THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING
New champions were crowned in two of the four disciplines contested at the 2019 Grand Prix Final in Italy, with four singles skaters and one pairs team landing on the podium in their senior debuts.
The Russian ladies made history with the first ever sweep of a senior Grand Prix Final podium in their discipline, and three teams from Montréal dominated in ice dance.
The showdown between Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu was the most anticipated event in Torino, but in the end it was no contest.
There was a changing of the guard at the 2019 Grand Prix Final with a new generation of ladies announcing their arrival.
The trio of Russian teenagers that dominated the junior ranks last season — Alena Kostornaia, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova — continued that trend in their senior debuts this year, claiming all six titles on the Grand Prix circuit, and the top three steps of the podium in Torino. Eteri Tutberidze and Sergei Dudakov coach all three in Moscow.
Many expected Trusova, the reigning World Junior champion who has three quads in her repertoire, would capture the title, but in a repeat of what transpired at the 2018 Junior Final, it was Kostornaia who stood atop the podium.
First to skate in the short program, Kostornaia was flawless, earning a World record score of 85.45 — 0.41 of a point higher than the record she set at NHK Trophy in Japan in November. The 16-year-old does not have a quad in her arsenal, but a consistent triple Axel has been a formidable weapon for her in both the short and long programs this season. “I’m very happy that I managed to do everything and that I did my best. I enjoyed it,” said Kostornaia, adding that when she steps onto the ice she does not think about numbers or records, “I just skate.”
Performing to “New Moon” and “Supermassive Black Hole” in the free, Kostornaia opened the program with a triple Axel-double toe combination immediately followed by a second triple Axel. She went on to execute six more triple jumping passes, high-level spins and footwork to earn a personal best score of 162.14 for the segment. Her combined score of 247.59 beat the World record previously held by Trusova.
Despite having the only clean free skate, Kostornaia ranked second in the segment, 0.51 of a point behind Shcherbakova. But her combined score held up, and Kostornaia claimed her first major victory at the senior level. She
