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European Figure Skating Championships February 6 - 13, 2000 Vienna, Austria

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Results From IceCalc

Day Six

The 2000 ISU European Figure Skating Championships concluded in Vienna, Austria with the Ladies' Free Program.

Defending champion Maria Butyrskaya (RUS), in third place after the Short Program, was the first to skate in the top group. After struggling during the first two stages of competition, she rediscovered her form and skated her best performance of the season. She opened her Swan Lake program with a perfect triple lutz followed by a triple flip and triple toeloop/triple salchow combination and triple loop. Intensely focussed, she was determined to produce the performance she knew she could do. Her only major error came when she doubled a second triple lutz. She landed a total of six clean triples, her spins were well-centred and fast, with unusual positions and, as always, the program featured lyrical choreography. She earned one 5.9 and eight 5.8s for presentation and marks ranging from 5.6 to 5.7 for technique. Then she had to wait and watch the remaing skaters in the top group.

Vanessa Gusmeroli (FRA), in fourth overnight, was next. She produced the performance of her career in her Legends of the Fall program. She opened with a triple lutz/double toeloop combination followed by a triple flip and triple loop (the jump which had given her problems in the Qualifying Round). Three more clean triples were included in her program together with high quality spins (including reverse direction spins), her original "split on ice" move. "This was the free skating of my life," she said afterwards. The judges awarded her one 5.9 for presentation and a total of three 5.8s.

The overnight leader Irina Slutskaya (RUS) followed Gusmeroli and skated another outstanding program. She opened with a triple lutz/double loop combination followed by a triple salchow and triple toeloop. She included her original difficult entry into her triple loop and reeled off a perfect triple flip and a second triple lutz. Her Carmen program was full of sultry choreography, her unique double Biellmann spin combination and first steps. She received a total of eight 5.9s and nine 5.8s.

The third member of the Russian team, Viktoria Volchkova, in second place overnight, was next. She started strongly with a triple lutz/double toeloop and triple flip but could only manage a shaky triple loop and triple salchow. Then her muscle injury took its toll and she fell on her toeloop, singled her second attempt at the lutz but produced a fine triple toeloop, good spins and steps. Her marks for technical merit ranged from 5.4 - 5.6 and for presentation from 5.2 - 5.6.

In the final reckoning, Slutskaya won the free skating with Butyrskaya second by a 6 judges to three majority over Gusmeroli and Volchkova placed fourth. In the overall results, Slutskaya - champion in 1996 and 1997 - won her third European gold medal. Butyrskaya, champion for the past two years, took the silver - which, with her bronze from 1996, gave her a complete set of European medals. Volchkova, second in both the Qualifying and Short, stayed ahead of Gusmeroli to take the bronze. So, for a second successive year, Russian skaters filled all three places on the podium in the Ladies' competition.

"I'm glad how the competition went for me," said Slutskaya. "I did what I wanted to do. I'm so happy that I was able to come back and that I overcame all the hardships. I landed the triple-triples in practice but today I decided not to do them. I wanted to skate a clean program without even the slightest mistake."

"It wasn't difficult for me to go out and skate today because I had nothing to lose," said Butyrskaya. "After the triple toeloop/triple salchow combination my coach called out 'stay calm'. I had already done the most difficult elements and didn't want to make any stupid mistakes. I decided to risk the second lutz but unfortunately it didn't work this time. I'm more disappointed about yesterday's Short Program. Well, that's sport. I can't always win."

"Well, today I didn't do what I'm able to do," said Volchkova. "Overall I'm pleased with the competition but I still can do better." Her coach, Viktor Kudriavtsev, added: "Of course, Viktoria was hampered today by her injury. She doesn't have yet enough experience to keep her strength during the whole competition."

The Exhibition Gala for the 2000 European Figure Skating Championships takes place tomorrow, Sunday.

Contact: Aline Bussat/Penny Dain in Vienna on +43 1 78089124