2009 Euros Men's FS (Eurosport) – Helsinki | Brian Joubert, Samuel Contesti, Kevin van der Perren

Summary: The men's free skating at the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships, held on 22 January at Helsinki's Hartwall Areena, produced an evening of dramatic performances, unexpected results and a fiercely contested podium. France's Brian Joubert entered the final segment with a commanding lead after his outstanding short program, ahead of defending European champion Tomáš Verner of the Czech Republic and surprise contender Samuel Contesti, representing Italy. With several skaters attempting quadruple jumps and the medals still very much in contention, the competition promised an unpredictable conclusion. The standout performance of the evening came from Yannick Ponsero (FRA), who recovered spectacularly from ninth place after the short program. Skating to a lively jazz medley featuring Caravan, Summertime and Sing, Sing, Sing, the French national champion delivered a powerful quadruple toe loop, two impressive triple Axels and dynamic footwork that brought the Helsinki audience to its feet. His exceptional speed, jumping quality and musical interpretation earned him 151.85 points, the highest free skating score of the competition. However, his earlier short program deficit proved costly: Ponsero finished fourth overall with 219.30 points, missing the bronze medal by just 0.06 points. The final group brought contrasting fortunes for the leading contenders. Defending champion Tomáš Verner (CZE) struggled with several costly jumping errors in his tango program, dropping from second to sixth overall. Alban Préaubert (FRA) entertained the crowd with an energetic Russian-themed routine to Kalinka and Dubinushka, featuring a successful quadruple toe loop, and secured fifth place overall. Meanwhile, Samuel Contesti (ITA) delivered one of the most memorable performances of the championships. Dressed as a cowboy and skating to Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time in the West and Cotton Eyed Joe, the former French representative combined theatrical humour, inventive choreography and strong technical content, including a triple Axel–triple toe loop combination. His exuberant performance earned 144.97 points and propelled him to the silver medal with 220.92 overall, giving Italy its first European men's medal since Carlo Fassi's triumph in 1954. Despite entering as the overwhelming favourite, Brian Joubert (FRA) endured a difficult free skate to music from The Matrix Reloaded and Requiem for a Dream. Errors on his quadruple toe loop, a fall on the triple Lutz and a doubled loop prevented him from matching his short program brilliance. Nevertheless, two successful triple Axels and his substantial overnight advantage were enough to secure his third European title, with 232.01 points overall. Belgium's Kevin van der Perren completed the podium in remarkable circumstances. Still suffering from a persistent hip injury following surgery, he produced a determined performance featuring a triple Axel and an ambitious triple Salchow–triple toe loop–triple loop combination. His 143.56-point free skate lifted him to 219.36 overall, securing his second European bronze medal and narrowly denying Ponsero a podium finish. Commentary: Chris Howarth and Nicky Slater Detailed results: https://www.isuresults.com/results/ec... --- 00:00 Intro/Welcome to Helsinki 00:25 Alexander Majorov (SWE) – 22nd 08:10 Michal Březina (CZE) – 10th 16:22 Interim Standings & Short Program Recap 23:07 Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari (FIN) – 14th 31:42 Adrian Schultheiss (SWE) – 18th 39:48 Yannick Ponsero (FRA) – 4th (1st FS) 47:45 Kristoffer Berntsson (SWE) – 8th 55:51 Andrei Lutai (RUS) – 7th 1:03:53 Javier Fernández (ESP) – 11th 1:12:24 Final Group Warm-Up & Preview 1:18:41 Tomáš Verner (CZE) – 6th 1:27:49 Alban Préaubert (FRA) – 5th 1:36:51 Samuel Contesti (ITA) – Silver 1:45:39 Brian Joubert (FRA) – Gold 1:54:15 Kevin van der Perren (BEL) – Bronze 2:02:58 Sergei Voronov (RUS) – 9th 2:10:51 Final Results & Standings 2:11:55 Brian Joubert – Post-Event Interview 2:15:20 Medal Ceremony --- #figureskating #フィギュアスケート #eiskunstlauf #фигурноекатание #pattinaggioartistico #patinageartistique #patinaçãoartística