Olympic figure skating champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski won the first major international competition for the season, Skate America.

The Bulgarian team managed winning first place despite an incident during their morning practice for the free programme, Bulgarian National Radio reported.

After colliding with another couple on the ice Staviski had to cope with a thigh trauma, while Denkova cut the back of her right leg.

Denkova and Staviski received the highest mark as a result of the difficult free skating programme they performed. Their final score reached 201.58 points.

US competitors Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov ranked second. Their score was 180.98 points.

The Bulgarian pair would receive $18 000 from the award pool, which totals $180 000.

In the end of November the Bulgarians would take part in the Grand Prix in Paris.