by Matteo Morelli | Images by Matteo Morelli (off ice) & Yoriko Suzuki (on ice)
France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron gained their first gold as a brand new group. They had been adopted by Italy’s Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri in second place, and residential darlings Lilah Concern and Lewis Gibson in bronze medal place. On the medal ceremony, all three groups had been congratulated by British ice dance legend Sir Christopher Dean, who offered every medallist with flowers.
Occasion Recap
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron claimed their first European gold along with a complete of 222.43 factors, the best rating up to now this season.
Neither skater is new to the European Championships. Cizeron gained a number of medals in his earlier partnership (his final Europeans look was in 2020), and Fournier Beaudry beforehand competed on the occasion representing Denmark till 2018.
“I had the prospect to expertise each Europeans and 4 Continents, and I’ve to say that I missed rather a lot Europeans as a result of it was a extremely good follow for Worlds”, Fournier Beaudry shared. “We couldn’t wait to return right here for our first Europeans collectively”.
Their rhythm dance already put them within the lead with 86.93 factors, regardless of an exclamation mark for his or her choreographic rhythm sequence. They shared that for the reason that Grand Prix Closing they’d labored on each programmes to enhance them.
“We now have made a number of modifications to our quick program, and we needed to point out them for the primary time in entrance of an viewers”, Fournier Beaudry mentioned.
“We had a number of concepts of what we needed to tweak after the ultimate, in order that was our plan all alongside”, Cizeron added. “Regardless that we didn’t have a lot time, I feel it was actually price it, and it confirmed”.
Their free dance earned 135.50, a brand new private finest for them and the best rating of the season. The programme continues to develop in depth and depth.
“I noticed Stéphane (Lambiel) skating to it and it introduced me to tears and I used to be like, ‘I’ve to skate to this at some point’, then the chance got here round and along with Laurence we discovered a method to make it a aggressive program”, Cizeron shared. “Once I launched the music, I used to be actually hoping that she would adore it as a lot as I did, and he or she did immediately”.
With the Winter Olympic Video games approaching rapidly, this gold medal represents a key step towards their podium ambitions.
“We got here right here seeing this competitors as a rehearsal for the Olympic Video games”, Fournier Beaudry admitted. “It was an extended week of coaching, an excellent week throughout all our periods, and we put down two robust competitors applications. That provides us a little bit of hope and motivation for what’s forward”.
“We’re actually happy with all of these modifications that we made. I feel for us it was form of only a stepping stone in direction of the Olympics”, Cizeron mentioned.
Charlène Guinard and Marco Fabbri proceed their outstanding consistency on the European Championships. After three consecutive European titles, they earned a silver medal, an essential end result following a shaky begin of their season on the Grand Prix circuit.
“This silver medal for us actually looks like gold”, Guignard mentioned. “This actually felt unattainable to realize, we’re very pleased”.
“The start of the season was not nice for us, we had been fairly upset by the scores we received”, Fabbri admitted. “We deliberate to begin the season a little bit later, so we knew that we weren’t in good form firstly of the season, however nonetheless, getting sure scores damage a little bit bit. We felt like we can’t skate anymore, we can’t do the issues we used to until final season anymore, so returning from that starting of the season and going residence now with these performances is one thing we’re actually pleased with”.
They had been third after the rhythm dance, with 84.48 factors. Forward of the free, Fabbri had a problem along with his proper boot when the warm-up began, resolved solely in direction of the top of the session to permit them to heat up for simply lower than a minute.
“I don’t know what occurred precisely however, after a number of pushes on the ice, I felt that one thing was bizarre after which I checked out my boot and a hook was not there anymore” Fabbri defined. (Through the press convention, Guignard confirmed the hook that fell off) “I attempted to make a gap as a result of even when it got here out fully, there was nonetheless part of leather-based so I couldn’t make the lace go by the boot, and in the long run I might repair it”.
“On the finish, we’re drained however we’re very pleased with what we did, and I’m so pleased with Marco as a result of after I noticed his face in the course of the warm-up, I mentioned ‘Oh my gosh, I do know what occurred’”, Guignard added. “I used to be terrified, however he did very nicely, I’m so pleased with him”.
Their free, skated with a brand new costume for Guignard, earned 125.86 factors, bringing their whole rating to 210.34.
Notably, Guignard and Fabbri made their European Championships debut in Sheffield in 2012, the primary of what’s now a report fourteen appearances.
“It has been particular as a result of you’ve gotten the chance to observe again to your path, to your evolution”, Fabbri shared. “Typically in life, you shut your circle, and this was like that second”.
Lilah Concern and Lewis Gibson had plenty of pleasure heading into this occasion on residence ice. The reception exceeded all expectations: loud help, thunderous cheers, flags waving in every single place, large clapping of palms all through each performances.
“It doesn’t come round rather a lot in a skater’s profession to have a house European Championship, so we simply embraced all of it and we’re so pleased with the way in which that we skated”, Gibson shared. “The gang had been simply completely unimaginable, the noise was like nothing I’ve ever skilled earlier than and one thing that I’ll undoubtedly keep in mind for a really very long time”.
Their rhythm dance earned them 85.47 factors and a second place. A pricey mistake within the twizzles in the course of the free dance dropped them one place, however they nonetheless completed with bronze, scoring 124.04 within the free and 209.51 general.
“This was not what we deliberate, so in fact we’re actually annoyed about that”, Concern admitted. “However I’m extraordinarily pleased with how briskly we got here again, we didn’t need to not take pleasure in the remainder of it, so we actually made positive to flip that change and take within the superb alternative of skating with the entire crowd”.
“A talent that we’ve to coach mentally is with the ability to refocus and be current as a result of in any other case, the error can comply with you for the entire program and detract from the remainder of it”, she added. “I used to be actually proud we recovered rapidly and received straight again into the following component as a result of these are factors proper there. We additionally let within the pleasure and the enjoyable, we didn’t need to miss the expertise of getting this residence crowd simply because we made a mistake, and I’m actually proud that we did that”.
Curiously, Concern was a flower lady on the 2012 European Championships. When Guignard instructed her she had competed there earlier than, Concern initially thought she was referring to the ISU Grand Prix in Sheffield 4 years in the past however was shocked to understand she was speaking concerning the 2012 Europeans! Seeing Concern’s journey from flower lady to European medallist is a strong reminder to by no means quit in your goals.
Final yr silver medallists Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud completed in fourth place with a complete rating of 204.72 factors. Their free dance, set to music by Björk, showcases their extremely inventive aspect. Their skate was briefly interrupted just some seconds into it when the judges noticed Fabbri’s boot hook on the ice, which needed to be eliminated for the skaters’ security.
With Loïcia Demougeot and Théo Le Mercier ending ninth, France continues to point out a powerful ice dance subject, with all three groups within the high ten.
Lithuania’s Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius had been fourth after the rhythm dance, however a mistake on the one foot flip sequence had them receiving the seventh free dance rating of the day and an general fifth place end with 200.29 factors. This season has been a profitable one for them, profitable the Skate to Milano occasion to safe their place on the Winter Olympic Video games and qualifying for his or her first Grand Prix Closing.
Georgia’s Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin completed in sixth place with 199.31 factors. Their rhythm dance was affected by the incorrect music being performed twice, delaying the beginning of their programme. Regardless of this, they accomplished their programmes and likewise had a pleasant cake and candles second for Davis within the blended zone, to have a good time her birthday.
Spain’s Olivia Sensible and Tim Dieck had been tenth after the rhythm dance, a end result they weren’t proud of, however their Dune half two programme was the fifth free dance of the day, permitting them to complete in seventh place general with 196.44 factors. Sensible, initially from Sheffield, particularly loved skating in entrance of household and associates, and college students from the college she went to when she youthful.
Finland’s Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis delivered a powerful return to competitors after being compelled to overlook the beginning of the season due to an damage to Versluis. Returning to coaching solely three months in the past, their season started at Nationals and culminated on this eighth-place end at Europeans with 193.83 factors. Fascinating reality: Turkkila, like Guignard and Fabbri, additionally accomplished on the 2012 Europeans in Sheffield, nonetheless again then she was nonetheless a single skater.
The opposite Finnish group of Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen had a mistake of their rhythm dance however managed to get well within the free to complete twelfth general.
Czech Republic’s Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler completed tenth with 189.47 factors. They admitted they had been actually happy with their outcomes, significantly after nationals the place they earned silver behind Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek, who withdrew from this occasion resulting from sickness (one other two groups withdrew for comparable causes: Germany’s Jennifer Janse van Rensburg and Benjamin Steffan, and Georgia’s Maria Kazakova and Vladislav Kasinskij, in what would have been their European Championships debut).
Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez obtained an enormous reception from their residence crowd and had been extremely proud of what they skilled. They completed eleventh general, persevering with to point out enchancment and climb the rankings. They are going to be heading to their first Winter Olympic Video games; this season, they’ve been working with their coaches, Nick Buckland and Penny Coomes (each of whom shall be with them in Milano), to strengthen the mindset wanted to realize their Olympic dream. They shared that it was solely after the official Group GB announcement that they realised their Olympic dream was coming true.
A number of the different groups competing on the occasion are additionally getting ready for the Winter Olympic Video games, together with Milla Ruud Reitan and Nikolaj Majorov, with Reitan not too long ago acquiring Swedish citizenship to permit each to compete in Milano, and Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov, who earlier within the season gained bronze on the Skate to Milano occasion to seize a second Olympic spot for Spain.
