Polovtsian dances

All ahead

This season, the World Cup Speed ​​Skating formula has not changed much. The tournament will consist of nine stages scattered across the rinks of Europe, Asia and America. However, the number of races will increase. Compared to season 05/06, it will become one race longer at distances of 100 m (now there are four), 1,500 and 3,000 m (at both distances - six each).

The size of the prize remains the same. Rewards will be paid to the six best athletes for individual achievements and the three best teams. The maximum that you can count on in each individual race is $ 750, in the team - $ 2100.

The prize fund stands apart for the hundred-meter and team pursuit. At the end of the year, the best sprinter, like the team, can receive $ 4,000 each. In this way, the International Skating Union emphasizes the special status of the sprint distance.

Despite this, the Olympic champion of Turin in the sprint race Svetlana Zhurova is not going to skate yet. Sochi 2014 Ambassador and student - activist of the Civil Service Academy took forced leave and, unlike other heroes of the last Olympics, will miss the season.

The remaining Russians are puzzled by the goal of scoring the maximum number of points for getting to the March World Championships in Salt Lake City. However, in Heerenveen, our skaters were left without prizes. This does not bother the coaching staff at all, which believes that Heerenve starts are just a draft before the World Cup. At distances of 500 and 1,500 meters, our chances of winning are still great.

In the meantime, young people are seizing the opportunity to show their own ambitions. One hundred percent opportunity to show himself was used by Alexei Proshin. The Krasnoyarsk athlete selected the national team to participate in the first two stages of the World Cup and already in Heerenveen forced to talk about himself. His current performance makes coaches think about Proshin's prospects. Following two 500-meter races, he followed Dmitry Lobkov in 20th position.

The best result from the Russians showed Evgeny Lalenkov. At a distance of 1000 m, he took sixth place. Our leader at this distance, the Olympic medalist Dmitry Dorofeev temporarily decided to switch to a half-litter - he thought it was easier to adapt to speeds after an injury. As expected, he did not shine and remained outside the main group.

But on a global scale, the former leaders soloed in Heerenveen. The fastest woman in the world speed skating, two-time Olympic champion Annie Friesinger won two distances - 1000 and 1500 m, after which she stated that this success could be the last. The reason for the harsh statement was the decision of the German Federation, according to which women are forbidden to train with men. Although this is how the leaders of the German national team Friesinger and Claudia Pechstein always trained.

The black American Shani Davis, who was considered an unsurpassed master of thousands of meters, lost the first race of the season and in the end remained only the second, losing to Korean Lee Kew Hugh.

Dancing alone

The Chinese Cup has become a landmark for the sports pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo. At home, the Chinese said they had decided to part with the big sport, although they did not win the Olympic gold medal. The two-time world champion in figure skating planned to retire after the Olympics in Turin, but changed their mind after they won only a bronze award.

Now they intend to say the last word during the March World Cup in Tokyo. And I must say, they have every chance to fight for the third title. In any case, already the second stage in a row no one can challenge their advantage.

Russian hopes this season should be associated with dance performances. In Nanjing, the pupils of Alexander Gorshkov, who have been firmly in the top ten at all tournaments for three years, have clearly expressed their intentions as never before.

Maxim Shabalin and Oksana Domnina won their first career victory at the World Cup stage. They won the duel against the American duo Tanit Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.

So far, the best results of Oksana and Maxim were ninth in the Olympic Games and seventh in the World Cup. However, the vacancy that formed after the departure of Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov inspired them.

In the months that have passed since the Olympics in Turin, Oksana and Max have added a lot.

The key to their success in Nanjing was a wonderful performance of the free dance "Polovtsian Dances".

However, in the overall standings, the Russians have serious competitors in the person of the Bulgarians Albena Denkova - Maxim Staviiski and the French couple Marie-France Dublel - Patrice Lazon. They did not go to Nanjing, but they won the previous stages.

To the highest award of the dance duet was added the bronze of the students of Alexander Svinin - Yana Khokhlova and Sergey Novitsky. They blocked their own best results in the original (53.98) and in free dance (88.27). For them, as for Domnina with Shabalin, this is the first medal at the stages of the Grand Prix series.

Frankly, no one expected success in Russian skating in solo skating. Elena Sokolova, although she has enough experience in international competitions, is unlikely to accept the role of world leader. Her rental was full of mistakes, and according to the results of two programs, the Muscovite scored 134.17 points, which is almost 17 points less than the winner of the women's tournament Julia Shebestien from Hungary.

Entrusting Alexander Ouspensky with the right to represent Russia in Nanjing was a certain risk. For the 19-year-old skater, this was a debut in adult competitions. But his final sixth place is beyond praise. Although the student of Natalya Dubinskaya made a number of mistakes in skating, in general, everyone was pleased with his performance. However, the true leader in the absence of Evgeni Plushenko never appeared.

Pedestal of the Russian national team

November 9 - 12

China Cup

3rd stage of the World Cup

Dancing

1. O. Domnina - M. Shabalin (ROS) - 188.41

2. T. Belbin - B. Agosto (USA) - 187.15

3. Y. Khokhlova - S. Novitsky (ROS) - 173.86