MCE skaters win
Gold at Europeans

Evgeni Plushenko

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin

Plushenko wins Men's title;
Totmianina & Marinin win pairs

Evgeni Plushenko and pairs team Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin won gold at the European Championships at Malmoe, Sweden.

It was Plushenko’s third gold at the European Championships and Totmianina and Marinin won their second straight.

Plushenko said it was the best program he has performed. He earned six 5.8s and eight 5.9s for technical merit and 12 5.9s and two 6.0s for presentation.

"That was my best clean program," Plushenko said.

Plushenko now heads to the Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg in mid-February and then ends the competitive season where he will be among the favorites at the World Championships in March at Washington, D.C.

Totmianina and Marinin said winning the second time was better than the first.

"Last year it was somehow easier. We didn’t realize what happened. We took the title for the first time," Marinin said.

"Marinin said the past season was more stressful with their move to Chicago and training under new coaches.

Totmianina and Marinin are the top pairs team entered at the Grand Prix Final and World Championships.