The championship of Russia began with rumours about the withdrawal of Kostornaya. Why is this so bad?
What can happen if the leader of the women's skating competition still does not perform in Krasnoyarsk.
In anticipation of the Russian Figure Skating Championship in Krasnoyarsk, which starts training day tomorrow, the network is discussing news about the possible withdrawal of the Grand Prix final winner Aluona Kostornaya from the tournament. “SE” analysed the implications for the selection for international starts.
Selection for the national team can again become scandalous
Alyona Kostornaya, without exaggeration, is a favorite of the Russian Championship. Her absence automatically makes the selection by the federation of the national team for the European and World Championships even more difficult than last year, when there was no Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva. In fact, the tournament in Krasnoyarsk is becoming somewhat intermediate. Whatever the top three may be based on its results, Kostornaya will be kept in mind. Perhaps only the winner of the Championship can somehow count on a guaranteed ticket to Worls.
Recall, according to the rules of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, the first two winners of the Russian championship go to international tournaments, and the third is determined by the coaching council and approved by the executive committee, and this position can change - that is, one figure skater will compete at the European Championship in Graz, and at the world championship in Montreal there will be another.
The absence of Kostornaya almost guaranteed means that the top three will be either Medvyedeva or Tuktamysheva. And throwing them out of there by the decision of the federation will not be easy. Yevgeniya, who has the reputation, Yelizaveta, to whom we are “indebted” from last year.
The European Championships in Graz at the end of January in this case becomes a stress for all Russian skaters. In the event of an unsuccessful performance (and what is failure, it is not spelled out anywhere?) a replacement for Kostornaya is practically guaranteed. Either the Cup of Russia final will be used again, or they will arrange some control skating runs for the leadership of the federation (to decide). Most likely, we again await the separation of opinions on the coaching council and the storm in social media networks. Moreover, if earlier only fans used Instagram in the form of tools, now the time has come for their idols.
In general, let's hope that the news about Alyona is just a rumour. But it has been painfully lately, as often these rumours are confirmed.
If there is an injury, it’s at a very wrong time
There is really no accurate information about Alyona’s state of health, and probably won’t appear until the start of the Championship. Sources of SE found it difficult to say how serious the situation is. In fact, the only source is the journalist Vasily Konov, who in his Telegram channel raised the topic of withdrawal from the competition. Tomorrow morning Moscow time in Krasnoyarsk will be held training for women, on which it will be possible to draw at least some conclusions. I really would not want the trauma to be revealed at the moment the best Russian skater at that moment.
Moreover, the limit on injuries this season for the Tutberidze group can be said to have been exhausted. Miraculously, Kamila Valiyeva managed to recover in time for the Grand Prix finals and win after a leg fracture, another talented junior Alyona Kanysheva was being treated, in fact, her career was threatened. Fractures have been in Anna Shcherbakova and Yevgeniya Medvyedeva. Finally, Kostornaya herself missed the junior World Championships in the spring, and also because of a leg fracture. Any relapse in such a situation is doubly dangerous.
Zagitova hurry up?
There were similar rumours before the Grand Prix finals, when they talked about the possible withdrawal of Alina Zagitova. But there the situation was much more tragic. Alina starred only in demonstration performances, and then made a historic appearance in the program “Time”. Obviously, the impossibility of high results and getting into the top three contributed to the decision to suspend her career. Fighting for medals at the Russian Championship was almost impossible. The layout is obvious - there are these three young students of Tutberidze, and at a considerable distance from them all the others.
However, the possible elimination of the leader would free that cherished third line, and Zagitova would definitely lay claim to it. Of course, her decision to leave was dictated by much more global, psychological and mental reasons. But strictly speaking, her chances of getting into the team in the absence of any of the competitors increased.
It remains to wish health to all our skaters. The situation in Russian figure skating is such that now any injury will have a multiplier effect in the form of disputes about the composition of the national team. So let everyone perform in Krasnoyarsk and decide among themselves who will go to the main tournaments in 2020.
(c) Дмитрий Кузнецов
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https://www.sport-express.ru/figure...i-vystupil-li-kostornaya-kto-favorit-1625635/
Gracheva is also in.
