Just two months before Moscow hosts the world championships for the first time, Russians completed a sweep of the medals in Turin's Palavela rink, which will also stage the figure skating event at next year's Winter Olympics.
While Tatyana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin captured their fourth consecutive pairs title, Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov retained the ice-dance crown.
Plushenko and Slutskaya completed the haul in the men's and women's competitions.
For the International Skating Union, the meet proved to be a success as its revamped scoring system was used at a major championship for the first time without a hitch or any controversies.
Plushenko produced the performance of the week with an explosive free skate to capture his fourth European men's title.
However, it was Slutskaya who made history when she won a record-equaling sixth European women's crown despite an error-strewn display including a crash-landing following a triple Lutz.
"Ten years ago I went to my first Europeans and never thought I'd win six titles. Back then I was thinking it would be nice to win one medal someday and now it's like, wow, six gold medals," she said.
The Russians arrived in Turin with high expectations, determined to gain the psychological edge over their non-European rivals by tasting victory in the Olympic venue.
"We have good expectations, for us this is just a general rehearsal for the Olympics," Marinin said even before the competition had begun this week.
Ice dancer Navka repeated the sentiment: "It was important for us to win here as this is the rink where we would like to win the main medal of our career."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
