Figure Skating Showdown: Lidiya Pleskacheva Leads at Moscow Grand Prix Youth Stage

Lidiya Pleskacheva leads after a short race at the Grand Prix in Moscow.

Not every start in figure skating can be called a “meat grinder”. The 5th stage of the Youth Grand Prix really deserves this status – we are talking specifically about the composition of the girls at the competition in the capital. And the fight could have turned out even stronger if the current Russian junior champion had not pulled out the day before Margarita Bazylyuk. But even with this loss, the competition exceeds any expectations in terms of sports mentality. Just look at the fact that all of the top three, based on the results of the short programs, were in the range of just over one point.

There are only two stages of the Youth Grand Prix left, considering the start. It is logical that most skaters have competed at least once in the 2024/25 series. Representatives from several podiums met in the past on the ice of Moscow. He was one of the first to enter the hunt for medals Valeria Lukashova from the group Eteri Tutberidze. Everything went as usual until the triple lutz-triple toe loop fell. On the lutz, the athlete fell off the edge, the fall was hard. Cascading losses is the worst mistake you can make in a short program. After that, the ending fell apart, the writing was disturbed, and, unfortunately, this was reflected accordingly in the ratings. Lukashova’s 56.19 points dropped all the way to 16th position. Valeria needs to do something with endurance, otherwise it will be almost impossible to get to the top of the youth team even with ability and quads.

There are four skaters in the three-point range, occupying 5-9 places after short programs. This Julianna Cherneva, Valeria Litvincheva of charge, Dina Khusnutdinova, Elizaveta Labutina And Diana Milto. In fact, in the free program we can expect global changes in this part of the table – losing or, on the other hand, it is not difficult to gain a couple of points, especially on the second day the girls are more likely to connect with ultra-si. .

Winner of the first stage of the Grand Prix 2024/25 Agata Petrova until she stopped a step away from the intermediate base. Based on the presentation, it turned out to be a cool, almost perfect performance – the judges also noted with the second part of the day. But in terms of technique, she still has room for improvement: it was expensive to turn the sheepskin coat in the waterfall, and the prices for other elements were not impressive. 69.93 points – currently 4th place.

Alasdair Mysyakin, Spórs24

The greatest figure skater, according to the judges – Alisa Dvoeglazova. In general, her participation in the 5th grade is an interesting story. According to the release, she was nominated for the competition in St. Petersburg, that is, she was supposed to go to the stage in a week. However, Bazylyuk quickly withdrew, and a replacement was needed in Moscow. So, it turns out that Dvoeglazova is replacing a classmate here. Anyway, this is the second stage in a row for her.

These factors did not affect rental quality. Alisa presented her short program almost flawlessly: cleanly, emotionally, with clear exits and beautiful lines. But there was a fly in the ointment for the technical panel – a dull edge on the spear. Because of this, the athlete lost about two points from the originally assigned technical score and therefore scored 0.6 points lower than in Krasnoyarsk last week. Result: 72.09 points and third place.

Alasdair Mysyakin, Spórs24

In addition to Dvoyeglazova, she is competing at the second level in a row Elena Kostyleva. It is strange that it is in Moscow that a basic duel with Bazylyuk could take place for the first time in a long time. As we know, this is not going to happen. This situation may be related to the fact that the student Evgenia Plushenko of charge I decided not to risk replacing the usual content with a complex trixel cascade – a triple sheepskin coat, which I have been actively trying in the last few days. left. The bet worked on stability and precision, increasing the score of the Krasnoyarsk sample by almost another point. 72.62 allows Kostyleva to breathe down the back of the leader.

Alasdair Mysyakin, Spórs24

Lydia Pleskacheva For the second season now it has been showing steady skating, as well as progress in display and moving images. This short program turned out to be so sensitive and sensitive that you can’t even believe that there is a 14-year-old in front of you. At the 5th stage of the Grand Prix, she had already renewed her personal record, 73.22 points – the best result not only on the first day of the competition, but also in her course – life as a whole. Lydia put the jumps into the accents so musically, she did each element so precisely that there was no doubt that she would be the starting director. Only the athlete herself cannot get used to the status of leader: in KiK again she expressed great surprise with high scores, and this is very impressive.

Alasdair Mysyakin, Spórs24

The overall impressions from the youth short programs are pleasant: high-quality performances, competition. And in general, the gap in points between the top three is very small, which means that any little thing can cost a coin in a free program.

Youth Grand Prix of Russia. Moscow. 5th grade

Girls. A short program

1. Lydia Pleskacheva – 73.22
2. Elena Kostyleva – 72.62
3. Alisa Dvoeglazova – 72.09
4. Agata Petrova – 69.93
5. Diana Milto – 67.15.