It was supposed to be an illustrative increase, but it actually became a decrease with consequences. The German-Russian pair skating Grand Prix winners Hase/Volodin’s dream of taking a brilliant memory with them from their first joint European Championship appearance in Kaunas on the way back to the training headquarters in Berlin was over. On Thursday evening during the free program, the combination, which had so far remained almost flawless in its first season, lost its previous successful program irreparably in two moments.
First there was the fall of Minerva Fabienne Hase during the triple toss Rittberger. The couple got back up, but met their second fate. Full concentration was now required for the Axel Lasso lift, which is considered the most difficult in pair skating. The 24-year-old Berliner, who has international experience, said she was “normally a 100 percent element” in the four-minute freestyle. This time the value of this pose was reduced to zero because the four-time German champion couldn’t find a firm grip and slid down her astonished partner’s back onto the ice.
The attempt to win a medal in this strength-balancing act, which was awarded a maximum of eight points, had therefore failed, because there was not a single point for a lift that was not a lift. It speaks for the maturity of the couple, who have almost always been victorious in their appearances so far this season, that, according to Volodin’s partner, who was stoically doing his laps, they “pulled themselves together” to at least finish the freestyle in perfect form, including a remarkable triple throw alchow.
Bella Italia in the best seats
At the end of the sportingly disappointing trip to Lithuania, the Berliners, who came second after the short program, only finished fifth. The best Europeans greeted the Italian couple Beccari/Guarise from the top, who had done everything right that evening. It was flanked by the Georgian Junior Grand Prix winners Metelkina/Berulawa in second place and the second-best Italians Ghilardi/Ambrosini, who took third place.
Roland Zorn Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7 Roland Zorn, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Roland Zorn Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5
Bella Italia – that’s what it looked like in the best seats, while the second German couple, Berlin’s Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel, also struggled. Not Kunkel, who only recently returned to the ice from a painful back injury, but rather his partner, who, as has often been the case this season, only jumped the Salchow twice instead of three times and otherwise seemed shakier than her partner. Last year’s European Championship third-place finishers couldn’t achieve more than seventh place this time.
Nevertheless, both German couples have good to bright prospects when looking to the future. Hase/Volodin are always capable of great success in the competition that is so crowded at the top. This time, surprisingly for the otherwise very nervous tandem, they were not able to meet their own demands. “It was a mixture of nervousness and the pressure to definitely get this medal, it was probably a bit too much,” said Minerva Hase, describing her psychological situation in the minutes of the free skate decision. Her partner of the same age seemed much more relaxed and resistant on Thursday evening when it came to the best seats.
The goal remains the Olympics
It is possible to make up for the Kaunas slip-up at any time at the World Championships in Montreal at the end of March. The couple’s big career goal is Milan anyway, where the Olympic medals will be at stake in February 2026. Before that, however, the Russian who is already running for Germany must also be naturalized in this country – an integration process that is not even easy to manage for a young man whose homeland is Russia.
Dimitri Savin, the Russian head coach of Hase/Volodin, calmly accepted his pair’s first heavy defeat. “You are not here to win everything this season. “You are here to be on the podium at the Olympics,” Sawin told his two master students.
The docile-looking Minerva Rabbit immediately took advantage of the setback to define a position for the couple with the big perspective. “We are far from being a dream couple,” she said, “we make mistakes and are still developing.” A fact that was obvious on Thursday evening.
