 Navka and Kostomarov produced an emotional display |
Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov sealed Russia's third figure-skating triumph of the 2006 Games with gold in the ice dance competition in Palavela. Their passionate free dance performance to Carmen Suite took their total to 200.64 points, 4.58 more than American pair Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.
Ukrainians Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov were just 0.21 points behind the Americans to finish with bronze.
British duo Sinead and John Kerr, from Livingston, ended up in 10th place.
But the night belonged to Navka and Kostomarov, who now have an Olympic title to add to their two world crowns.
Skating second in the final group, they bounced back from finishing second in Friday's compulsory dance by producing a display brimming with complicated footwork, lifts and original choreography.
The Kerr siblings, meanwhile, were happy with their achievement as they look to Vancouver in four years' time.
"Our dream is to reach the top 10 and we've done it. We've never skated that programme better," Sinead said.
"The buzz we got from the crowd was amazing. We put everything into it and it is something we will never forget."
MMIX
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