Russia’s Main Hope Redeems Herself at Grand Prix. But Plushenko is Unhappy

The series of junior Grand Prix stages in Russia-2025 concluded in Omsk with Elena Kostyleva, the country’s top young figure skater from the previous season, recovering from health issues only by November and therefore having to compete in two stages in a row. Just a week passed between her victory in Moscow and her short program in Omsk.

However, Elena managed to deliver a great performance. But her coach, Yevgeny Plushenko, seems to have some issues with the judging. Despite Lena’s victorious debut in the season opener in Moscow, in Omsk, her component scores seemed inadequate due to her focus on technical elements rather than a harmonious program.

Plushenko had previously mentioned that his student had room for growth, and the opportunity to show the results of working on mistakes came at the Omsk stage, the last for juniors before the series finale. Unfortunately, the trip to Siberia turned into a real challenge for the ‘Plushenko’s Angels’, as their flight from Moscow was delayed by four hours, and they had to land in Tyumen due to bad weather in Omsk, losing a planned day of rest.

Among other competitors, Alena Prineva from Eteri Tutberidze’s group, Agata Petrova from Alexei Mishin’s ‘Star Ice’ school, and Lydia Pleskacheva, who outperformed Kostyleva in Moscow’s short program, stood out at the tournament. However, details of their journeys to Omsk were not widely known.

In the first two warm-ups, none of the solo skaters managed to cross the 60-point mark. Agata Petrova was the first favorite to perform in Omsk, scoring 67.67 for clean execution of all elements. Slightly behind was Alena Prineva, with a small mistake in a spin but managed successful jumps, earning 66.69 points.

Kostyleva remained true to her style and once again attempted a triple axel, this time cleanly executing the complex jump in a combination with a triple toe loop. Despite a minor penalty for a delayed start and a second-level spin, her overall score of 69.42 seemed fair. However, Kostyleva’s coach displayed clear dissatisfaction with the judges’ decisions.

Pleskacheva, who closed the short program, delivered a clean and high-quality performance. Although her position in the top three remained unchanged, her score of 66.21 gives the ‘Snow Leopards’ skater the opportunity to contend for a medal and even victory.