Bradie Tennell, Nathan Chen and everyone set to represent USA at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics next month will get a glimpse of their European competition this weekend, as the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships get underway in Moscow.
The main competitions (senior men, senior ladies, pairs and dance) will take place between Wednesday, January 17, and Sunday, January 21. In the United States, the action will be broadcast on NBC, NBC Sports Network and the Olympic Channel (a complete schedule can be found here). If you can’t get to a TV or don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of all of these channels by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, allowing you to watch the the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships at no cost:
Fubo TV: “Fubo Premier” includes NBC (live in select markets), NBC Sports Network and the Olympic Channel. A free 7-day trial is offered, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
DirecTV Now: All four main channel packages include NBC (live in select markets) and NBC Sports Network, while the Olympic Channel is included in the “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” packages. It comes with a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get $25 off your first month if you enter promo code “BDAY2017”. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: “Sling Blue” includes both NBC (live in select markets) and NBC Sports Network, while you will need to add the “Sports Extra” add-on to also get the Olympic Channel. A free seven-day trial is offered, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Preview
The one to watch here will be Moscow native Evgenia Medvedeva. While the 18-year-old’s Olympic hopes still hang in the balance after Russia’s ban (she can compete as a neutral athlete but hasn’t committed to that), she’ll seek to become the first woman since France’s Surya Bonaly to win three European titles in a row. In fact, Medvedeva hasn’t been defeated since the 2015 Rostelecom Cup (she finished second behind compatriot Elena Radionova), but this is far from a sure thing as it will be her first competition since November due to a broken foot.
“Evgenia is training at full strength,” Russian figure skating chief Alexander Gorshkov said. “She is fully focused on her preparation for the European Championships and other forthcoming competitions. She has almost recovered from the injury. Taking into account her character and tenacity, we hope she will come back to the ice in excellent shape.”
On the men’s side, Spain’s Javier Fernandez aims for his sixth consecutive European title, which would put him in exclusive company with Karl Schafer as the only men to accomplish the feat. The Olympics are still obviously the more important goal, as Fernandez is looking for redemption after just missing the podium in Sochi in 2014, but this will still serve as an important litmus test for the Spaniard.
His biggest competition in Moscow is likely to be Mikhail Kolyada. The 2018 Russian champ is the only man in this competition who has beaten Fernandez, as he took gold at the 2017 Cup on China, while Fernandez fell to a disappointing seventh. But since that competition, Fernandez has captured a pair of golds–that includes the 2018 Spanish Championships, where he finished with a season-high total score of 288.30, which bests Kolyada’s high mark of 281.16–to set up a compelling individual matchup.
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How to Watch European Figure Skating Championships Live Stream in USA