The winners of the 3rd stage of the Russian Cup with officials (Credits: Elizaveta Terentyeva - 2020) 

The 3rd stage of the Russian Cup took place in Togliatti a few days ago. Thirteen novices, ten juniors and 4 senior teams presented their programs. The competitions were really exciting and, definitely, worth watching. So, let’s see how it was!

The team Tatarstan from Kazan opened competitions with their brilliant program “Jesus Christ Superstar”. They skated precisely and confidently but had an offensive fall in a transition. They took 76,45 points, making a good bid to win. 

Crystal Ice Senior from Moscow was the second contender to win. Their skating was clear and energetic; however, they didn’t manage to execute all the elements technically ideal. The short program scores were 75,33 points.

Dream Team from Samara took third place after the short program to the theme of a cabin crew (57,33 points). The team Yenisei from Krasnoyarsk debuted in the senior category and did it quite well, stopping a step away from the podium after the first day. 

The second day, the situation didn’t change, and the senior competitions ended with the victory of the team Tatarstan (227,01). Their free program was very powerful and impressive. They performed at good technical levels and also got high scores for the components.

The team Crystal Ice Senior presented their “Kill Bill” free program wonderfully; however, they made a few mistakes at the end of the performance. As a result, they earned 203,19 points in total and took second place.

The third place went to Dream Team. They presented the program to the famous “Earth Song” by Michel Jackson. It was a bright performance with interesting details. For example, in the middle of the program, the skaters changed their dresses. 

The competition between the juniors teams was like a rehearsal of the Russian Nationals that will take place in Saransk at the end of January. Indeed, all the leading contenders for the junior leadership came to Togliatti. 

The balance of power was the same during both competitive days.

Junost from Ekaterinburg led the competitions with two clean performances with good flow and vivid emotions that brought to the team 218,86 points in total. The team thus finished ahead of its rivals with more than 14 points.

Team Sunrise – 1 from Saint-Petersburg came second overall. Despite the fall in the free program's intersection, the team performed very well and demonstrated a high level of readiness for the Nationals. The team has lots of ambitions and a great willing.

The Moscow team Crystal Ice Juniors took the third place. They performed their short program well, but couldn’t avoid falling in their free performance. They earned 198,93 points in total and got the right motivation for the upcoming work. 

All the novice teams were pretty awesome. They presented nice free programs, some of them even presented the new ones. 

The team Sunrise – 2 from Saint-Petersburg won the novice division. They skated to “Under Pressure” by Pink & Happy Feet Two Chorus without notable mistakes and took 92,42 points.

The team Kazanochka from Kazan improved on their previous result and took second place with 81, 57 points. Ice Fantasy from Moscow got 74,02 points. The skaters performed very emotionally and dynamically, but this time the rivals were stronger. 

The 3rd stage of the Russian Cup was the last competition for Russian teams before Nationals. Athletes and coaches have understood their strengths and weaknesses, and now they are ready for self-improvement. We will soon see the results of their work, and learn the names of the Russian National Champions 2021.

Discover the results of the first and second stage of the Russian Cup!