By Yelena Mikhailovskaya
The winner was Ukraine’s charming Anastasia Petrik, aged ten, whose surprisingly mature, strong voice brought her 138 points. Belarus was among those countries giving her the maximum 12 points for her rendition of Sky in Ukrainian and English. Second place went to Georgia’s Funkids band, with Armenia’s Compass Band coming third.
Anastasia’s victory is the first for Ukraine at the children’s contest in its seven years of participation. She sings with the Interior Ministry choir and has already taken part in the Children’s New Wave Song Contest. Her elder sister, Victoria, came second at Junior Eurovision-2008. The Petrik family lives in the suburbs of Odessa, in the village of Nerubaiskoe. Immediately after the competition, Anastasia admitted that she would love a new dog and hopes that her father will give her a puppy in honour of her victory in Amsterdam.
The head of the Belarusian delegation, Lyudmila Borodina, was delighted by the performance of our team, saying, “Yegor has done well. As far as the voting results are concerned, they are always unpredictable.”
The favourite with bookmakers and journalists was Russia’s Lerika singing her Sensation. She finished in fourth place but promises to reach the adult Eurovision Song Contest.
Yegor Zheshko brings home many impressions and new friends from Amsterdam and believes that Anastasia Petrik’s win is deserved. He admits, “She sung best of all.” The vote took place in two stages, with the jury’s decision announced almost immediately after the first round of performances. The second round saw an audience vote, with Anastasia proving the most popular over the two rounds.
