Sochi Winter Games 2014: Russians furious over figure skating ‘fix’ slur

Reports in press state they were colluding with Americans.

SOCHI: Russian officials on Sunday angrily denied a report that they were colluding with the Americans to help each other win figure skating gold at the Sochi Olympics.

The denial follows a story in French newspaper L’Equipe quoting an unnamed Russian coach saying there was a deal between the two countries.

The deal allegedly helped Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White beat Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir to gold in ice dancing while Russia would win the team and pairs competitions.

“This is rubbish and chatter,” said the director general of the Russian figure skating federation Valentin Piseyev.

“If they have proof then present it and don’t just talk. If someone wants to make a champion through means other than skating and through pressure in the press then that is not going to happen.”

Jones claims Britain’s first ever snow medal

Veteran snowboarder Jenny Jones made history on Sunday by winning Britain’s first ever Winter Olympics medal on snow – and said she was struggling to come to terms with the enormity of her achievement.

Jones claimed bronze in the inaugural women’s slopestyle competition after a second run score of 87.25, behind Jamie Anderson (95.25) of the United States in the gold medal position and Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi (92.50).

“I’m just very pleased and so surprised right now at what just happened,” she said. “I can’t believe that I made it onto the podium.”

Anderson secures US slopestyle double

Jamie Anderson gave the United States a slopestyle snowboarding double on Sunday following Sage Kotsenburg’s victory in the men’s competition a day earlier.

After a mistake on the first run left her a little way down the field, four-time X-Games winner Anderson produced the goods on her second run with a near-perfect 95.25 score.

That pushed Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi down to second after her second run had produced a long-time leading 92.50, as Britain’s Jenny Jones held onto third with 87.25.

Meanwhile, Dutch speed skater Ireen Wust powered to victory in the women’s 3,000m on Sunday, stealing gold from defending Olympic champion Martina Sablikova.

Wust raced in the penultimate pair, immediately after Sablikova had moved into the gold medal position, crossing the line in a time of four minutes 0.34 seconds.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2014.

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