in the free program by less than a point, finishing first overall to win their fourth European title ahead of 2010 champions Kavaguti/Smirnov. Their training ice was scheduled to be melted in late March, after they would normally have left for the World Championships, however, the competition was postponed to late April. They were able to get their ice time extended until Easter, with the city and sport association negotiating the finances. At the 2011 World Championships, Savchenko/Szolkowy were in second place following the short program. They went on to win their third World Championships with a record-breaking free skate. Their total score was also a new world record. With this win, the pair capped off a season in which they won every event they entered. 2011–2012 season Savchenko/Szolkowy took up the option of competing at three Grand Prix events during the 2011–2012 season. They are entered in 2011 Skate America, 2011 NHK Trophy and 2011 Cup of Russia. In October, they confirmed Pina and Angels & Demons as their new music selections and said they were practicing a throw triple Axel, successfully executed in international competition by only one previous pair, Americans Rena Inoue / John Baldwin at the 2006 Winter Olympics. At Skate America, Savchenko/Szolkowy attempted the throw triple Axel in the short program but experienced a hard fall. They were given credit for completing the revolutions and finished in 5th place, 3.4 points off the lead. They rebounded to place first in the free skate and won their second consecutive Skate America title and third in their career. They added a reverse lasso lift to their free program but performed only a double twist because they were still working on a new entry to the triple. They attempted the throw triple Axel again in the short program at 2011 NHK Trophy but Savchenko took another hard fall. They finished third at the event. Savchenko/Szolkowy rebounded to win the 2011 Rostelecom Cup. They qualified for the 2011–12 Grand Prix Final. Although they did not attempt it in Russia, they said they had not ruled out the triple Axel. At the Grand Prix Final, Savchenko/Szolkowy won the gold medal with a total score of 212.26, defeating Volosozhar/Trankov by a margin of only 0.18 points. Savchenko/Szolkowy missed their nationals with the German Skating Union's okay and continued to work on the throw triple Axel. In October 2011, Savchenko/Szolkowy were awarded