Russia considers a two-silver medal haul at last week's world figure skating championships in Nice to be a positive result, the sport's top official told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Russia's silvers came from Alena Leonova, who finished behind Italy's Carolina Kostner in the women's competition, and the pairing of Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, who came second to German couple Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy.
Some, including the skaters themselves, expected more of Ksenia Makarova, who came ninth in the women's program, and Artur Gachinski, who placed 18th in the men's.
But the overall haul was better than 2011, when the team came away with one silver and one bronze.
"The team's performance I assess positively," said Valentin Piseev, the general director of Russia's Figure Skating Federation. "Looking to the previous year, if you compare it with what we came away with then, we gave a better showing," Piseev said.
Piseev said he was disappointed, however, with Gachinski, the 19-year-old who finished second to Evgeny Plushenko at the European championships last month and is considered to be blessed with the talent of his Olympic champion mentor.
"With Gachinski, he just messed up," Piseev said. "Clearly, the guy had his mind elsewhere."
Plushenko opted to sit out the championships after going ahead with much-needed surgery on his meniscus.
