In 2014, the team tournament in Sochi was a triumph for Russia. The legendary Evgeni Plushenko brought 19 points out of a possible 20 to the country’s treasury, becoming second in the short program and first in the free program. In women’s single skating, Yulia Lipnitskaya collected the maximum 20 points, successfully skating in both programs. Also, 20 points out of 20 were scored in pair skating – the short program was presented by Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, and the free program was presented by Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov. In ice dancing, the score was 16 out of 20. Third places in rhythm dance and free dance were won by Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitry Solovyov and Elena Ilnykh / Nikita Katsalapov, respectively. So, Russia scored 75 points and confidently won gold.
The situation was completely different in 2018 in Pyeongchang. Much was predetermined by Mikhail Kolyada’s unsuccessful performance in the short program, where he finished eighth and took only three points. He finished second in the free skate. The ideal result was only in women’s single skating. Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva scored 20 points out of 20, taking first place in their programs. Among the pairs, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov took first place in the short program, and Natalya Zabiyako and Alexander Enbert became only third in the free program. In ice dancing, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitry Soloviev took third place in both dances. Russia came in second with 66 points, losing first place to Canada, who scored 73 points.
At the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, everything initially went well. In men’s single skating, Mark Kondratyuk made the most of himself by taking third place in the short program and second place in the free skate. Kamila Valieva’s triumphant skating brought 20 points out of 20. In pair skating, Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov took second place in the short program and first in the free program. In ice dancing, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov took two second places. These results allowed Russia to score 74 points and confidently win the team tournament. However, the situation has changed: Kamila Valieva was accused of violating anti-doping rules. And now, two years later, its results have been canceled and the Russian team has moved to third place.
The next Olympic Games will take place in 2026. Of course, it is not yet known whether Russia will participate. We hope that this admission will take place. And many would like to know if our country will finally be able to 100% regain its status as a figure skating powerhouse and win the team tournament again. We propose to consider a possible scenario of events in Milan. At the same time, we will proceed from the worst case scenario for the admission of Russians, namely that in each type of competition our country can be represented by only one athlete or duo.
In men’s individual skating in recent years, Russia has traditionally scored the fewest points. However, in the team tournament there is a chance to get a decent place since you will not have to face a crowd of Americans and Japanese, but with only one representative from each country. In Russia, we will bet on Evgeniy Semenenko. Of course, Pyotr Gumennik is also a favorite and Vladislav Dikidzhi will definitely improve. However, Semenenko already has experience participating in all three types of international competitions, which will allow him to qualify for the games. If we compare the results of recent competitions in Russia and around the world, we can conclude that all Russians outperform all participants in the European Championship. In the short program, we will place Semenenko in third place (ahead of any of the Americans – Nathan Chen or Ilya Malinin, as well as any of the Japanese). In the free program, it should be assumed that the result will be fourth place, since the Russian can also get ahead of the Korean Cha Junhwan. Thus, Russia has 15 points in its treasury.
In women’s individual skating, no one doubts that Russia is at a completely different level and will clearly surpass all rivals. Suppose our country is represented by Adelia Petrosyan. But a lot can change: Sofya Muravyova and Sofya Akatieva will be able to ride on the ice, and the triumphant return of Kamila Valieva is not excluded. However, in any case there will be 20 points out of 20. So, in total we already have 35 points.
It should be noted that pair skating is also actively developing in Russia despite the isolation. Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov, as well as Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky push each other to constantly improve and improve their results. Let’s assume that the first, most experienced couple will go to the Games. Despite the fact that the competition with the Chinese can continue and that the Italians (hosts of the Olympic Games) are motivated to the maximum, we can count on 20 points out of 20. A total of 55 points.
In ice dancing, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin can easily get into the top three. However, taking into account the successful performances of Canada and the United States, as well as the maximum motivation of the Italian hosts, it is worth putting two fourth places. That’s 14 points.
So, in total, according to our forecasts, the Russian team has 69 points. In the last three editions of the Olympic Games, 67 points were enough to win. Thus, we can conclude that Russia will be able to win gold in the team tournament at the 2026 Olympic Games. At the same time, we hope that not only a couple and an athlete will be admitted.
Yaroslav Piatykh, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
