Pogorilaya, Fernandez clinch Moscow skating titles

Russia’s Anna Pogorilaya won the women’s Cup of Russia title, while Spaniard Javier Fernandez claimed the men’s on the ice at Moscow’s Megasport Arena on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Pogorilaya, the world and European medallist, who led after the short program, underlined her domination with a glittering free routine performance to win in her native town.
Fellow Russian skater Elena Radionova was second almost 20 points behind.
US skater Courtney Hicks finished third after Sochi Olympic champion Julia Lipnitskaya, third after the opening day, got a cramp in her leg while skating and produced the worst result in free skating.
Spanish two-time world and four-time European champion Fernandez won the free skating with a flawless presentation of an Elvis Presley medley to capture the men’s crown with a total mark of 292.98 points.
“When you refuse to surrender, when you fight to the end you always get a reward,” Fernandez told the press.
“And today’s win is a reward for me for battling to the very end.”
The Skate America champion, Japan’s teenager Shoma Uno, had led after the first day. He landed three quadruple jumps including his distinctive element — a quadruple flip — but finished second, eight points adrift.
Alexei Bychenko of Israel was third on 255.52 points.
In pairs Germany’s five-time world champion, Aliona Savchenko, and her new partner Bruno Massot, who were second after the opening day, grabbed the title with a solid execution of their “Lighthouse” by Patrick Watson free routine.
“I cannot be happy after making so many mistakes,” Savchenko said.
“Our performance here definitely wasn’t the best one but we kept on fighting.”
Local favourites Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert finished second with a 10-point deficit, while another Russian pair Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov were third, nine points further back.
Olympic team champions Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, the reigning Russian champions, won the free dance to grab the ice dance title with their personal best mark of 186.68 points.
American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Skate Canada runners-up, were second on 182.13 with Canada’s Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje in third.