2011 Euros Women's FS (Eurosport) | Sarah Meier's Fairytale Farewell & European Gold

Summary: The women's free skate at the 2011 European Championships produced one of the most emotional conclusions in modern European figure skating. Overnight leader Kiira Korpi entered the final free skate ahead of Russia's Ksenia Makarova and hometown favourite Sarah Meier, while three-time European champion Carolina Kostner faced an uphill battle after an uncharacteristically difficult short program left her sixth. With several contenders still in the hunt, the championship remained wide open heading into the decisive final group. The afternoon also highlighted a promising new generation. Belgium's Ira Vannut delivered a breakthrough performance in her European Championship debut to move into medal contention during the early stages, while Maé Bérénice Méité and Sarah Hecken showed determination despite costly mistakes. Ksenia Makarova appeared to strengthen her podium hopes with a determined performance featuring a valuable triple-triple combination, before Carolina Kostner responded with a beautifully choreographed free skate. Although technical errors prevented her from successfully defending her title, her exceptional skating skills and outstanding program components earned the highest free skate score of the competition. The championship then took another dramatic turn. Kiira Korpi struggled under the pressure of skating last among the title favourites, falling on a triple loop and opening the door for the final competitor. Performing the last competitive program of her career before an emotional home crowd in Bern, Sarah Meier produced the skate of her life. Displaying remarkable composure after years of injury setbacks, she captivated the packed arena to secure the European title in a fairytale farewell. Although Kostner won the free skate, Meier's brilliant performance was enough to claim Switzerland's first European women's title since Denise Biellmann in 1981, bringing the championship to a memorable and emotional close. --- HD50fps, British coverage (commentators: Chris Howarth, Nicky Slater), The 2011 European Figure Skating Championships was held from 24 to 30 January 2011 at the PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. Rank Name Nation Total points SP FS^ 1 Sarah Meier  Switzerland 170.6 3 2^ 2 Carolina Kostner  Italy 168.54 6 1^ 3 Kiira Korpi  Finland 166.4 1 4^ 4 Ksenia Makarova  Russia 162.04 2 5^ 6 Viktoria Helgesson  Sweden 151.66 4 7^ 7 Ira Vannut  Belgium 150.66 10 6^ 8 Elene Gedevanishvili  Georgia 147.96 5 8^ 9 Maé Bérénice Méité  France 138.74 7 10^ 10 Valentina Marchei  Italy 137.44 8 14^ 11 Sarah Hecken  Germany 137.43 9 12^ --- Chapters 00:00 Valentina Marchei (Italy) 08:29 Sarah Hecken (Germany) 16:11 Ira Vannut (Belgium) 23:12 Maé Bérénice Méité (France) 30:52 Ksenia Makarova (Russia) 39:04 Carolina Kostner (Italy) 46:48 Kiira Korpi (Finland) 55:02 Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia) 1:02:55 Viktoria Helgesson (Sweden) 1:10:59 Sarah Meier (Switzerland) 1:21:19 Final Results --- #figureskating #フィギュアスケート #eiskunstlauf #фигурноекатание #pattinaggioartistico #patinageartistique #patinaçãoartística