Grenoble, France

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2021 ISU World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) debuted a brand new Short Program to take the lead at the ISU Grand Prix Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Friday. Teammates Alena Kostornaia and Kseniia Sinitsyna follow in second and third.

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Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) © International Skating Union (ISU)

Shcherbakova changed her Short Program following the Grand Prix in Turin and now is skating to “Dangerous Affairs” and “Total View” by Inon Zur. The 2021 World Champion completed a double Axel, triple flip and triple Lutz-triple toe, as well as level-four spins and footwork to score 77.94 points.

“Today I was nervous, because I skated my new short program for the first time in competition, so I was really nervous not for the jumps, but for the program and I did not want to make a mistake,” the 2020 European silver medalist said. “My coaches decided to change the program. They said the new program will be better for me and that I did not look the way they wanted me to look in the previous program.”

Performing to “New York, New York”, Kostornaia landed a double Axel, triple Lutz, triple flip-triple toe and picked up a level four for her spins to earn 76.44 points.

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Alena Kostornaia (RUS) © International Skating Union (ISU)

“I am happy with what I did today,” the 2020 European Champion noted. “My coaches told me to do a double Axel (instead of a triple), because I need to skate clean and I did all that I can do.”

Sinitsyna’s performance to “Lullaby” by Petr Tchaikovski featured a double Axel, triple flip and triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination. The 2020 Youth Olympic Games silver medalist netted 69.89 points.

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Kseniia Sinitsyna (RUS) © International Skating Union (ISU)

“I am basically pleased with my performance. I did what I can do and what I have trained,” the 17-year-old said. “We have worked a lot on the program. Vera Arutiunian choreographed it and we have done video calls to polish everything, the hand and upper body movements,” she added.

Newcomer Yeonjeong Park (KOR) placed fourth on 67.00 points with another clean performance. Karen Chen (USA) slightly underrotated her triple Lutz and loop and is currently ranked fifth on 64.67 points followed by 2018 World silver medalist Wakaba Higuchi (JPN), who singled her planned triple Axel (63.87 points).

Starr Andrews (USA) has withdrawn during the Women’s Short Program due to medical reasons.

For full results, see here.