(L-R) Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR), Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA) and Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) pose in the Ice Dance medal ceremony during the 2024 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania.
2024 European Figure Skating Championships: Ice Dance
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy won their second consecutive European title in Kaunas, Lithuania on Saturday. Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson came in a close place for the silver, while Lithuanians Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius took the bronze.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri
Guignard and Fabbri picked up a new season’s best of 86.80 for first place with their sharp rhythm dance. The twizzles and lift were graded a level four, while the pattern steps were a three. The midline steps received a level three and two in their energetic routine to “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Against All Odds.”
“We feel good, it was one of the better performances this season,” said Fabbri. “The margin to the other team is also a bit bigger than it was at other competitions. The crowd interacted very well today, that felt good. We don’t really care too much about the scores anymore. Sometimes we have a great performance and get 84, then at another time we have a not-so-good feeling and get 87. So, we really don’t count on that.”
The 2023 World silver medalists gave a passionate and seemingly effortless free dance to music from various soundtracks. They produced very good level-four twizzles and difficult lifts that received high grades of execution (GOE). The dance spin was also graded a level four, while the circular and one-foot steps were a level three. They finished first in the free dance and overall (127.58/214.38).
“The moment when the whole Italian team came to congratulate us after the victory ceremony was very special,” said Fabbri. “We are super happy, not because of the performance that we skated really clean, but how we managed the competition and the stress which was high tonight. Especially in front of this crowd, which was unbelievable!”
“The crowd was incredible,” agreed Guignard. “When we took the first step on the ice I said, ‘wow, it is full!'”
“They (the crowd) supported the Lithuanian couple, which is normal since we are in Lithuania, but the support we received was one of the best we ever had,” Fabbri observed.
Fabbri explained that the win this year was different from last year.
“Last year we felt the pressure to win,” he pointed out. “We were the favorites and we really wanted to achieve this goal. This year, we didn’t come here with the same stress. Today was a bit hard, maybe because we were tired or because it was late, or we felt the pressure unconsciously. So, it was not a super-clean performance. But there are more emotions compared to last year. We enjoyed the competition more.”
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson
Showing lots of character in their “Sweet Dreams” rhythm dance, Fear and Gibson opened with fast level-four twizzles. The midline steps were graded a level three and two, while the pattern steps received a level three. The ending rotational lift was graded a level four and they earned high GOEs for all elements throughout. The 2023 European silver medalists scored a new season’s best of 85.20 for second place.
“We feel really good,” said Fear, “it was fun to perform out there today. Of course, it feels good to score a season’s best score. We feel so thrilled for Allison and Saulius for them to have this amazing opportunity to skate in front of a home crowd.”
“This competition is so well organized and has so many great and well thought-through details,” added Gibson.
Their innovated “Rocky” routine received 126.03 points for second place in the free dance. Fear had a small balance issue on the dance spin, which was graded a level three, but there were no deductions. The twizzles were graded a level three and four, as did the diagonal steps. The opening one-foot steps received a level three for both ice dancers, but all three lifts garnered a level four with high GOES. The 2023 NHK Trophy champions finished second overall with a total score of 210.82.
“We had a couple of little blips, but we fought till the very end, from start to finish,” said Fear. “We really took the energy from the crowd and I’m very proud of us. There is always room to grow.”
“The applause for Lithuanians was amazing!” she added. “We could just feel it. Skating to Rocky helped us to fight. And also the amount of sweat, because it was so hot out there! We were like we are at the gym, boxing all the way through. We really fought right till the end. I think it really embodies the program and it’s even more fulfilling when we can tell the story through us.”
“Skating after such a big applause, I don’t think I have ever heard anything like that in ice dance before,” said Gibson.
Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius
Reed and Ambrulevicius finished third (80.73) in the rhythm dance. The 2023 Skate Canada bronze medalists showed good level-four twizzles and rotational lift. The midline and pattern steps were graded a level three in their entertaining performance to a Guns n’ Roses melody.
“When Lithuania got these championships! We were almost as excited as we are right now, which is really thrilled; excited and in the clouds!” said Ambrulevicius. “It is very special, and we are having tremendous fun. I am proud to have this competition in my home city and proud of everyone who skated amazingly.”
The 2023 NHK Trophy bronze medalists picked up new personal best scores in both the free dance (122.64) and total score (203.37) for a third-place finish. Their unique and modern routine to “Enough of Our Machines” and “Children” featured strong level-four twizzles and lifts. The dance spin and one-foot steps were awarded a level three, while the diagonal steps received a level two and three. The home crowd erupted at the end with standing ovations and waving flags.
“I think we are both without words,” said Reed. “I want to scream from the top of my lungs! I’m so proud of our accomplishment this year. We heard more of the crowd right after the skate. I think we both have a way of tuning into each other and connect as much as we can. But as the music got more quiet at the end, I couldn’t hear it, so I was counting on both of our feelings and the crowd was absolutely amazing!”
“It’s special to win the medal on the Lithuanian ‘Independence Day,'” added Ambrulevicius. “We fought for our freedom and today we fought for our country again and we did it. We’ve been through a lot, and it’s been a long road, and we are finally here. I am looking forward to hugging my family and friends. Allison has been here for many years and she has friendships here as well. All those who supported us along the way.”
Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud
Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France picked up a new personal best of 78.47 for their rhythm dance to selections by Mylene Farmer. The 2023 Skate America bronze medalists earned a level four on the twizzles and stationary lift, while the midline and pattern steps were graded a level three. They placed fourth going into the free dance.
“I am very happy and pleased with the skate today,” said Lopareva.
“We had a long discussion at the beginning of the season and fought for this rhythm dance music, but we think it paid off in the end!” said Brissaud.
The 2023 Grand Prix de France bronze medalists scored a new personal best of 118.70 points for their elegant free dance to selections by Sergei Rachmaninov. Their routine was highlighted by level-four twizzles, lifts and dance spin. However, the diagonal steps were graded a level three and two, while the one-foot steps were a level three, and they finished fourth overall (197.17).
“We feel really, really tired now but we are very pleased with our performance and our result,” said Lopareva. “To be honest, we were happy to skate before the Lithuanian couple and not right after them. I have to say it is crazy and super cool to have an audience like this. As we already did seven competitions this year, it’s now time for a little rest and no more competitions before worlds.”
They will take a week off and then go to Montreal to prepare for Worlds.
Loicia Demougeot and Theo Le Mercier
Loicia Demougeot and Theo Le Mercier of France scored a new personal best (75.69) for eighth place for their rhythm dance to “Rapper’s Delight” and “Why Can’t We Leave Together.” The 2023 Budapest Trophy bronze medalists displayed level-four twizzles and rotational lift, while the midline steps were graded a two and three.
“After we had a disaster with this program at French Nationals, we are actually very happy to show a good performance today,” said Demougeot. “I was very nervous ahead of the skate.”
The national silver medalists put out a very good free dance to “Clair de Lune” and “Waves” which was highlighted by level-four twizzles, lifts and dance spin. Continuously improving, they scored a new personal best for both the free dance and total score, placing fifth place overall (116.46/192.15).
“When coming off the ice we knew already it was a good performance and that we would probably be able to keep our place, but the score exceeded our expectations,” said Demougeot. “We are so, so happy. The audience pumped us up. It felt like at a rock concert! It’s the best to perform for people like this.”
Demougeot was sick at the end of December and the last days of training were very tough. They will perform at the Challenge Cup before Worlds but are looking forward to a little longer break until that competition.
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis of Finland placed sixth (76.36) with their fun rhythm dance. The Grand Prix Espoo bronze medalists earned a level four on the twizzles and stationary lift, but the midline steps were graded a level two and one.
“We felt good, we thought we showed a strong performance,” said Versluis. “But we lost some levels which is a bit disappointing. But we are ready to fight in the Free Dance.”
“We want to say thank you to everyone supporting us,” added Turkkila. “Also, it means a lot more to us if we hear we truly moved someone with our skate than earning certain points.”
The 2023 Nebelhorn bronze medalists showed good skating skills and depth of edges in their free dance to “Mass” and “Loss.” Unfortunately, they received a costly one-point deduction for an extra element in the choreo steps. However, the twizzles, lifts, and dance spin were graded a level four. Both the circular and one-foot steps received a level two, and they finished sixth in the free dance and overall (115.72/192.08).
“Performing felt good today!” said Turkkila. “We are very surprised though with the ‘extra element’ in the choreo steps. We didn’t change anything from the previous performances. We will have to research what happened there.”
They are looking forward to performing at Music on Ice in Switzerland next week and will then prepare for Worlds.
Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler
Czech Republic’s Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler used the nuances in their music throughout their rhythm dance to “The Knowledge,” “Juicy Fruit” and “Serious Slammin.'” The twizzles were graded a four and three, while the curve left was a level four. They scored a new season’s best of 76.68 for fifth place.
“We are so happy to be back and also with a performance like this,” said Natalie. “The last month was tough. We came back to Italy on Dec 8th and didn’t take any breaks from then on. But it paid off today.”
Filip had contracted food poisoning in the fall and was ill for a month, losing lots of weight.
“But I continued the hard training,” he shared. “Then they found out I had a fracture in my spine. I skated on painkillers with it at Skate America. In the end, doctors were telling me nine weeks off the ice to heal. I took a lot of walks in Prague to help the recovery and it recovered luckily faster than expected. Good thing is that I finally discovered my city Prague for real.”
The two-time national champions placed seventh in the free dance with a new season’s best of 114.87 for their routine to “Blucobalto,” “Terra Rosa” and “Son felice.” The team showed good speed throughout their program, which was highlighted by three level-four lifts and twizzles. The serpentine steps received a level two and three, while the one-foot steps were a three, however, they had a small mistake on the dance spin which was graded a level two. They placed seventh overall with 191.55 points, another season’s best.
“We are happy to be back at competition,” said Filip, who added they will now train for Worlds. “The mistake at the spin was disappointing. The crowd was amazing, and we were happy to have been back in the last group.”
Rounding out the top 10
Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Georgia finished eighth overall (189.46), followed by Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of the Czech Republic (182.33) and Finland’s Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen (179.71).
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