The first day of the Junior Grand Prix stage in Russia among juniors in Moscow brought a surprise. Defending national champion Elena Kostyleva had a weak performance in the short program and did not make it to the top three. The fans of Evgeni Plushenko’s student had less than a day to worry before Elena crushed her competitors, proving she cannot be underestimated.
Last season, Elena Kostyleva won every competition in a row due to her flawless execution of difficult jumps and athletic skating. However, this season proved to be more challenging for the young skater. Due to health issues, she only started recovering her jumps in September and soon suffered a groin injury. Controversy surrounded her short program set to Lady Gaga’s songs, with many finding it vulgar and inappropriate for a 14-year-old. As a result, public opinion led Elena back to her previous year’s short program.
However, Elena’s anticipated return to competition was marred by mistakes. In the short program, she erred on the triple axel-double toe loop combination and in the spins. Despite generous component scores, she failed to secure a top-three placement. Lydia Pleskacheva took the lead, followed by Alisa Yurova and Victoria Streltsova.
In the free skate, Kostyleva was clearly aiming to attack. The triple axel and three quads in her program were testament to that. Elena started with a clean triple axel worth loud applause and good marks from the judges. Her quad toe loop and sequence of quad salchow-double axel were near perfect, earning her over 37 points for these three elements! Due to lasting effects of her summer injury, Elena still struggles with spins, and her triple flip was under rotated. She also failed to fit her program into the allotted time once again. Undoubtedly, she and her coaches will work on these flaws to compete with the season’s top favorites.
Elena’s score in Moscow was 215.56 points, with none of her competitors reaching 200 points. Pleskacheva faltered on the triple axel and collapsed towards the end of her skate, resulting in Elizaveta Labeutina’s unfortunate fourth-place finish by a mere 0.04 points. Streltsova came in second after two falls and a mistake on the axel. Tutberidze’s student was saved by a triple axel-double toe loop combination.
It’s clear that in tougher competition, Kostyleva will struggle to win with the errors she made in Moscow, especially in the short program. However, for now, she can continue her recovery and prepare for upcoming competitions. Plushenko is certainly pleased with his student.
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