2022-23 Russian Pair Figure Skating

[gsk8]

Seniors
Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakmanin
Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitri Kozlovsky
Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov
Daria Pavliuchenko/ Denis Khodykin
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov

Reserve:
Yasmina Kadyrova/Valerii Kolesov
Anastasia Mukhortova/Dmitry Evgenyev
Natalia Khabibullina/Ilya Knyazhuk

Junior
Anastasia Egorova/Rodion Marinskiy
Ekaterina Petushkova/Evgeni Malikov
Elizaveta Romanova/Valeri Nazarov
Varvara Cheremnykh/Daniil Butenko
Ekaterina Chikmareva/Matvei Yanchenkov
Maiia Shegai/Igor Shamshurov

Reserve:
Sofia Marinina/Nikita Finokhin
Alisa Rodionova/Alexei Karpov

 

[hanca]

Pavliuschenko/Khodykin split up. Khodykin will continue with a new partner. (No news about whether Pavliuschenko will continue. She was the one injured, so maybe she decided to retire, or maybe she decided to try with someone else?) I wonder who will be the next Khodykin’s partner. Any guesses?

Thee will be quite a few split ups in the off season I think.

The following pairs will age out of juniors:
Julia Artemeva/Aleksei Briukhanov
Elizaveta Osokina /Artem Gritsaenko
Anastasia Chernyshova/Vladislav Antonyshev - my guess is that they may split up. There is a huge age difference and with increasing the age when skaters are allowed to move to seniors, they would stay several seasons stuck in domestic competitions. It’s a pity; they started looking quite decent towards the end of the season.
Maria Dybkova/Alexei Khvalko - same as the pair above them. Too big age difference
Anna Moskaleva/Maksim Lozhkin
Ekaterina Petushkova/Evgeni Malikov - they split up so Malikov is searching for a partner

So there is Kahodykin, Malikov, and potentially also Antonyshev and Khvalko searching for a partner. Would Malikov, Antonyshev or Khvalko be tall enough for Pavliuschenko? Neither of them is on her level, but she will have a hard time to find a partner that is on her level, because those are currently not available.

I can’t think of any potential decent (and available) partner for Khodykhin though!

I am also wondering about Akopova/Rakhmanin. They have been injured for quite a long time. Will they continue together, or does one of them have career ending injury?

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I can’t think of any potential decent (and available) partner for Khodykhin though!

Don't forget about skaters outside of Russia too!

Alisa Efimova and her partner recently split, Maria Chernyshova (Anastasia Chernyshova's older sister) also split from her partner a few months ago, and some good singles skaters like Gabriella Izzo switched to pairs (plus a whole gaggle of US Jr pairs girls if there are any younger Russian guys who are looking for a (foreign) partner).

 

[hanca]

Don't forget about skaters outside of Russia too!

Alisa Efimova and her partner recently split, Maria Chernyshova (Anastasia Chernyshova's older sister) also split from her partner a few months ago, and some good singles skaters like Gabriella Izzo switched to pairs (plus a whole gaggle of US Jr pairs girls if there are any younger Russian guys who are looking for a (foreign) partner).

Efimova could pair up with either of the newly available guys. The question is whether the federation would be willing to release them. I don’t think that the Federation will want to release Khodykin. But they could release Malikov, Khvalko or Antonyshev.

There is also Vasilieva who skates with Zaporozhets. Zaporozhets is far below her level, so maybe she would want to upgrade.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Anastasia Chernyshova/Vladislav Antonyshev

They already announced that they won't continue together. They just can't because Chernyshova won't be senior-eligible for several seasons even on the domestic level.

 

[AlexBreeze]

After multiple attempts, Boikova has landed 4S throw in the Team Tut show today.

 

[AlexBreeze]

After multiple attempts, Boikova has landed 4S throw in the Team Tut show today.

They have been attempting it for three shows. Their other attempts were very close.

Video

 

[lariko]

They have been attempting it for three shows. Their other attempts were very close.

Video

They landed it? NOIIIICE! I just hope they don’t overdo it. They had been doing this on-the-bleeding-edge all year to top-dog, and I respect that... and maybe they don't have a choice. Anyway. Lots of

 

[AlexBreeze]

Alena Kostornaia/Georgy Kunitsa's SP for 23/24 season 'Crazy in Love'

 

[yume]

Alena Kostornaia/Georgy Kunitsa's SP for 23/24 season 'Crazy in Love'

Interesting. It's getting more concrete.
I guess they will do 3F since i saw the entry in one of the videos.

 

[AlexBreeze]

I guess they will do 3F since i saw the entry in one of the videos.

Alena did the 3F but he popped it.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Full SP

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Next to the already known split of Anastasia Chernyshova/Vladislav Antonyshev, Eva Khmelova/Andrei Rud have also split up, making way for Eva Khmelkova and Vladislav Antonyshev to pair up.
All four of them train at Angels of Plushenko.

If Arina Ushakova stays true to herself, Anastasia Chernyshova and Andrei Rud will likely be paired up too, though they already skated together last season, so maybe not? They might have some single skaters who are interested in switching to pairs, too, so maybe Andrei will get a brand new partner?

Edit: These IG post (Link 1, Link 2) seem to suggest that they indeed just switched partners.

 

[Mariiiiskate]

Next to the already known split of Anastasia Chernyshova/Vladislav Antonyshev, Eva Khmelova/Andrei Rud have also split up, making way for Eva Khmelkova and Vladislav Antonyshev to pair up.
All four of them train at Angels of Plushenko.

If Arina Ushakova stays true to herself, Anastasia Chernyshova and Andrei Rud will likely be paired up too, though they already skated together last season, so maybe not? They might have some single skaters who are interested in switching to pairs, too, so maybe Andrei will get a brand new partner?

Edit: These IG post (Link 1, Link 2) seem to suggest that they indeed just switched partners.

But that doesn't solve the eligibility issue for Antonyshev does it, Eva Khmelova is born in July 2008 while Chernyshova is born in June 2009. They still wouldn't be eligible to compete in the Russian cup next season unless the start going by simply year of birth and exclude the June rule like they did before.

 

[hanca]

But that doesn't solve the eligibility issue for Antonyshev does it, Eva Khmelova is born in July 2008 while Chernyshova is born in June 2009. They still wouldn't be eligible to compete in the Russian cup next season unless the start going by simply year of birth and exclude the June rule like they did before.

Well, I guess while they skate at home competitions, it is easy to make exceptions in pairs because I am pretty sure there will be more pairs with age differences in the same situation and the federation will want them to have an opportunity to compete. I think they would allow them to be in seniors because it wouldn't be fair if such a mature man still competed in juniors (unfair advantage). In seniors, they are not going to change the ranking in any way, so who would care that they are allowed to compete. But if Russians are allowed to compete internationally, having this age gap would take them out of competitions for several years. I wonder why Antonyshev didn't choose better. Pavliuschenko, Vasilieva, or even Efimova or Safina (and change country).

I am also not sure why Chernyshova would agree to switch to skate with Rud. Rud has had several partners and with all of them the results were pretty bad, whereas Chernyshova’s scores from the past few competitions were in 180s up to 198. I think she could find much better partner than Rud, if Antonyshev doesn’t want her anymore.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

But that doesn't solve the eligibility issue for Antonyshev does it, Eva Khmelova is born in July 2008 while Chernyshova is born in June 2009. They still wouldn't be eligible to compete in the Russian cup next season unless the start going by simply year of birth and exclude the June rule like they did before.

Tbh, even though RusFed officially has a cut-off date of the 1st of July for each season, they don't seem to enforce that rule consistently. Or some birthdays are wrong on Allskaters.

Alisa Kurlina competed in the Jr Russian Cup Series this season, despite being born in December of 2010, i.e. she hadn't yet turned 12 on the 1st of July, or in fact even before any of the stages. Varvara Cheremnykh was born in September of 2008, i.e. she was still officially too young to compete as a Senior (13 on the first of July 2022), but she not only competed in the Russian GP series with her partner but even at Sr Russian Nationals.

So even though Eva and Anastasia would be considered the same age by the ISU, and officially RusFed as well, in practice, they might not be treated like it.

 

[hanca]

So even though Eva and Anastasia would be considered the same age by the ISU, and officially RusFed as well, in practice, they might not be treated like it.

I don’t think it matters how they are going to be treated by the Russian federation. They won’t be able to compete for several seasons internationally, even if Russia was suddenly allowed ti compete internationally. That will hurt them.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I don’t think it matters how they are going to be treated by the Russian federation. They won’t be able to compete for several seasons internationally, even if Russia was suddenly allowed ti compete internationally. That will hurt them.

It absolutely does matter. Chernyshova/Antonyshev would have 100% not been able to compete in any major Russian competitions, as he ages out of Juniors and she is not age-eligible for Seniors even within Russia. They would not have had any chance of making Nationals, i.e. no chance to get any funding for at least 2 seasons, after which they would have to battle their way through the tough Senior pairs field in Russia.

And it's not like any of these skaters have ever competed internationally, nor were they expecting to, let's be honest, even if they might have been hopeful. Chernyshova/Antonyshev's success this season was a surprise even to them (look at their past results with other partners), and they went into this season fully knowing that they wouldn't be able to compete internationally for a while if they stayed together. As for Khmelkova/Antonyshev now, they will face a stiff battle against so many other Russian pairs in Seniors, and I'm sure they are not expecting to place high enough to be sent out to international competitions within the next few years. Chernyshova/Antonyshev's PB of 198.70 at a smaller competition with more lax judging would have barely placed them above Osokina/Gritsaenko at Sr Nats this season, who beat them at Jr Nationals (and that's with Geinish/Chigirev withdrawing, who have scored above 200 this season, and another number of skaters who didn't compete (much) this season due to injuries, etc.).

 

[hanca]

It absolutely does matter. Chernyshova/Antonyshev would have 100% not been able to compete in any major Russian competitions, as he ages out of Juniors and she is not age-eligible for Seniors even within Russia. They would not have had any chance of making Nationals, i.e. no chance to get any funding for at least 2 seasons, after which they would have to battle their way through the tough Senior pairs field in Russia.

But that’s not true. At home competitions, the age rules have always been different than at international competitions. Akatieva has been skating domestically seniors even though internationally she would not be senior eligible. Sotnikova and Tuktamysheva were competing at senior nationals when they were 12. When there were too many junior ladies that were very good and seniors could not compete with them, the Russian federation put there the rule that for nationals skaters have to be 14 to compete at the nationals, but even that has been quite flexible (some years reinforced harder than other years). With pairs they are usually even more flexible than with singles, so I don’t believe that the federation not enable them to compete. Especially when I know abound at least 3 pairs who will have the same issue…

 

[Jumping_Bean]

But that’s not true. At home competitions, the age rules have always been different than at international competitions. Akatieva has been skating domestically seniors even though internationally she would not be senior eligible. Sotnikova and Tuktamysheva were competing at senior nationals when they were 12. When there were too many junior ladies that were very good and seniors could not compete with them, the Russian federation put there the rule that for nationals skaters have to be 14 to compete at the nationals, but even that has been quite flexible (some years reinforced harder than other years). With pairs they are usually even more flexible than with singles, so I don’t believe that the federation not enable them to compete. Especially when I know abound at least 3 pairs who will have the same issue…

RusFed has already said that they are planning on raising the age for Seniors in parallel with the ISU, i.e. up to 15 next season and 16 the season after that. While they might be flexible about the "first half-second half of the year" issue, they won't be flexible with full years. There's no sense in changing the rules otherwise. So if they follow through, Anastasia isn't going to be Senior-eligible even nationally for two more seasons.

With the depth of Russian pairs, there is honestly no need to fund pairs with extreme age differences, and allow them to compete on a national level. They're able to compete at smaller competitions, which are not qualifiers for Nats/selection events for the National team, and if that's not enough for them, then they need to find a different partner.

Of those who qualified for (Jr) Nationals this season, it would only affect Chernyshova/Antonyshev (now Khmelkova/Antonyshev) and potentially Moskaleva/Lozhkin (Is she born in the first or second half of 2008?) next season. Everyone else either has another season of Junior eligibility, the women are old enough for Seniors nationally anyways or they split at some point during the season.