Inside Skating coverage of Rostelecom Cup starts with the actual beginning of the competition, any competition: the draw. You’ll see some of the skaters in the ladies and men’s event through the eyes and lens of Natasha Ponarina. Some of them are thoughtful, some are fighting the jet lag, some share a smile or two with the photographer – and some laugh heartily when discovering they’ll be the first to enter the ice.
Are you ready for the third Grand Prix event of the season? We know we are.
Loads of talent in these photos: Julia Lipnitskaia and Elena Radionova, waiting for the ladies’ SP draw to begin
Elizabet Tursynbaeva and coach Brian Orser
Elizabet will be the last to skate on the day of the ladies’ SP: she drew number 12
Anastasia Galustyan of Armenia drew number 11 (out of 12)
Italy’s Roberta Rodeghiero will be the 8th to take the ice in the ladies’ SP
Yura Matsuda of Japan will be the second to take the ice on the day of the ladies’ SP
…while her team mate Kanako Murakami drew number 1
Priceless: Kanako’s reaction when realizing she’ll be the first to take the ice
Latvia’s Angelina Kuchvalska will be the last skater in group 1
Julia Lipnitskaia drew number 4…
…and she’ll be followed by Anna Pogorilaya, who drew no. 5
Elena Radionova will be the 10th skater to take the ice in the ladies’ SP
Now to the men: Russia’s Artur Dmitriev waiting for his turn
Max Aaron drew number 8
Elladj Balde’s fist in the air, after drawing number 1 – he’ll be the first to take the ice in the men’s SP in Moscow
Chafik Besseghier of France drew number 5
…while Alexei Bychenko, number 10 (out of the 12 competitors)
Japan’s Shoma Uno will be the last skater in group 1 – he drew number 6
Deniss Vasiljevs will be the third to take the ice on the day of the men’s SP
Deniss, alongside coach Stephane Lambiel during the draw
Artur Dmitriev will be the 9th skater to enter the men’s SP
The World champion en-titre, Spain’s Javier Fernandez, will open the group 2 (he drew number 7)
Rostelecom Cup is Javier’s first competition of the season
All smiles: Deniss Vasiljevs and Stephane Lambiel at the end of the draw
Let the 2016 Rostelecom Cup begin!