It was the first European crown for Italian skaters since Carlo Fassi won the men's championship in 1954.

	Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio are the first Italians to win a European crown since Carlo Fassi won the men's championship in 1954.

Faced with the unenviable position of skating first in the final group, Fusar Poli and Margaglio turned in a dramatic performance to music from the soundtrack of Romeo and Juliet to ensure that it would require something special to deny them the gold.

But Anissina and Peizerat appeared to have produced such an effort until Anissina clipped the back of her partner's skates just 10 seconds from the end of their routine, sending them tumbling.

The French pair were punished for the error. They received technical marks as low as 5.2 but held on to take silver because of their strong presentation scores.