TALLINN, Jan 15, Andrey Simonenko. Russian figure skaters Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin achieved such progress that can only be explained by their hard work, said the coach of the dance duo Igor Shpilband. Davis and Smolkin took seventh place at the debut European Championship in Tallinn. The partner is the daughter of coach Eteri Tutberidze, the partner is the son of actor Boris Smolkin. Earlier, a number of media outlets suggested that family ties could help athletes achieve progress in results. «The guys worked, there were no complaints, they worked hard. The progress that they showed cannot be shown without work. After their performance at the World Junior Championships, up to performances here in Tallinn, a lot of work has been done. You can’t argue with that. You can say whatever you want, but compare the performances during these two years, even less, and all questions will disappear, «Shpilband said, answering the question, proved “I’m very pleased, this is a very good result for a debut at the European Championships,” he noted. “We skated with dignity. The task was just to show ourselves so that experts could see them. this year. I think that we coped with the task.»