ABU DHABI // Anastasiya Kononenko said her success in the inaugural Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Trophy for Figure Skating will boost her chances of qualifying for the 2016 European Open and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The Ukrainian topped the women’s international division with a score of 110.57 at the Abu Dhabi Ice Rink on Saturday.
Isabella Schuster-Velissariou of Greece took silver and Clara Peters of Ireland bronze.
Zahra Lari, the Emirati, finished fourth.
Kononenko, 21, celebrated her first win in three international competitions this year since returning from a spell out with illness and injuries.
“I loved the competition in Abu Dhabi. Everyone did their best as always and I was happy to be able to do my best to win,” said the Ukrainian, who has been training in the United States for the past eight years.
“I competed in a couple of challenger series similar to the one in Abu Dhabi after returning from an illness that led to breathing problems and then also suffered some injuries that kept me out of training for a long time.
“I am so happy and delighted that I could come here and win. My goals have always been to qualify for the European Open and the Olympics, so this win means a lot to me.
“The closest I got was to come second in the Ukrainian national championship about four years ago.
“And now I am working harder than ever even as the bar has been raised in Ukraine with so many athletes training with the same objectives. I feel I am now stronger and more competitive, yet it is the results that matter.”
Kononenko will next take part in a competition in the US and then hope to compete at the US Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah, in September.
Meanwhile, Lari’s objective was to improve her previous score, and she managed to achieve that for the third time in three competitions since her debut on the senior international circuit this year.
“Today was the best score I ever got in an international competition, and hopefully I will get better and better at every competition,” Lari said. “It is a massive jump for me and I am happy I am getting better scores in every competition.”
In the Novice Ladies category, Corina Armston from Austria took gold ahead of compatriot Rose Robinson, with Joyce Selina Chan of Hong Kong third.
apassela@thenational.ae
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