Smart-Dieck and Val-Kazimov advance to the dance final of the European figure skating

The Spanish couples made up of Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck and Sofía Val and Asaf Kazimov have advanced this Friday to the dance final of the European Figure Skating Championships, which is being held in Sheffield (United Kingdom), after finishing the rhythmic dance program in tenth and fifteenth position, respectively.

At the Utilita Arena in the English town, the two Olympic couples in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 managed to get into the ‘Top 20’ that guaranteed their place in the final on Saturday, where they will have to perform their free dance routine.

To the sound of ‘Freedom’ by George Michael and ‘Let Me Entertain You’ by Robbie Williams, Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck, who arrive in Sheffield ready to surpass the fifth place of the previous edition, that of Kaunas 2024, achieved a score of 75.17 with which they placed seventh with three pairs left to go out on the track – they performed 25 out of 28 -.

Despite the good feelings, the judges marked separation in the choreographic steps, which made them lose about three points, although they did not see their classification in danger. Finally, the champions of Spain and gold in the Tallinn Trophy and the Nepela Memorial finished tenth.

Also sealing their pass to their first final of a continental event, in their second European Championship, were Sofía Val and Asaf Kazimov, who performed in eleventh place and who managed to improve the performance of their previous participation, in 2024 -when they were twenty-third-.

To the rhythm of several songs by Ricky Martin -‘María’, ‘La Copa de la Vida’ and ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’-, the Spanish duo, bronze in the Pre-Olympic and gold in the International ICE Dance Dordrecht and the Sofia Trophy, scored a score of 67.11 points that allowed them to momentarily take first position and finally be fifteenth.

The competition was dominated by the French Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (86.93), ahead of the British Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (85.47), silver in Kaunas 2024, and the current European champions, the Italians Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri (84.48).

Both couples will return to action this Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. Spanish peninsular time, at which time they will show their free dance routine in search of the medals. Smart and Dieck will try to improve their fifth place in the last European Championship with ‘Dune II’, the second part of the program that offered them so many successes last year; Val and Asaf Kazimov, for their part, will perform to the rhythm of Muse.