TALLINN, Estonia — Italian ice dancers Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri claimed victory in their event for the third consecutive year on Saturday at the European figure skating championships.
After participating in their 13th European championships together, the duo maintained the lead from Friday’s rhythm dance and executed a confident free dance themed around robots. Their impressive routine helped them achieve a total score of 212.12 points, allowing them to remain ahead in a closely contested medal race.
The pair is now setting their sights on the upcoming world championships in Boston, scheduled for March, as they look to surpass their previous best result, which was a silver medal in 2023.
“A bit of time off and then it’s back to work,” Fabbri remarked after their win.
The competition was fierce, with barely a single point differentiating the second to fourth places. France’s Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud secured their first European medal, taking silver with a score of 206.76, just edging out Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who performed to a medley of Beyoncé songs and finished with 206.06. Finland’s Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis fell short of the podium by a mere 0.33 points.
This year’s European figure skating championships, which commenced on Wednesday, have been marked by tragedy, following the losses of several skaters, coaches, and their families due to a mid-air collision involving a passenger jet and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C.
The championships will conclude with the men’s free skate event later today.