Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova starred as a host of Russian figure skaters including Kamila Valieva appeared at the Channel One Cup in Saransk after being banned from the World Championships.
Captaining the ‘Red Machine’ team in the domestic exhibition competition, Shcherbakova topped the standings in Sunday’s women’s free skate routine ahead of Valieva and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva.
Beijing gold medalist Shcherbakova tallied 176.12 points for her routine, overcoming a nosebleed while she was on the ice which was later attended to by coach Eteri Tutberidze.
Making her return following her doping scandal in Beijing, Valieva delighted the crowd with an event-leading short program on Saturday before registering 173.88 points for her free skate routine on Sunday – putting her behind Shcherbakova.
Fan favorite Tuktamysheva – the self-styled ‘Empress’ of Russian figure skating – recorded 166.23 for her free skate, further illuminating an event which combined crowd-friendly showboating with more serious competition across three days in Saransk.
When the final tallies were in for events including men’s and women’s singles and ice dance and pairs competitions, Shcherbakova’s ‘Red Machine’ team edged out their ‘Time of Firsts’ rivals led by men’s star Mark Kondratiuk by 145 points to 141.
Joining Shcherbakova in the winning ranks were stars including 14-year-old sensation Adeliia Petrosian and ice dance world champions Nikita Katsalapov and Victoria Sinitsina, while Kondratiuk’s team included Valieva, Tuktamysheva, and pairs world champions Aleksandr Galliamov and Anastasia Mishina.
Former Olympic icons Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva provided hosting duties on the sidelines as fans packed the stands in Saransk.
The domestic showpiece coincided with the ISU World Figure Skating Championships being held in Montpellier, France, which Russian stars were barred from due to the military operation in Ukraine.
Shcherbakova, who was denied the chance to defend the world title she won last year, said she was happy to claim victory of another sort in Saransk.
“I’m very proud of [the team], because everyone made the maximum contribution to this victory, everyone produced incredible performances,” said the Beijing queen.
“I’m very happy for them. Performing as the last of my team, I understood, like yesterday, that I couldn’t let the team down, that I wanted to complete it all beautifully.”
Shcherbakova brushed off the incident with her nosebleed during her free skate routine, which was later dabbed clean by coach Tutberidze.
“Everything’s fine. I’ve had this problem in training since childhood, so it’s not a problem at all,” said the star, who celebrates her 18th birthday on Monday.
Elsewhere, the Channel One Cup marked a return to the ice for fellow teenage star Valieva after her Olympic dream turned sour in Beijing.
Valieva produced a simplified free skate routine on Sunday compared to the program which has previously earned her a world record score, and included just one ultra-C element.
Nonetheless, Valieva said she had been pleased to return after her Olympic travails.
“I’m happy that the Channel One Cup took place,” said the 15-year-old. “A full arena, it’s out of this world. Thank you so much, it’s really energizing, it helps when you’re already tired.”
Shcherbakova summed up the festive mood which meant the rivalry between the two compatriot teams was good-natured rather than overly competitive.
“It seems to me I wasn’t in competition with anyone here. I just went out [and] understood that this was the last event of the season,” said Shcherbakova.
“I wanted to give all the spectators and fans pleasant emotions, so that after watching our performances, they would just be happy.”