Translated material
Farewell "Carmen"
Olympic champions Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov retire from sports
Russian figure skaters Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov won the Olympic gold medal in ice dancing. The silver medalists of the Games were Americans Tanif Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, and the bronze medalists were Ukrainians Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov.The Russian dance duet brought our Olympic team the third medal of the highest standard at the figure skating tournament in Turin. Navka and Kostomarov not only refuted the opinion that ice dancing is the most subjective form of figure skating, but also continued the winning streak of Soviet and Russian dancers. Since 1976, from the moment when dancing was first included in the program of the Olympic Games, duets from the USSR and Russia have been the undisputed leaders in this type of program. In three decades, our compatriots have only twice failed to rise to the highest step of the podium. In 1984, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean from Great Britain won gold, and in 2002, Marina Anisina and Gwendal Peizerat, competing under the flag of France, became Olympic champions.
The tournament of dance duets in Turin began with a mini-sensation. After the obligatory dance, the Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio took the lead. Bronze medalists of the Games in Salt Lake City left big sport after the Olympics. However, the “home” Olympics made adjustments to their plans. The skaters decided to return, postponing the most important matters for a while: Barbara had become a mother by that time, and Maurizio successfully worked as a television commentator.
This summer, athletes began to prepare under the guidance of coach Natalya Linichuk. However, the four missed years have taken their toll on their form. And the requirements for dancers’ skating and their programs have become significantly more complicated. The partner had previously had complaints about technology, but he never managed to get rid of this shortcoming. It is difficult to say why, after the compulsory dance, where the “school” - the technical capabilities of the dancers - is assessed first, the judges gave the Italians the highest scores. Either in order to stir up spectator interest, or because it was to give the ice owners a head start over the Russians. After all, Barbara and Maurizio ambitiously declared that they were back for Olympic medals.
After the original dance, the picture changed completely. The leading Italians failed several elements and fell at the end of the program, which is why they moved to tenth position. By the way, they were not the only skaters who suffered misfortunes that evening. The same thing happened with their national team colleagues Federica Faella and Massimo Scali, Lithuanians Margarita Drobyazko - Povelas Vanagas, Bulgarians Albena Denkova - Maxim Staviski, Canadians Marie France Dubreuil - Patrice Lauzon. A day later, dancers from Canada completely withdrew from the competition due to an injury to their partner.
In fact, the original dance largely determined the outcome of these Olympic battles. Among the winners were those who made no mistakes in the original program: the Russians, the Americans Belban-Agosto and the Ukrainians Grushina-Goncharov. Of course, one could expect that after the free dance the situation would change. The gap in points was insignificant. The same Americans lost to the Russians by less than a point, the Ukrainians - by less than two. Any of these two pairs could theoretically displace the students of Alexander Zhulin from first place, if the Americans and Ukrainians had not made mistakes. After all, Ukrainians have been performing dances for several years now; they were coached by Linichuk, and more recently by Nikolai Morozov.
Igor Shpilband, who performed in Tatyana Tarasova’s Ice Show, works with the Americans. Once, during a tour in the USA, he and several other artists of the troupe remained overseas. There Shpilband's coaching career began, who is now - without any exaggeration - together with choreographer Marina Zueva, one of the leading American experts in ice dancing. The situation with his athletes was difficult. Only on the eve of the Olympics, Tanif Belban, who previously had Canadian citizenship, was issued an American passport. And for good reason. Since 1976, no Americans have been among the medal winners in ice dancing. Shpilband's wards interrupted this unhappy tradition.
Nevertheless, all of the above does not in any way detract from the merits of the Russians. As foreign newspapers wrote, “today we saw the real Carmen on the ice.” The only thing that upsets me is that after the Olympics, Navka and Kostomarov will leave the sport and will perform in an ice show. The fans will miss them.