When Aljona Savchenko won her first gold medal at her fifth Olympics with her third different partner in PyeongChang, she said she “wrote history.”
She can write some more this week.
Savchenko, who at 34 became the oldest female figure skating champion in Winter Olympic history, and partner Bruno Massot are the only pairs medalists from PyeongChang who are back for the world championships in Milan.
The Germans headline the field for the short program Wednesday and free skate Friday.
Savchenko can tie Norwegian Sonja Henie for the female record of 11 world championships medals. She can grab a share of second on the all-time pairs list with a sixth world title, four shy of Soviet Irina Rodnina‘s record.
Savchenko, who won four crowns with now-retired Robin Szolkowy, goes for her first world title with Massot. They’re clear favorites.
Olympic silver medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong withdrew from worlds due to Sui’s foot injury. Olympic bronze medalists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford retired.
It’s arguably a surprise that Savchenko and Massot chose to compete in Milan. They’re the first Olympic pairs champions to compete at a post-Olympic worlds since 1992.
PREVIEWS: Men | Women | Dance | Pairs | Nathan Chen | Mirai Nagasu | TV Schedule
Their top challengers are Russians Yevgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, who outscored Savchenko and Massot in the Olympic short program but dropped off the podium in the free skate with a fall on their throw.
U.S. champions Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Christopher Knierim, 15th at the Olympics, made the top 10 in all of their four world championships appearances with a best finish of seventh. The last U.S. pairs medal came in 2002, the nation’s longest drought in any figure skating discipline.
The Knierims were the only U.S. pair in PyeongChang, but in Milan they’re joined by Deanna Stellato and Nathan Bartholomay.
Stellato earned singles silver at the 2000 World Junior Championships, then retired at age 17 due to hip injuries. She came back at age 32 in 2016 in pairs and, with the Sochi Olympian Bartholomay, took bronze at this year’s nationals.
Key Short Program Start Times (Wednesday ET)
Deanna Stellato/Nathan Bartholomay (USA) -- 1:39 p.m.
Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Christopher Knierim (USA) -- 4:05 p.m.
Yevgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (RUS) -- 5:14 p.m.
Aljona Savchenko/Bruno Massot (GER) -- 5:20 p.m.
Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (FRA) -- 5:33 p.m.
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!
