Maria Eliise Kaljuvere usurps Niina Petrõkina as new junior figure skating star
Junior figure skater Maria Eliise Kaljuvere was not only crowned the Estonian junior champion at the weekend but also put in a score which overtook two-time European champion Niina Petrõkina's results, when she was a junior.
Her 198.36 points was a new record, surpassing Petrõkina's 189.64 points set in 2023.
"I'm so shocked by this score. I need to go home and let it sink in a bit, but I'm so proud!" Kaljuvere told ERR.
"Everything came together so logically and the feeling of confidence is so good. I've wanted this victory for so long, and finally it's here. I'm very proud of myself," added Kaljuvere, who became Estonian junior champion for the first time. "I gave my maximum. Jumps are jumps, but also the second half. Of course I still need to work and the programs need further fine-tuning. But I've done a lot of mental work and this year I've been able to apply it."
Kaljuvere earned 67.28 points for her short program and delivered an excellent free skate on Sunday, scoring 131.08 points.
Kaljuvere was also spurred on by competitor Elina Goidina, who finished just under seven points behind in the short program and nearly five in the free skate. "I saw when [Goidina] finished her program and raised her fist. I thought I had to do exactly the same. I'm grateful that in Estonia we have the chance to compete against each other. It pushes us forward a lot," Kaljuvere recounted.
In the event, Goidina finished second with 186.44 points and also earned a spot at the World Junior Championships in Tallinn next month. The 15-year-old said she hopes to find more stability in her short program by then, where she dropped points under pressure.
Third on the podium was Sofia Nekrassova with 171.07 points.
Kaljuvere said her focus is now on the World Junior Championships too. "The goals are definitely two clean programs. Of course I'd like to be in the top ten, but I compete with myself and give my maximum. I'd like to work more on both the technical side and the second half," Kaljuvere said.
There was only one competitor in the junior men's event in any case: Ilya Nesterov claimed the Estonian title with 168.92 points.
Petrõkina, 21, won her second European Championship title in Sheffield, England last month, having already accomplished the feat a year earlier before a home crowd at the Tallinn Tondiraba rink.
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Editor: Anu Säärits, Kristjan Kallaste, Andrew Whyte
