The key facts

  • Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin are second in the rhythm dance at the Grand Prix stage in China with 79.31 points
  • The British pair Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson lead with 80 points
  • From June 30, Russian athletes have been admitted to ISU competitions in a neutral status

Davis and Smolkin finish second after the rhythm dance

Georgian figure skaters Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin took second place in the rhythm dance at the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix stage in China. The pair received 79.31 points for the short program. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru.

The standings after the short program

In the lead are the British pair Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson — the judges rated their performance at 80 points, with a lead over Davis and Smolkin of less than one point. Completing the top three are Czech figure skaters Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler with a result of 73.10 points. The performances were covered by the Gazeta publication in a live text broadcast.

Context: the admission of neutral athletes

Diana Davis is the daughter of coach Eteri Tutberidze, which the publication noted in the headline. The context of the tournament is also connected with an ISU rule change: on June 30 the union published a press release announcing that Russian athletes would be admitted to competitions under its auspices from the new season — in a neutral status, both in individual and team events. The decision concerns figure skating, short track and speed skating. At the same time, as the publication previously reported, Irina Rodnina called Davis's results unserious.