MOSCOW, April 1 (R-Sport) - Russia's Olympic figure skating champion pair Maxim Trankov and Tatiana Volosozhar will skate in Grand Prix competition next season to gauge the strength of the competition, Trankov was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Speculation had mounted that the duo - veterans at 30 and 27, respecitvely - would take a break until the Russian championships next December following the Sochi Winter Games, where they claimed gold in the team event and the regular competition to help their country to the top of the medal table.
But Trankov said Tuesday that they would take part in the Grand Prix season, which starts October 24 with Skate America.
"Now we'll see several new names, so Tanya and I want to take part in the Grand Prix to understand who we'll be competing against in the future," Trankov was quoted as saying by the Russian Figure Skating Federation website.
Trankov and Volosozhar skipped last week's world championships in Saitama, Japan, where the pairs competition was won by their fierce rivals Robin Szolkowy and Aliona Savchenko for a fifth and final time before their retirement.
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