MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russia’s Maxim Kovtun won silver at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships Saturday, losing to Spain’s Javier Fernandez, who claimed his fifth consecutive European title.

The Russian posted a new personal best with 172.27 points and accumulated 266.80 points to win his third consecutive medal at Europeans, but it was not enough to defeat Fernandez (294.84 points), who enjoyed a solid lead after the short program.

Fernandez has become the first skater since Ondrej Nepela to win five European titles in a row. The Slovak Nepela won his titles from 1969 to 1974.

Another Russian, Mikhail Kolyada, picked the bronze. Alexander Samarin was eighth with 230.87 points.