Figure skater Nikita Starostin missed a top ten finish in the men’s free skate at the European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa successfully defended his title with 276.16 points.
The 21-year-old finished the competition in 13th place with a personal season record of 211.85 points, surpassing his European Championship result from the previous year (15th place).
Starostin, who was born in St. Petersburg and lives in Dortmund, landed badly after the triple Axel during his performance, which was accompanied by music from the Backstreet Boys. “Unfortunately, he did the jump too quickly. I think too much about this jump in the competition, he has to become as confident as he is in training,” said Starostin.
The Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa successfully defended the European Championship title with a series of quadruple jumps and an unrecognized backflip with 276.17 points. Surprisingly, Estonian Aleksandr Selevko won the silver medal with 256.99 points ahead of Matteo Rizzo from Italy (250.87).