Averbukh praises Ignatova’s artistry after Denis Ten Memorial win

Ilya Averbukh congratulated Aleksandra Ignatova on winning the Denis Ten Memorial and praised her progress in artistry. She took the women’s singles title in Almaty with 226.01 points across two programmes.

The 22-year-old finished ahead of South Korea’s Kim Yu-jae, who scored 209.20, and Kazakhstan representative Sofia Samodelkina on 204.36. The competition ran from October 8 to 10.

Speaking to Sport-Express, Averbukh linked part of Ignatova’s development to their work together on the Ice Age project. He said her serious approach to the season had already been apparent during that collaboration.

Averbukh believes the victory will encourage her further preparation and hopes her form will continue to improve. He described her as his leading favourite for the Russian championship and a place at the European championships. That was his forecast, rather than an established future result or a team selection decision.