Radionova leads Russian sweep, Fernandez on top

MOSCOW: Elena Radionova lead a women’s podium sweep by the hosts at the Cup of Russia figure skating Grand Prix in Moscow on Saturday as world champion Javier Fernandez won the men’s event.
Radionova, 16, took gold ahead of compatriot Evgenia Medvedeva and Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova, who was competing at her first international competition since missing last season through injury.
National champion Radionova, who had seized the lead after Friday’s short programme, presented a solid free skate to the soundtrack ‘Titanic’, scoring 139.53 points for an overall total of 211.32.
Medvedeva, 16, held her second position despite scoring highest in the free skate, 139.73, to finish 4.56 points behind Radionova with 206.76. Both Radionova, who finished third in the Cup of China, and Medvedeva, winner of Skate America, now look set to compete in the Grand Prix final in Barcelona next month.
Sotnikova, 19, managed to jump into third position from fourth after the short programme with her free skate to Lara Fabian’s ‘Je Suis Malade’.
In the men’s section, Spaniard Fernandez, second after the short programme, blew away the opposition with his dynamic free skate to Frank Sinatra’s ‘Guys and Dolls’ despite having a point deducted. The 24-year-old reigning world and European champion scored 184.44 for the free skate and 271.43 overall.
“It wasn’t my best skating,” admitted Fernandez, who also won the Cup of China. “But I hope that two victories at the Grand Prix stages will help me perform well at the GP finals in Barcelona.”
Russia’s 17-year-old Adian Pitkeev, who won the short programme, finished second over 20 points behind the Spaniard, with American Adam Rippon third two points further back.
In pairs, Russia’s Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, the Olympic silver medallists, underlined their domination with an almost flawless free skate to ‘Man and Shadow’ by Danny Elfman.