UPDATE: Niina Petrokina has surged to the top of the leaderboard in her quest to defend her European figure skating title, delivering an impressive performance in the short program on January 24, 2024, in Sheffield, England. With a stunning score of 70.61 points, Petrokina is on track to reclaim her championship title ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
After undergoing Achilles tendon surgery in October, Petrokina’s remarkable comeback showcased her talent as she executed a flawless routine, including a spectacular triple lutz-triple toeloop combination. Just a year after her unexpected victory on home ice, she has now outperformed her previous short program score from that event.
In a tightly contested field, Belgian skater Nina Pinzarrone, who has clinched bronze in the past two European Championships, stands in second place with 64.97 points. Close behind her is Italy’s Anna Pezzetta, who scored 64.85 points. Meanwhile, Loena Hendrickx, the 2024 European champion, sits in fifth place after an unfortunate fall, as she continues to navigate an injury-plagued season.
The defending champion, Anastasiia Gubanova, struggled in her performance, placing 11th after also falling. The stakes are high as the competition intensifies, with the pairs free skate scheduled for Thursday and the women’s free skate set for Friday.
In pairs competition, Georgia’s duo of Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava made headlines by taking the lead with a short program score of 75.96 points. They edged out defending champions Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany, who managed 74.81 points. Rounding out the top three, Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko scored 73.32 points.
Notably, all skaters in the top three pairs, except for Hase, were born in Russia but now represent other countries. Although Russia is absent from the championships, two Russian figure skaters have qualified for the Olympics under neutral status.
As the event unfolds, all eyes will be on Petrokina as she aims to solidify her position as a leading contender for Olympic glory. Stay tuned for more updates as the European Championships progress.