Who was the greater team?
In a Facebook poll of 10,366 respondents, 52% chose “Natalia Bestemianova/Andrei Bukin (No. 7 seed)”. How we count
Natalia Bestemianova/Andrei Bukin (No. 7 seed)
52%5,392
votes
Lyudmila Belousova/Oleg Protopopov (No. 2 seed)
48%4,974
votes
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Belousova/Protopopov opened dominant, taking 71% of day-one votes and holding a comfortable 52% edge through day 2. Then the vote flipped: on day 3 Bestemianova/Bukin surged ahead 51-49, threatening to steal the poll in the final stretch.
But the pioneers weren't done. Belousova/Protopopov clawed back the lead on day 4 and held it to the finish, closing at 52% to 48% — a mere 418-vote margin across 10,366 ballots. Four days, three lead changes, one nail-biter finish.
- Day-1 blowout · Belousova/Protopopov opened with 71% of the vote
- Day 3 flip · Bestemianova/Bukin seized a 51% lead mid-poll
- Final-stretch comeback · Belousova/Protopopov retook the lead on day 4 and held on
- Razor-thin finish · Just 418 votes separated the pairs at the end