No striptease at World Champs? Medvedeva win puts Tuktamysheva worlds appearance in doubt

Russian figure skating ace Evgenia Medvedeva sealed her first major victory this season, finishing first at the Russian Cup where she leapfrogged Elizaveta Tuktamysheva in the battle to represent Russia at the World Championships.

The tussle for a spot on the national team unfolded between the two in Veliky Novgorod, where the Cup of Russia, which serves as the final selection for the season-ending championship, took place.

Both skaters missed the European tournament in January after failing to qualify for the Russia squad at the national trials which were dominated by the Russian juniors who swept the podium in Saransk.

Back then, two-time world champion Medvedeva, who had been unsteady throughout the season, delivered an error-riddled routine, finishing in a disappointing seventh place.

Tuktamysheva, who was widely regarded as a contender to win European gold, was forced to sit out the selective tournament due to pneumonia, which cost her a place on the national team.

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With two out of three national spots being distributed between Olympic champion Alina Zagitova and newly-crowned European winner Sofia Samodurova, there was only one ticket to the world championship left for all the skaters competing at the Cup of Russia.

Tuktamysheva, who fully recovered from her illness, failed to impress in Veliky Novgorod, falling on her signature triple axel which she managed to restore this season.

Medvedeva, on the other hand, had a flawless short program on Thursday and managed to secure her lead even after committing a noticeable error in the free routine. Despite landing a triple salchow-triple loop combination on her back, the Olympic runner-up claimed gold at the Cup of Russia, slashing Tuktamysheva’s chances of selection for the worlds.

Tuktamysheva, the 2015 world champion, has been arguably the most discussed skater this season after displaying a jaw-dropping exhibition performance that set pulses racing when the 22-year-old skated to Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, removing her jacket, stripping down to her black bra and mini skirt.

The ‘striptease’, which was first demonstrated at Skate Canada last October, inspired more and more athletes to attempt to copy Tuktamysheva’s provocative routine.

Winners of the 2019 Cup of Russia © Sputnik / Nina Zotina

However, it’s more likely that Medvedeva’s golden performance at the Cup will leave Tuktamysheva out of the World Championship, which will be staged in Japan next month, meaning that figure skating fans will miss the opportunity to watch her striptease performance in Saitama.

The Figure Skating Federation of Russia will announce the roster for the tournament at the beginning of next week.