Elliana Pogrebinsky (born April 22, 1998) is a retired American competitive
ice dancer
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. A ...
. With
Alex Benoit
Alexander Benoit (born October 9, 1995) is an American actor and former competitive ice dancer. With his skating partner, Elliana Pogrebinsky, he is a two-time ISU Challenger Series Tallinn Trophy bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2016 Lake Pla ...
, she is a two-time
ISU Challenger Series
The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 figure skating season, 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU ...
Tallinn Trophy
The Tallinn Trophy is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted in Tallinn, Estonia, by the Estonian Skating Union (). It debuted in 2002 as a regional competition before e ...
bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2016
Lake Placid Ice Dance International
The Lake Placid Ice Dance International is an annual international ice dance competition held in Lake Placid, New York. It was first held in 1932. In 2015 and 2016, the senior event was included on the International Skating Union's calendar. The e ...
champion, and the
2017 U.S. national pewter medalist.
Personal life
Elliana Pogrebinsky was born April 22, 1998, in
Los Gatos, California
Los Gatos (; ; ) is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located in the San Franc ...
.
[ She is the daughter of Natalia and Vladimir Pogrebinsky, and has an elder brother, Daniel.][ Her parents moved to the United States in the late 1980s from ]Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
, Ukraine.[ She is Jewish and celebrated her ]bat mitzvah
A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...
in 2011.[
As a child, Pogrebinsky studied at a ballet school in ]San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
, and competed in ballroom dancing
Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...
and in rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...
, winning a Pacific Region title and qualifying for three national championships at three levels.[ After moving from California to ]Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
in 2009, she attended Westland Middle School
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is a State school, public school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland. With 210 schools, it is the largest school district in the state of Maryland. For the 2022–23 school year, the district ...
and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda, Maryland, Bethesda.
Part of the Montgomery County Public Schools ...
.[ In 2016, she graduated from FlexTech Academy in ]Novi, Michigan
Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
.[ She is now enrolled at the ]University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...
pursuing a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and has an internship at the athletic department in Strength and Conditioning at USF.
Career
Early years
Pogrebinsky began skating as a three-year-old in San Jose.[ From 2005 to 2009,][ she was coached by ]Marina Klimova
Marina Vladimirovna Klimova (; born 28 June 1966) is a former competitive ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union and the Unified Team. With skating partner and husband Sergei Ponomarenko, she is the 1992 Olympic champion, the 1988 ...
and Sergei Ponomarenko
Sergei Vladilenovich Ponomarenko (; born October 6, 1960) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union and the Unified team. With skating partner and wife Marina Klimova, he is the 1992 Olympic champion ...
in California.[
Pogrebinsky teamed up with Ross Gudis in March 2009.][ They were coached by Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, and Dmytri Ilin in Wheaton and ]Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...
.[ Making their ]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, they placed 6th in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205.
The village of Lake Placid ...
, and 11th in Bled
Bled (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also ''Feldes'') is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan regio ...
, Slovenia in 2012, before placing 5th in junior dance at the 2013 U.S. Championships. In the 2013–14 season, they competed at two more JGP events – finishing 4th in Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, Latvia, and 6th in Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
, Poland – and placed 5th for the second year in a row at the U.S. Championships.
Partnership with Benoit
Pogrebinsky teamed up with Alex Benoit
Alexander Benoit (born October 9, 1995) is an American actor and former competitive ice dancer. With his skating partner, Elliana Pogrebinsky, he is a two-time ISU Challenger Series Tallinn Trophy bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2016 Lake Pla ...
in March 2014 after a tryout in Novi, Michigan
Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
, that was suggested by Igor Shpilband
Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (, born July 14, 1964) is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana Gladkova.
P ...
.[ Their international debut came at the ]2014–15 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2014–15 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 18th season of a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Medals wer ...
(JGP) in Aichi
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...
; after placing fifth in Japan, Pogrebinsky/Benoit were sent to the JGP in Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, Croatia, where they finished 8th. In January 2015, they won the junior bronze medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships and were selected to compete at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. Ranked 12th in the short dance, they qualified for the free dance (14th) and finished 13th overall in Estonia.
During the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 19th season of a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Medals we ...
series, Pogrebinsky/Benoit placed fourth in Linz
Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...
, Austria, and won the bronze medal in Logroño
Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...
, Spain. They repeated as junior national bronze medalists and were assigned to the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen
Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...
, Hungary; they placed fifth in the short dance, fourth in the free, and fourth overall.
Pogrebinsky/Benoit decided to compete on the senior level in the 2016–2017 season.[ Making their ]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 ...
debut, they placed 7th at the 2016 Skate America
The 2016 Skate America was the first 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 Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois, on October 21–23. Medals we ...
and 6th 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 ...
. They won bronze at the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy
The 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition, held in November 2016 at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn, Estonia. Its senior categories were part of the 2016–17 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in ...
and then the pewter medal (fourth place) at the 2017 U.S. Championships.
In their second senior season, the two finished 7th at both of their Grand Prix assignments and took bronze at the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy
The 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held on November 21–26, 2017, at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn, Estonia. The senior categories were part of the 2017–18 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were aw ...
before placing 7th at the 2018 U.S. Championships. Their coaches included Igor Shpilband
Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (, born July 14, 1964) is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana Gladkova.
P ...
, Adrienne Lenda, Greg Zuerlein, and Fabian Bourzat
Fabian Bourzat (born 19 December 1980) is a French retired ice dancer. With partner Nathalie Péchalat, he is a two-time World bronze medalist (2012, 2014), a two-time European champion (2011–2012), and a five-time French national champion ...
.[ In March 2018, Benoit announced his decision to retire from competitive skating while Pogrebinsky said that she would search for another partner.][
]
Programs
With Benoit
With Gudis
Competitive highlights
''GP: 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 ...
; 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 ...
''
With Benoit
With Gudis
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pogrebinsky, Elliana
1998 births
American female ice dancers
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Living people
People from Los Gatos, California
Sportspeople from Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
21st-century American sportswomen