Russian figure-skaters Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Tran’kov are leading the European figure-skating championship in Helsinki. They took advantage of a fall by world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, edging past the Germans to win the pairs short program. Yuko Kawaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia were third.
      
      Mukhortova and Trankov, second at the Russian nationals this month, scored a personal-best 69.62 points.
      
      In ice dance, Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski lead after the compulsory dance, the Finnstep. Fellow Russians and defending European champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin are down in fifth after Shabalin fell, a rarity in compulsories.
      
      Source: www.thecanadianpress.com