Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian wins Olympic qualifying event
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Adeliia Petrosian of Russia performs in the women's free skate during the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier in Beijing on Sept 20, 2025.
PHOTO: EPA
Follow topic:
Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian emerged as a medal contender for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics after clinching victory at the final qualifying event in Beijing on Sept 20.
Competing as individual neutral athletes, this week marked the first international competition for Russian skaters since the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The event is the only chance they have to secure Olympic quota spots following their exclusion from the world championships in Boston earlier in 2025.
The 18-year-old Petrosian scored 209.63 total points for her Michael Jackson-themed short programme and the Argentinian tango free skate, beating Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia (206.23), and Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx (204.96).
The top five finishers in each discipline of the three-day event secure Olympic quota spots for their country. Petrosian’s victory does not guarantee her an Olympic berth, which is dependent on the broader qualification process, but she is the front runner as a clear medal contender.
The other two quota spots were secured for China and by Belarusian individual neutral athlete Viktoriia Safonova.
Russian Petr Gumennik is on pace to earn a spot in men’s singles on Sept 21 after leading the short programme.
Russian skaters have been barred from international events since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced a pathway last December for Russian and Belarusian skaters to compete as individual neutral athletes.
While the world championships in Boston determined the majority of Olympic berths, this week’s event in Beijing is an opportunity for countries to fill out remaining quota spots.
But it was the only qualifying event for Russian skaters.
The ISU announced in May a list of Russian skaters approved to compete in Beijing: Petrosian and Alina Gorbacheva in women’s singles, and men’s singles skaters Gumennik and Vladislav Dikidzhi.
No pairs or ice dance teams were approved. REUTERS
