RUSSIA WINS GOLD and SILVE in PAIRS Figure Skating at SOCHI The Russian revolution in Olympic figure skating continued Wednesday in a dramatic competition that saw Russian pairs walk away with gold and silver medals after their German rivals fell hard to the ice and slipped to third place. The show of Russian skating force signals the country's re-emergence as a formidable power, after a hiccup at the 2010 Vancouver Games, in a discipline it has dominated for most of the last five decades. Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov won the gold medal, while Ksenia Stolbova and Fyodor Klimov claimed silver. Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy won bronze after each skater fell in their free skate, the last performance of the night. That put the gold medal—for which they had mounted a serious threat to the Russian dream of a home victory—out of reach. The medals follow Russia's gold on Sunday in a new team figure skating event, and come a day before the men's singles competition is scheduled to begin. One of the nation's most popular athletes, four-time Olympian Yevgeny Plushchenko, is expected to compete in that event against a very strong field that includes Canada's Patrick Chan and Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu. The sight of Russians on the top two steps of the medal stand suggested a new era of Russian figure-skating dominance may be at hand. Trankov, the gold medalist, suggested the Russians now have the pieces in place to make such scenes a more regular occurrence. "We have good coaches, young coaches, a new generation of coaches," he said. Those coaches are bringing strong young skaters through the ranks, "and not just in pairs," he added. As they did Sunday night, Russian fans filled the stands at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, shouting and chanting as each Russian pair skated. Many waved Russian flags and banners with the names of their cities—Voronezh, Vyborg, Yekaterinburg and Kazan, and stomped when it became clear that Russia had won not only gold but silver as well. When Szolkowy took a tumble, however, some in the arena thought they heard some cheers from the Russian crowd—something the German didn't dispute. "After I came back up to my feet, I thought it sounded like the crowd was kind of cheering," he said. He said, however, that he expected a tough environment: "We are in Russia, and Russian skaters are on the ice. It would be the same if we were in Germany." He characterized the crowd as modestly supportive and added, "Everyone was here to support at least some of the guys." "abc news" "cbs news" "ap news" "nbc news" "bbc news" "wall street digital" "rt news" "breaking news" "world news" "global news" "latest news" "scientific news" "24 hour news" "apocalypse news" "us politics" "white house" "us political news" "us senator" US election" "us congressman" "us senate" "us house of representatives" "president obama" "us healthcare" "health insurance" "American politics" "us news" ssi "social security" forex "us disability" retirement "mortgage rates" "mortgage quote" lawyer usa us uk London politics "campaign finance" sochi "sochi Olympics 2014" gold silver medal Russian pairs figure skating Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Savchenko and Szolkowy The Germans weren't the only ones to feel the high expectations of the Russian nation. "We feel this pressure," Volosozhar said. "It's very hard. But we did a good job." The Soviet Union and then Russia dominated pairs skating from 1964 to 2006. But that run ended at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, when China claimed gold and silver. Russia has been out to reclaim the top podium since. Skating fans expected a showdown between Volosozhar and Trankov, the 2013 world and 2014 European champions, and Germany's Savchenko and Szolkowy, four-time world champions and Olympic bronze medalists, who beat their Russian rivals at another important competition, the Grand Prix final, in December. Volosozhar and Trankov, wearing matching mustard yellow outfits, received high marks for their free skate to "Jesus Christ Superstar," even though Volosozhar faltered after landing one jump. Both covered their faces with their hands and bent down to the ice as soon as they finished, as if in relief and disbelief. At the flower ceremony, which now follows competitions instead of medal awards, Trankov repeatedly shook his head, his eyes filled with tears, and the two Russian pairs took an extra victory lap, wrapped in Russian flags. Savchenko and Szolkowy, on the other hand, each fell, he on a jump, she on a throw, in an otherwise fluid free skate to music from "The Nutcracker." Savchenko appeared close to tears as the couple took their bows, and her partner hugged and comforted her as they stood on the podium. The top 10 finishers included another Russian pair, as well as two teams each from Canada and China and a pair from France. Americans Simon Shnapir and Marissa Castelli fulfilled their goal of making the top 10 by finishing ninth.

• published: 13 Feb 2014
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