The key facts

  • Trusova scored 72.37 points for the short program and is in third place
  • Averbukh: 'Trusova is breaking into the top elite'
  • Women's free programs — November 7

Third place after the short program

Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova is in third place after the short program at the third stage of the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix series in Shenzhen, China. In her performance she executed a double Axel, a triple loop, and a triple Lutz–triple toe loop combination; the judges scored her performance at 72.37 points. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru, which also ran a live text broadcast of the performances.

Averbukh's assessment

Olympic silver medalist in ice dancing, choreographer and program designer Ilya Averbukh does not consider her current position critical in the fight for victory. According to him, Trusova skated well and handled everything, and third place is a 'normal position' from which she will improve. 'Sasha is breaking into the top elite. I don't know who was worried, but we saw her level of skating. All of our athletes in China should finish in the top three in every event,' Averbukh is quoted by Sport24.

The path to the event and what comes next

Trusova's entry into the Grand Prix stage in China was the result of a successful performance outside the main series: on October 10 she won the Challenger Series event, the Denis Ten Memorial, in Almaty, scoring 226.01 points across the two programs. This allowed her to take first place on the substitutes' list and receive an invitation to the stage. Earlier, the skater spoke about how many quadruple jumps she planned to perform in China. The final standings will be determined on November 7, when the women's free programs take place in Shenzhen.