Once again Russia's rising figure skating stars raised the bar for competitive ice with their sublime performances at the Russian figure skating championships this last week in Chelyabinsk.

Despite the fact that some big names are missing including Alena Kostornaia, Evgenia Medvedeva who have pulled out due to COVID-19, the annual event turned out to be a fantastic feast for figure skating fans around the world.

As always, a jaw-dropping ladies' field contributed to that greatly.

The three podium occupants Anna Shcherbakova, Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova produced free skates of the highest quality on Saturday, all pulling off their quads with exceptional display in each of their routines.

Anna Shcherbakova fights her way through a recent illness

Known for her quadruple jumps and exceptional artistry in skating, 16-year-old Shcherbakova was not perceived as the biggest contender for the coveted title heading into the championships.

Having pulled out of several competitions a month ago due to pneumonia and still recovering, she seemingly struggled for breath after Friday's short program.

Instead of backing off, the reigning champion was determined to step on the ice for her free skate as she delivered clearly the best among all the contenders, landing two quads in a near-flawless skate to "Morning Passages," "Big Plans" and Beethoven's "Five Secrets."

Her triumph even had her coach Eteri Tutberidze in tears.

"I was sure that I wanted to go out and show what I could do," Shcherbakova told the Russian media after winning her free skate.

She was the only skater to perform two different quads – Lutz and flip and her artistic connection to her music and to the ice proved she was one of the more mature and full-fledged skaters there.

As Shcherbakova completed a hat-trick of Russian national figure skating titles, she is perhaps the only skater certain to represent Russia in March's World Championships.

The quad jumps and world championships

The reigning world junior champion Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova, the first skater to land a quad in an international ladies' competition, all delivered a clean free skate on Saturday, finishing second and third place on the podium.

Both of them executed solid quadruple jumps, which seem to become a must-have in order to stay competitive in any international competitions.

At the age of 14, Valieva is too young for the upcoming World Championships in Stockholm; however, she projected herself as a serious contender when she steps up to the senior ranks next season.

Known to possess the most difficult technical content, Trusova has been struggling to maintain her stability in quads in the recent seasons.

Instead of being full-loaded with quadruple jumps, she chose to include just two in her free skate – a quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination and a quad Lutz which she managed to make.

As she failed to impress at the home Grand Prix event the Rostelecom Cup after making noticeable errors, Trusova's clean free skate earned her a deserved place on the podium at the nationals.

Has she maintained her stable performance with the jumps and kept honing on her skating, she will make herself a serious contender for the Russian squad in March's World Championships.

The rising stars' capabilities to land solid quad jumps will make it harder for Medvedeva, two-time world champion who watched from the stands and then performed in the exhibition gala on Sunday to contend competitively.

Sitting out both Rostelecom and nationals due to back issues and then a COVID-19 diagnosis, the PyeongChang 2018 silver medalist has the coming months to reveal her next step.

(Cover image: Anna Shcherbakova performs her free skating program at the Russian Figure Skating Championships at Traktor Ice Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia, December 26, 2020. /CFP)