Winter sports: Hase/Wolodin on a podium course at Ichart Running World Cup

The European Country Master Minerva Hase and Nikita Wolodin take a course on a medal at the Ichart Run World Championship in the USA. The German top duo is third after a convincing short program with 73.59 points. The lead in Boston Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara from Japan (76.57 points) ahead of the Italians Sara Conti/Niccolò Macii (74.61 points).

Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel were just able to qualify for the freestyle as the second German couple, which takes place in the night of Friday German period (11:15 p.m./Discovery+). After a faulty performance with 55.16 points, the two only show the 20th place.

First German World Cup gold has been possible in seven years

For rabbit/wolodine, however, the gold medal is still within reach. “It was a safe short program,” said Hase. But everything is “a bit better,” said the 25-year-old. “We also went better in training.”

For Hase/Wolodin, the World Cup title would be the crowning glory of a strong season after the two took first place at the EM in the Estonian capital Tallinn almost two months ago. For the German ice skating union, it would be the first World Cup gold in seven years. At that time, the Olympic champion Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot triumphed.

Memory of victims of the Washington aircraft accident

Before the short program in the pair run, the Ice Running World Association ISU was commemorating the victim of the devastating aircraft accident in Washington at the end of January. A passenger machine had bounced down with a military helicopter when approaching land.

According to the authorities, 67 people died in the accident, including several figure skaters and their supervisors as well as family members who had flown back to Washington from US championships and a youth camp. “For many of us, it feels like we were frozen in time,” said ISU President Kim Jae Youl.

Among the victims were the former couple runners Jewgenija Schischkowa and Wadim Naumow, who won World Cup gold for Russia in 1994 and most recently worked as a coach for the skate club in Boston in the USA.