Chelyabinsk CHALLENGERS

The city of Chelyabinsk played host to the 2021 Russian Championships in late December. New champions were crowned in ice dance and former champions in pairs and men reclaimed titles. Anna Shcherbakova was the only gold medalist from the 2020 campaign to defend a title

Missing from the entry lists were Dmitri Aliev, the 2020 men’s champion, and ice dancers Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who all withdrew due to the coronavirus. As always, the ladies competition was the marquee event at these championships. Shcherbakova, the two-time and reigning national champion, was absent from the Grand Prix (Rostelecom Cup) in late November after contracting the virus and pneumonia, so how she would perform in Chelyabinsk was a question mark prior to the competition.

However, that question became a moot point following the ladies short program, but controversy swirled around the results. Shcherbakova made a slight mistake on a spin and Kamila Valieva fell on a triple Axel attempt. However, both earned higher component scores than Alexandra Trusova, whose only mistake was an edge call on a triple flip. Shcherbakova won the segment ahead of Valieva, with Trusova sitting in fourth.

Trusova’s coach, Evgeni Plushenko, expressed his displeasure with a thumbs-down sign when her score was announced. It was his view that it was her best performance of the season. “The edge on the flip is excellent; the Lutz-toe loop is wonderful. It’s a serious improvement in my opinion. It only remains for her