Elena Igorevna Radionova (; born 6 January 1999) is a Russian retired competitive

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. She is the 2015 World bronze medalist, a two-time (

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–

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

)

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silver medalist, a two-time

Grand Prix Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final – originally known as the Champions Series Final – is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). It is the culminating event of the Grand Prix Series. Meda ...

medalist,

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champion and the 2015 Russian national champion. On the junior level, she is the first ladies skater to win two World Junior titles (2013 and 2014) and she won the 2012–13 JGP Final as well.

Personal life

Radionova was born on 6 January 1999 in Moscow, Russia. She is the only child in her family. Her interests include writing lyrics, ballet, modern dancing, and singing. She married football player Konstantin Kuchaev on 5 June 2023.

Career

Radionova's father introduced her to skating when she was three years and nine months old, seeking to align her

club foot Clubfoot is a congenital or acquired defect where one or both feet are supinated, rotated inward and plantar flexion, downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. ...

. Since the age of four, she has been coached by Inna Goncharenko at

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

. Her figure skating role models are

Yuna Kim Yuna Kim (; born September 5, 1990), also credited in eastern name order as Kim Yuna or Kim Yeon-a, is a South Korean figure skater. Known for her well-rounded skills, achievements, popularity, and impact on the sport, she is one of the most ...

Mao Asada is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics - Ladies' singles, 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Figure Skating Championships, World champion (2008, 2010, 2014), a three-t ...

, and

Carolina Kostner Carolina Kostner (born 8 February 1987) is an Italian figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, 2012 World champion, a five-time European Figu ...

Early career

In the 2010–11 season, Radionova finished 4th at the 2011 Russian Junior Championships. She won the Zhuk Memorial kids' competition. In the 2011–12 season, Radionova appeared at her first senior Russian Championships, finishing 5th, and went on to win the bronze medal at the Russian Junior Championships that same season. Not yet age-eligible for junior ISU events, Radionova competed in the novice event at the 2012 Triglav Trophy, winning the gold medal.

2012–13 season: Junior international debut

In the 2012–13 season, Radionova made her

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

debut and won her events in France and Austria. She qualified for the JGP Final in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, where she won the gold medal, finishing more than eleven points ahead of silver medalist, Hannah Miller, from the United States. At the 2013 Russian Championships, Radionova won the silver medal in the senior event ahead of defending champion

Adelina Sotnikova Adelina Dmitriyevna Sotnikova ( ; born 1 July 1996) is a retired Russian figure skater. She is the 2014 Olympic gold medalist in ladies' singles, a two-time European silver medalist (2012, 2013), a two-time Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist (20 ...

and then took the junior title. Radionova placed fifth in the short program and first in the free skate at the 2013 World Junior Championships in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy. She was awarded the gold medal while defending champion

Yulia Lipnitskaya Yulia Vyacheslavovna Lipnitskaya (also spelled Julia Lipnitskaia; , ; born 5 June 1998) is a Russian retired competitive figure skater. She was part of the Russian team that won the Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Team trophy, 2 ...

took silver and

Anna Pogorilaya Anna Alexeyevna Pogorilaya (; born 10 April 1998) is a former Russian figure skater. She is the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships, 2016 World bronze medalist, a three-time European medalist (silver in 2017 European Figure Skating Champions ...

the bronze — resulting in a Russian sweep of the podium. Radionova then won the gold medal in the junior event at the

2013 Triglav Trophy The Triglav Trophy is an international figure skating competition which is generally held in the spring in Jesenice, Slovenia. The competition takes its name from the nearby mountain Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. Medals may be awarded i ...

2013–14 season: Senior international debut

In an interview before the 2013–14 season, Radionova said: "I don't think that I am such a great athlete that won a lot. I just won the smallest one, Junior Worlds. In reality, there are competitions that are much more serious and more difficult. I don't feel any pressure yet. I just think I have to work harder and more, because there is no limit to perfection." Elena Radionova Podium Skate America 2013

Elena Radionova Podium Skate America 2013

Radionova made her senior international debut at the

2013 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 26–28, 2013 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. It is held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. Medals were awarded in men's and ladies' singles, pa ...

. Placing first in both programs, she won the gold medal by a margin of more than 25 points over two-time world champion

Miki Ando is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships, 2007 and 2011 World Figure Skating Championships, 2011 World champion, 2011 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2011 Four Continents champion, 2 ...

from Japan. The

2013 Skate America The 2013 Hilton HHonors Skate America was the first event of six in the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on October ...

was Radionova's first senior

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

event. She was awarded the bronze medal at Skate America and then silver at the

2013 NHK Trophy The 2013 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo on November 8–10. Medals were ...

, while gold at both events went to Japan's

, whose skating Radionova admires. Radionova's results qualified her to her first

. At the event in

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, she finished fourth overall. Radionova won the bronze medal at the 2014 Russian Championships after placing third in both the short and long program. Though an injury caused her to miss the Russian junior nationals, she was later added to the Russian team for the 2014 World Junior Championships. At the event, Radionova became the first ladies' single skater to repeat as World Junior champion. Scoring 66.90 points in the short program, 127.39 in the free skate, and 194.29 for the combined total, she broke junior-level ladies' records previously held by

Mirai Nagasu is an American former competitive Figure skating, figure skater. She is a Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Team event, 2018 Olympic Games team event bronze medalist, three-time Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Four Co ...

and

. Radionova,

Serafima Sakhanovich Serafima "Sima" Andreyevna Sakhanovich (; born 9 February 2000) is a retired Russian figure skater. She has won six medals on the ISU Challenger Series circuit, and is the 2017 C.S. Warsaw Cup champion, and the 2018 C.S. Tallinn Trophy champio ...

, and

Evgenia Medvedeva Evgenia Armanovna Medvedeva (alt. spelling: Yevgenia Medvedeva; rus, Евгения Армановна Медведева, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪjə mʲɪˈdvʲedʲɪvə; born 19 November 1999), is a retired competitive Russian figure skater. She ...

produced Russia's second consecutive sweep of the World Junior ladies' podium. During the off-season, Radionova performed in various Russian cities with ''Show of the Champions'' and in Korea with

Igor Bobrin Igor Anatolyevich Bobrin (Russian: Игорь Анатольевич Бобрин) (born 14 November 1953 in Leningrad) is a Russian former competitive figure skater who represented the Soviet Union. He is the 1981 European champion, the 1981 W ...

's ''Theatre on Ice''.

2014–15 season: World bronze medal

2014 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Elena Radionova Inna Goncharenko IMG 3633

Radionova made her season debut at the 2014 Japan Open where she placed first in the ladies' free skate and helped Team Europe win the gold medal. Her

assignments were the

2014 Skate America The 2014 Hilton HHonors Skate America was the first event of six in the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Oct ...

and

2014 Trophée Éric Bompard The 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard was the fifth event of six in the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Meriadeck Ice Rink in Bordeaux on November 21–23. Meda ...

. At Skate America, Radionova ranked second in the short program, first in the free skate, and won the gold medal by a margin of 5.85 points over compatriot

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Elizaveta Sergeyevna Tuktamysheva ( ; rus, Елизавета Серге́евна Туктамышева, , jɪlʲɪzɐˈvʲetə tʊktɐˈmɨʂɨvə; born 17 December 1996) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2015 World Figure Skating Cham ...

. At the Trophée Bompard, Radionova won the gold medal and set personal best scores. She scored a total of 203.92 points, making her the first ladies' singles skater to score over 200 points this season. The results qualified Radionova for the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final. Although a fever prior to the event reduced her training time, she took the silver medal in Barcelona, finishing behind teammate

. At the 2015 Russian Championships, she was first in both segments and won her first national title. Radionova was the silver medalist at the 2015 European Championships where she placed 1st in the short program and second in the free skate. During the 2015 World Championships, she stated that she was feeling ill and weak, having picked up a virus, but would compete anyway. Ranked second in the short program and sixth in the free skate, Radionova won the bronze medal in her world debut. She concluded her season at the 2015 World Team Trophy, placing third in the short program and second in the free skate. Both Radionova's and Tuktamysheva's efforts would aid team Russia to earn a silver medal.

2015–16 season

Radionova intended to begin her season at the

2015 Finlandia Trophy The 2015 Finlandia Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2015–16 figure skating season, 2015–16 season. A part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series, the 20th edition of the annual event was held on October 9– ...

but withdrew due to health problems. Although she was not fully recovered from a high fever and virus, she insisted on competing at her first Grand Prix event of the season, the

2015 Cup of China The 2015 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 6–8. Medals were ...

; she won the bronze medal behind

and

Rika Hongo Rika Hongo (; born September 6, 1996) is a Japanese retired competitive figure skater who is a two-time (2015–16) Four Continents bronze medalist, 2014 Rostelecom Cup champion, 2015 Finlandia Trophy champion and 2014–15 Japanese national si ...

. At the

2015 Rostelecom Cup The 2015 Rostelecom Cup was the fifth event of six in the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena in Moscow on November 20–22. Meda ...

, held in late November in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, she won the gold medal ahead of teammates

and

. It was Russia's first sweep of a Grand Prix ladies' podium since the 1999 Cup of Russia. With this victory, Radionova was once the only competitor who had defeated

since her arrival in the senior level until

Alina Zagitova Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova ( rus, Алина Ильназовна Загитова, , ɐˈlʲinə zɐˈɡʲitəvə; born 18 May 2002) is a Russian former competitive Figure skating, figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Oly ...

in 2018. Radionova qualified for the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final, held in December in Barcelona. She won the bronze medal in Spain, having ranked second in the short and fourth in the free skate after falling from her triple loop, a scratchy triple lutz and two footing her last toe loop combination. Later that month, she won the silver medal behind Medvedeva at the 2016 Russian Championships, having placed second in both segments. On 27 to 30 January, Radionova competed at the 2016 European Championships in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Slovakia. She repeated as the European silver medalist while her teammates completed the podium, with Medvedeva winning the gold and

taking the bronze. In April, she finished sixth at the 2016 World Championships in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

after placing fifth in both segments. Radionova was then invited to the

2016 Team Challenge Cup The 2016 Team Challenge Cup was held April 22–24, 2016 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington. Skaters competed as part of Team Asia, Team Europe, or Team North America. The 2016 competition was the first edition of the event. Spokane was ...

where she finished 7th in the short after singling her axel but moved up to 5th in the free. Team Europe eventually finished in second place with Radionova taking a Team silver medal and prize money.

2016–17 season

Radionova's Grand Prix assignments for the 2016–17 season, her first event was at the

2016 Rostelecom Cup The 2016 Rostelecom Cup was the third event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Megasport Arena in Moscow on November 4–5. Medals were award ...

where she finished second in both the short and free skating, winning the silver medal overall behind teammate

. Then in her next event at the 2016 Cup of China, Radionova finished second at the short program and won the free skating, winning the gold medal with a total of 205.90 points qualifying to her fourth consecutive

, to be held in December in

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Radionova participated in the

Almaty, Kazakhstan Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border with ...

from 1 to 5 February. She finished first in both the short and the long programs, with a total of 196.61 points earning her the gold medal. On 28 April 2017, it was reported that Radionova would train under

Elena Buianova Elena Germanovna Buianova (, née Vodorezova, Водорезова; born 21 May 1963) is a Russian figure skating coach and retired competitive skater who represented the Soviet Union. She is the 1983 World bronze medalist and three-time Euro ...

under the same club in CSKA. Her split with her former coach Goncharenko was amicable.

2017–18 season

Radionova finished 4th at the

2017 Rostelecom Cup The 2017 Rostelecom Cup was the first event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Megasport Arena in Moscow on October 20–22. Medals were awar ...

and took bronze at the

2017 Cup of China Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American maga ...

. She finished a disappointing 10th place at the

2018 Russian Figure Skating Championships The 2018 Russian Figure Skating Championships () were held from 19 to 24 December 2017 in Saint Petersburg. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The results were among the criteri ...

2018–19 season and onward

Radionova withdrew from the

2018 Skate America The 2018 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington on October 19–21. ...

and

2018 NHK Trophy The 2018 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Hiroshima Green Arena in Hiroshima on November 9–11. Medals were aw ...

due to a back injury. On 22 September 2020, she announced her retirement from competition.

Records and achievements

* First ladies' skater in history to win two World Junior titles (2013 & 2014). * Former world record holder for the junior ladies' short program (66.90 points), set at the 2014 World Junior Championships on 14 March 2014. Record was broken nine months later on 11 December 2014 by

(Russia). * Former world record holder for the junior ladies' free program (127.39 points), set at the 2014 World Junior Championships on 14 March 2014. Record was broken on 12 December 2015 by

Polina Tsurskaya Polina Igorevna Tsurskaya (pronounced ''TSOO-rskaya''; , born 11 July 2001) is a retired competitive Russian figure skater and figure skating coach. She is the 2017 NHK Trophy bronze medallist. On the junior level, she is the 2016 Winter Youth ...

(Russia). * Former world record holder for the junior ladies' combined total score (194.29 points), set at the 2014 World Junior Championships on 14 March 2014. Record was broken on 12 December 2015 by

(Russia).

List of Radionova's junior world record scores

Endorsements

Radionova signed a sponsorship deal with American skating boots manufacturer Riedell Skates.

Programs

2015 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final ladies singles medal ceremonies IMG 9498

2015 European Championships Ladies Podium

Competitive highlights

''GP:

; CS: Challenger Series; JGP:

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

Detailed results

Senior level

2014 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Elena Radionova IMG 3594

2013 Nebelhorn Trophy Elena Radionova IMG 7532

''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.''

Junior level

2012-12 Final Grand Prix 3d 119 Elena Radionova

''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Previous ISU world best highlighted in'' bold.

References

External links

* * ! colspan="3" style="border-top: 5px solid #78FF78;" , Historical World Junior Record Holders (before season 2018–19) {{DEFAULTSORT:Radionova, Elena 1999 births Living people European Figure Skating Championships medalists Russian female single skaters Figure skaters from Moscow World Figure Skating Championships medalists World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists Winter World University Games medalists in figure skating FISU World University Games gold medalists for Russia Competitors at the 2017 Winter Universiade 21st-century Russian sportswomen