nationals with 95 % probability according to Sliusarenko. “Katya and Matvey took to the ice, are training, are slowly getting in shape, and have started doing double throws. Katya has recovered her triple jumps, but we are not forcing it because the injury was serious. We will miss the Russian Championship (with a 95% probability), I don’t know what needs to happen for us to make it in time, but we are not giving a final answer yet,” Slyusarenko said.

 

[flanker]

List of Russian pairs for Nationals:
Daria Andreeva - Alexander Akimov, Alisa Blinnikova - Alexey Karpov, Alexandra Boykova - Dmitry Kozlovsky, Yasmina Kadyrova - Ilya Mironov, Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov, Anastasia Mukhortova - Dmitry Evgeniev, Elizaveta Osokina - Artem Gritsaenko, Natalya Khabibullina - Ilya Knyazuk.

So Khabibullina - Knyazhuk hopefully will make it to the nationals.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Igor Shamshurov

Igor is still looking for a partner.

15 Elizaveta Kuleshova / Vladimir Sled - terra incognita, last info is they competed at Rusakov's memorial (local competition) in February 2024

I'm sure they were on the entry list for some competition in Moscow this season.

 

[flanker]

Igor is still looking for a partner.


I'm sure they were on the entry list for some competition in Moscow this season.

Thank you for the info.