Young Stars Shine at Russian Nationals

The changing of the guard has happened rather quickly in Russia. Faces from the 2010 olympics and even the recent Grand Prix have faded and the class of 2014 have risen to the forefront.

Ladies

Adelina Sotnikova won her second national title at the ripe old age of 14. The newly crowned JGP champion upped her difficulty and skated a killer free skate with 7 triples including a new triple lutz-triple loop combination. Sotnikova will not be eligible for senior international competitions this year or next but does not want to waste a moment on her climb to the top. She is quoted by Goldenskate as saying-"On one hand, it would have been great to go and compete at the World Championships. But on the other, I am glad that I still have time to improve, to learn new elements. Besides, we have so many strong young girls now, like Julia Lipnitskaya here or Elena Rodionova, that I sometimes feel like a veteran."

Silver went to Alena Leonova, who shows signs of development after a less than stellar Grand Prix season, showcasing a solid triple-triple combination and expression in her Witches of Eastwick programme. Despite not winning she will be a leader of team Russia to Euros and Worlds. Bronze went to Elizaveta Tuktamisheva- she skated with speed and difficulty, but not the maturity of the older skaters. Like Sotnikova, she has ample time to grow though. Leader after the short programme, Ksenia Makarova had struggles in the free skate and ended up 5th overall. However, given the young age of her competitors, she will likely have another chance to skate on the world stage this year.

Mens

New faces rose to the podium after a somewhat messy competition from the Russian men, where the title was open for the taking. The new champion was in fact a relatively unknown 'veteran', 27 year old Konstantin Menshov, followed by 'mini-plushenko' Artur Gachinski. The 17 year old student of Mishin is battling a leg injury and admits he had considered withdrawing. Zhan Bush edged out the rest of the field for bronze. Veteran Sergei Voronov rose up the rankings after a disasterous short programme but had to settle for 4th place.

Pairs

New team Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov stormed to a first national title in Saransk, topping fellow olympians Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov. The two younger pairs who made a splash, qualifying for the grand prix final this season finished 3rd (Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov) and 5th (Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze). Former singles skater Katarina Gerboldt and partner Alexander Enbert pipped the Skate Canada champions for 4th place. After a long while out of the spotlight, Russia shows a good chance of rising back to the top of international pairs skating with a wealth of deep talent at home.

The Ice Dance competition concludes tomorrow, with Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev currently holding a 3 point lead after the short programme.

Competition Reports (Goldenskate) and Full Results.

Photos - Adelina Sotnikova (Daylife.com) and Volosozhar & Trankov (Goldenskate)