the public prize at Germany's tenth and final Unity Prize ceremony. In January 2012, they were voted Saxony's Sports Team of 2011. Savchenko ruptured a muscle fiber in her left upper thigh as a result of a fall in training on 12 January 2012. Because she was not fully fit, the pair considered withdrawing from the 2012 European Championships (pairs event 25–26 January) or reducing the level of planned difficulty but said they feared a withdrawal would result in a one-year ban from competition if they performed in 2–8 February Art on Ice shows, a significant source of income (around 80,000 euros) for the pair which receives no funding from the German federation. By the start of the competition, Savchenko was able to land jumps and throws but spins aggravated her injury, causing the pair to withdraw before the short program on 25 January. At the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France, Savchenko/Szolkowy were first in the short program on 28 March. After falls on previous competition attempts, Savchenko landed the throw triple Axel for the first time in their career but her free foot touched the ice. On 29 March, Szolkowy lost a court case seeking reinstatement to the Bundeswehr which funded his sports career until 2006 – the court stated he did not have an authorized coach. Savchenko/Szolkowy were second in the free skate on 30 March but finished first overall. They won their fourth World title – becoming the fifth pair in the post-World War II period to do so – by a margin of 0.11 points over silver medalists Volosozhar/Trankov. 2012–2013 season Savchenko/Szolkowy began the season with gold at the 2012 Skate Canada International, although Savchenko had a flu. Officials elected not to impose a deduction after Szolkowy violated the regulation against men wearing tights. Steuer said they would consider making some adjustments. Their colorful costumes received a mixed reaction, with one Canadian journalist describing them as "something that looked like the cat threw up", however, Szolkowy said he was pleased with the results of their collaboration with a Chemnitz design studio. On 8 November 2012, it was announced that Savchenko/Szolkowy had signed a three-year agreement with their first major sponsor, ThomasLloyd, a Swiss investment banking group. Szolkowy said that they no longer had to worry about finances. The pair said they were uncertain if they would compete at their second Grand Prix assignment, the 2012