Figure skating-Estonia's Petrokina roars back to lead the European women's short program
SHEFFIELD, England, Jan 14 : Defending champion Niina Petrokina seized the lead in the women's short programme at the European Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday despite missing most of the season after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery in October.
The Estonian delivered a gutsy, virtually flawless skate to score 70.61 points, putting her comfortably ahead of Nina Pinzarrone and Anna Pezzetta.
It was a stunning comeback for an athlete who had been uncertain about being healthy enough to compete in Sheffield, the final international event for Europe's Olympic-bound skaters before next month's Milano Cortina Games.
"I'm shocked about my result, because it was so fast, preparation - everything - was fast," a smiling Petrokina said.
Belgium's Pinzarrone scored 64.97 to sit second heading into Friday's free skate, while Pezzetta of Italy was third with 64.85.
Petrokina, who became the first Estonian to win an ISU Championship title at last year's Europeans, underwent surgery on October 9 after nine months of competing with pain. She missed the Grand Prix season - crucial preparation for skaters, particularly in an Olympic season.
Despite only resuming jump training last month, she opened with a crisp double Axel and followed it up with a triple Lutz–triple toe combination and a clean triple flip.
"My muscles remember everything," the 21-year-old said. "And I just need to control my body right now. I can't rush right now, because of my leg, so I need to be calm. So I think this small point helped me to skate clean today."
Pinzarrone also skipped the Grand Prix season to focus on a full recovery ahead of the Olympics after a fractured foot in May led to a serious infection that required hospital treatment.
CRISP SKATE
Earlier on Wednesday, Georgia's Anastasiia  Metelkina and Luka Berulava stormed to the top of the pairs short programme with a crisp skate that left the reigning champions trailing.
The double world junior champions scored 75.96 points for their programme to Bolero, powered by side‑by‑side triple Salchows and a throw triple flip.
Germany's reigning European champions Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin scored 74.81 points for second place heading into Thursday's free programme, losing marks when Fabienne Hase touched a hand down on their side-by-side triple Salchows. Their side-by-side spins were also not synchronised.
Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary were third with 73.32.
The Georgians' superb skate - which opened with Metelkina in a headstand while Berulava spun her by the feet - came despite their late arrival in Sheffield on Tuesday evening due to a delay with their visas.
Their only practice was on Wednesday morning. Metelkina complained about her 0400 GMT wake-up for hair and makeup, while Berulava got up at 0800.
"This is the difference between women and men in figure skating," a laughing Metelkina said, via an interpreter.
World silver medallists Fabienne Hase and Volodin executed a breathtakingly low death spiral, with her head virtually grazing the ice, but they lacked synchronisation in their combination spin.
"It's a little bit sad about the spin, in the practice we always do it perfectly synchronised," Fabienne Hase said. "And then in the competition, I don't know who is fast or slower, but the rhythm is not together anymore.
"But the rest of the elements were solid."
There is a silver lining, they said, to sitting second heading into the free programme, since the skaters are seeded, with the short programme leaders taking the ice last.
"It's just nice to not skate last, to be honest," Fabienne Hase said. "If you skate last, it's always like 25, 30 minutes to wait, so at least a shorter wait time, which is pretty nice, to be honest."
