TALLINN, Estonia — The European Figure Skating Championships proceeded on Thursday, despite the somber atmosphere surrounding the skating community, which is grieving the loss of athletes involved in a tragic collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.
A moment of silence was observed prior to the free skate in the pairs competition, during which a message of condolence was conveyed on behalf of Jae Youl Kim, the President of the International Skating Union, who was en route to the event.
“Today, the world of figure skating is heartbroken,” remarked ISU representative Gyorgy Elek, speaking on Kim’s behalf.
“We extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives in this accident. The loss of so many members from our community in such a manner is truly beyond comprehension.”
Amidst the grief, the audience erupted in cheers as Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin celebrated their first European title in pairs skating.
They managed to maintain and even extend their lead from Wednesday’s short program, despite an initial error by Hase in a jump combination, finishing with a total score of 212.89 points, winning by a margin of 5.59 points over Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii.
Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, the silver medalists from the previous year, showed resilience by bouncing back from a ninth-place finish in the short program to secure the third spot overall.
The reigning European champions, Italy’s Lucrezia Beccari and Matteo Guarise, were unable to defend their title due to Beccari’s season-ending foot injury.
The second day of competition kicked off with the men’s short program on Thursday afternoon, while details continued to unfold regarding the skaters, coaches, and parents who were onboard the ill-fated American Airlines flight.
France’s Adam Siao Him Fa claimed the top position as he seeks to secure his third consecutive European title. He completed a combination that included a quadruple toeloop-triple toeloop combination, a quad salchow, and a triple axel, earning a score of 93.12 points.
Siao took to his Instagram account to share a message of condolences from the French skating federation.
Taking second place was Georgia’s Nika Egadze with a score of 91.94, while Poland’s Vladimir Samoilov followed in third with a score of 85.98.
The men’s free skate is scheduled for Saturday, as the event continues amidst a backdrop of mourning and remembrance.
