For the third time, the Italians have been crowned European champions in ice dancing.
The European Figure Skating Championships, taking place in Tallinn, concluded on Saturday, February 1 – the final day of competition. The dance duos competed for the medals. For the third time, the title of champions was awarded to the Italian pair of Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabri. They led in both programs.
Their free dance, titled Robotboys, was a rework of last year's exhibition, which is quite rare. More often, the programs that athletes compete with can become exhibition numbers in the following seasons.
The Italian duo is the most experienced among all the championship participants. 35-year-old Guignard and 36-year-old Fabri have been skating together for 16 years. They have participated in three Olympics and plan to compete in the home games scheduled for 2026 in Milan.
Silver was won for the first time by the French representatives, Evgenia Lopareva and Joffrey Brisso. In the free dance, they finished fourth, but their overall score allowed them to maintain second place.
The bronze went to the British pair of Laila Fir and Lewis Gibson. Before the tournament, they were named the main competitors of Guignard and Fabri, but mistakes in the rhythm dance prevented them from repeating last year's success. It seems the dancers specialize in pop divas, having previously performed to songs by Lady Gaga, Madonna, and this year, they chose Beyoncé.
Here’s how the top five in ice dance looks:
- Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabri (Italy) - 212.12
- Evgenia Lopareva and Joffrey Brisso (France) - 206.76
- Laila Fir and Lewis Gibson (Great Britain) - 206.02
- Julia Turkkila – Matti Versluis (Finland) – 205.69
- Yuka Orihara (Finland) - Juho Pirinen (Finland) - 193.94
The Ukrainian dance duo of Maria Pinchuk and Nikita Pogorelov finished the competition in 20th place.