Russian junior skaters make brilliant debut at season-opening Grand Prix event (VIDEO)

Russian figure skaters Kamila Valieva and Maiia Khromykh have successfully debuted at international level taking places in the women’s short program at the season-opening junior Grand Prix stage in Courchevel, France.

Valieva captivated the crowd with her mesmerizing Picasso-inspired routine ‘Girl on the ball’ which was staged by Russia’s famed coach Eteri Tutberidze.

The 13-year-old rising star effortlessly coped with a double axel and triple loop in the beginning of her routine before falling on a triple lutz which should have been performed in combination with a triple toe-loop.

Despite making a noticeable mistake which didn’t go unnoticed by the strict judges Valieva posted quite a decent sum of 62.31 points which brought her to third place in the standings.

One more representative of Russia, Maiia Kromykh, who also made an international debut in France, delivered a more confident performance than her teammate, perfectly landing a triple lutz in combination with a triple toe-loop.

A slight mistake on a triple loop didn’t seriously affect her final score of 67.72 points which turned out to be the highest score of the day.

South Korea’s Seoyeong Wi got the second-best result in the short program, scoring 65.75 points and separating the two Russian competitors in the final protocol.

The competition continues on Saturday with the ladies presenting their free programs.