Russia’s Dima beats Greece’s diva into 3rd
Greece secured third place in Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final with Kalomoira Sarantis’s upbeat pop tune «Secret Combination» as Russia and Ukraine, two of the favorites, scooped the top spots. The performance by Sarantis, 23, before a 20,000-strong audience at Belgrade’s City Hall, amassed 218 points for Greece, just behind Ukraine’s 230 votes, while Russia swept ahead with 272. In the early stages of voting Sarantis had been level with Russia’s 26-year-old pop icon Dima Bilan but the final votes from former communist bloc countries secured the top spot for Russia and propelled Ukraine into second place. Greek commentators criticized bloc voting among ex-Soviet and former Yugoslav states. But most were happy with the result for Greece, particularly as many other favorites, including Sweden, failed to make the top 10.
