Preview: 2020 European Championships
by Abril Ventura | Photo by Robin Ritoss
At the 2020 European Championships in Graz, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron from France will be hoping to defend their European title for the sixth time, and consequently, match the record of Soviets Pakhomova and Gorshkov for most European titles. Barring any major setbacks, Papadakis and Cizeron are set to make history at these Championships. They have a seasons’ best score of 226.61.
Russians, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, the current World silver medallists, had disappointing sixth-place finish at the Grand Prix Final in December after mistakes in both the rhythm and free dances. They appeared much more confident at their recent showing at Russian Nationals, where they narrowly edged out Stepanova and Bukin to earn their second national title. At Graz, they will be hoping to earn their first European medal. They have a seasons’ best score of 213.54.
Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia will be hoping to earn their fourth European medal at the Championships, where last season they took the silver. They have been slowly gaining on their compatriots, Sinitsina and Katsalapov since last season, and all of their showings this season have been quite strong. Their seasons’ best score is 208.81.
The bronze medallists from last seasons’ European Championships, Italians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri were just short of making the Grand Prix Final this season. This will be their ninth appearance at the European Championships, they are a very seasoned and consistent team. They have a seasons’ best score of 203.34.
Other notable entries are Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson from Great Britain, who earned a bronze medal in the Grand Prix circuit at the beginning of the season, a feat also achieved by the Spanish team of Sara Hurtado and Kirill Khaliavin. The winners of the 2019-2020 Junior Grand Prix Final, Georgians Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya will also compete at the Europeans. They have been taking their first steps in the senior ranks this season.
There is a six-hour time difference between Graz and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The Rhythm Dance will be contested at 12:00 PM (6 AM EDT) on Thursday, January 23. The Free Dance will take place on Saturday, January 25, at 1:25 PM (7:25 AM EDT).