Stockholm / Sweden

The 2015 ISU European Figure Skating Championships continued in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday with the Ladies Free Skating at Ericsson Globe.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) skates to gold
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva skated to the gold and led a Russian sweep in the Ladies event. Elena Radionova took the silver medal and Anna Pogorilaya claimed the bronze.

Performing to “Batwannis Beek”and “Sandstorm”, Tuktamysheva produced a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination, a triple toe-triple toe combination as well as four triple jumps and three level-four spins to post a new personal best of 141.38 points. Overall she racked up 210.40 points to win her first European title. The 18-year-old was the European bronze medalist in 2013. “It is a very happy moment for me. I think this was one of my best performances, but it is still not the maximum of what I can do. I am very glad that all three Russian girls skated a clean short and free program and I am excited to come out on top. This gives me confidence”, the ISU Grand Prix Final Champion said.

Radionova’s routine to a selection of music by Sergei Rachmaninov featured the maximum of seven triple jumps as well, including a triple Lutz-triple toe and a triple loop-single loop-triple Salchow. The two-time World Junior Champion picked up a personal best score with 139.08 points but with a total of 209.54 was edged out of the gold narrowly. “I’m so happy I was able to show my best performance at my first European Championships, where I wanted so much to skate well. My emotions were strong all the way through, I was nervous at the start but in a good way, and then the audience was so warm and supported me so much, they really pushed me and gave me such drive”, the 16-year-old commented.

Pogorilaya landed five clean triples in her program to “Firebird”, but touched down on the triple flip and a triple Lutz. The Muscovite scored 125.71 points and remained in third place at 191.81 points overall. “The beginning (of the program) was good but then maybe I was tired, maybe I didn't pull myself together enough. I am crazy happy with the result but not everything happened as I wanted in my performance so that adds a bit of a sad note”, the 16-year-old explained.

Russia had swept the Ladies podium at the European Championships four times before, from 1999 to 2002. Joshi Helgesson (SWE) pulled up from sixth to fourth at 169.07 points, followed by her older sister Viktoria (166.39 points). Mae Berenice Meite (FRA) came sixth (156.37 points). Kiira Korpi (FIN) withdrew citing illness. She stood in fourth place following the Short Program.