Russia reclaims Olympic pairs figure skating dynasty with gold, silver

An age-old figure skating dynasty came to an end in 2010 when Russia was blanked on Vancouver's Olympic podium in the pairs contest.

The resounding statement on Wednesday at Iceberg Skating Palace was an announcement for who is taking the throne next, or more accurately, who is earnestly taking it back.

Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov posted a 152.69 score in the free skate, tallying a 236.86 total with two skaters to go in the field. Securing the gold is an Olympic first in pairs for both, though they collected a team event gold medal with Russia earlier this week.

Volozoshar, 27, competed with two other partners for Ukraine from 2000 to 2010 before receiving her Russian citizenship in December 2010 to skate with 30-year-old Trankov.

Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov earned the silver medal with a personal best 218.68. 

Presumably fueled by the home ice energy, the young pair soared above their total of 207.98 set at the European Championships in January. Stolbova, 22, and Klimov, 23, own the third-best free program score in the ISU record books.

Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, bronze medalists in 2010, repeated their place on the podium.

Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch of Canada cracked the top five, with teammates Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford taking seventh spot.