IW figure skating fans will be paying particular attention to the European Figure Skating Championships later this month. The championships, which are held in Zagreb, Croatia, from 21 to 27 January, see former IW skater Charlotte Aiken and ice dance partner Josh Whidborne participating for the first time at the event.
Charlotte and Josh earned their place at the championships as Great Britain’s second entry in the ice dance competition thanks to their performance at the British championships in November and their scores in European events this season. The ice dance has 27 couples competing (www.europeans2013.hr/entries), including British number ones Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland, so the first challenge will be to skate well enough in the short dance to qualify for the free dance.
The short dance is on Wednesday 23 January at 11.45 CET and the free dance is on Friday 25 January at 18.30 CET. The first day of competition is 23 January.
TV coverage of the event on Eurosport in the UK is not extensive, with very little time devoted to the ice dance thanks to the Australian tennis open and US PGA golf, so it’s unlikely that British skaters will feature in the coverage unless something exceptional happens.
Official website: www.europeans2013.hr
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