Alina Zagitova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alina Zagitova |
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Zagitova in 2024
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| Personal information | |
| Native name | Алина Ильназовна Загитова |
| Country represented |  Russia |
| Born | 18 May 2002 Izhevsk, Russia |
| Home town | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Coach | Eteri Tutberidze Sergei Dudakov |
| Skating club | Sambo-70 |
| Began skating | 2008 |
Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova (Russian: Алина Ильназовна Загитова; born May 18, 2002) is a Russian former competitive figure skater. She is famous for winning the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She also became the 2019 World champion.
Alina has won many other big titles. These include the 2018 European champion, the 2017–18 Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2018 Russian national champion. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she also won a silver medal with her team.
Early in her career, she won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships. She also won the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final. Alina is one of the few skaters to achieve a "Super Slam." This means she won all major International Skating Union (ISU) titles at both junior and senior levels.
She is the second-youngest Olympic champion in women's figure skating. Alina was known for doing most of her jumps in the second half of her programs. This gave her extra points. This strategy led to a new rule, sometimes called the "Zagitova rule." It limits how many jumps can get bonus points.
Alina took a break from competitive skating after the 2019–20 season. She has not returned to competitions since then. She has been busy co-hosting a TV show called "Ice Age" and working as a commentator.
Contents
Early Life and Skating Start
Alina Zagitova was born on May 18, 2002, in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russia. Her parents are Leysan Zagitova and Ilnaz Zagitov, who was an ice hockey coach. Alina understands the Tatar language, which is her family's heritage. She has a younger sister named Sabina, who also skated.
Alina was not named for a whole year after she was born. Her parents decided to name her "Alina" after watching the famous gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Her father taught her how to skate when she was very young.
She started skating lessons at age four in Almetyevsk. Later, her family moved back to Izhevsk. At 13, Alina moved to Moscow with her grandmother. There, she began training with the well-known coach Eteri Tutberidze.
Alina Zagitova's Skating Journey
Early Competitive Years
When Alina moved to Moscow, she started learning triple jumps. However, she faced challenges, including breaking her arm and then her leg. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, briefly removed her from the training group. But she soon decided to bring Alina back.
In January 2016, Alina competed at the Russian Junior Championships. She finished ninth in that competition. The next month, she placed fourth at the 2016 Russian Cup Final in the junior division.
Becoming a World Junior Champion (2016–17)
For her first international season, Alina's coaches created new programs for her. Her short program used music from Samson and Delilah. Her free skate was set to music from Don Quixote. During this season, Alina started doing all her jumps in the second half of her program. This strategy earned her bonus points, giving her a big advantage.
Alina's international debut was in August 2016 at the 2016–17 ISU Junior Grand Prix in France. She won the gold medal, scoring 194.37 points. This was the second-highest score ever for a junior woman at that time. She then won a bronze medal at another Junior Grand Prix event in Slovenia.
These results qualified her for the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final in December. Alina won gold there with a total of 207.43 points. She was the first junior woman to score over 200 points.
In December, Alina competed at the senior Russian Championships. She won the silver medal, finishing behind her training partner, Evgenia Medvedeva. In February, she won gold at the Russian Junior Championships. She also won gold at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival.
At the 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Alina skated two perfect programs. She won the gold medal and set new junior world records for her free skate and total score.
Winning Olympic Gold (2017–18)
Alina was old enough to compete in senior international events for the 2017–18 season. She decided to keep her Don Quixote free skate. She got a new short program with music from Black Swan and Moonlight. She won her first senior international event, the CS Lombardia Trophy.
For the 2017–18 Grand Prix Season, Alina competed in two events. She won gold at the Cup of China and the Internationaux de France. These wins qualified her for the 2017–18 Grand Prix Final. There, she won the gold medal, scoring a personal best of 223.30 points.
Alina then won the 2018 Russian Championships. She also won the 2018 European Championships in Moscow, beating her teammate Evgenia Medvedeva. After these wins, Alina was chosen for the Russian Olympic team.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Alina helped her team win a silver medal. In the individual event, she skated a perfect short program. She set a new world record score of 82.92 points. In the free skate, she performed very well. Alina won the gold medal at just 15 years old. She became the second-youngest Olympic champion in women's singles.
After the Olympics, Alina competed at the 2018 World Championships. She finished fifth overall after some mistakes in her free skate. This was her only loss of the season.
Becoming a World Champion (2018–19)
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For the 2018–19 season, Alina had two new programs. Her short program was to music from The Phantom of the Opera. Her free skate used music from Carmen Suite. She started her season at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and won gold. Because of new rules, Alina set new world records for the short program, free skate, and total score.
She competed in two Grand Prix events. She won gold at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki and the 2018 Rostelecom Cup. At the Rostelecom Cup, she broke her own world record in the short program. These wins qualified her for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final. She won the silver medal there, behind Rika Kihira.
At the 2019 Russian Championships, Alina placed first in the short program. However, she struggled in the free skate and finished fifth overall. She still got a spot on the Russian team for the European Championships. At the 2019 European Championships, she won the silver medal.
Alina was chosen to represent Russia at the 2019 World Championships in Japan. She skated a perfect short program, scoring 82.08 points. Two days later, she performed a clean free program. She won the World title by almost thirteen points. With this victory, Alina became the second woman to achieve a "Super Slam."
Taking a Break from Competition (2019–20)
Alina started the 2019–20 Grand Prix season with new programs. Her short program was to "Me Voy" and her free skate was inspired by Cleopatra. She won a silver medal at the Internationaux de France. She then won a bronze medal at the NHK Trophy. These results qualified her for the Grand Prix Final. She finished sixth overall at the Grand Prix Final.
After the Grand Prix Final, Alina announced she was taking a break from competitive figure skating. She did not compete in the 2020 Russian Championships. She has not returned to competition since then.
Skating Style and Technique
Alina Zagitova was known for her amazing endurance. She could perform almost all her jumps in the second half of her programs. This strategy gave her extra points because jumps done when a skater is tired receive a bonus. This led to a new rule in figure skating, sometimes called the "Zagitova rule." It limits how many jumps can get this bonus.
She was also famous for her difficult triple Lutz-triple loop combination jump. This was one of the hardest combinations in women's skating when she won the Olympics. At the 2018 Olympics, Alina performed one of the most technically challenging programs in Olympic history for women.
Personal Life and Education
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Alina Zagitova has an Akita Inu dog named Masaru. A Japanese breeder gave her Masaru as a gift after her Olympic win. She has also had other pets, including cats and a chinchilla. Alina identifies as a Muslim.
Alina finished high school in June 2020. She then went to the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. She studied journalism and earned her degree in July 2024. She is now studying for a second degree at the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism.
World Records
Alina Zagitova set world record scores five times at the senior level and five times at the junior level. In 2018, the International Skating Union changed its scoring system. They decided to start recording highest scores from zero again. This means Alina's short program score from the 2018 Winter Olympics is now a historical world record.
- (J) means a junior world record score
- Bold and italic scores are historical records from before the 2018–19 season.
| Date | Score | Segment | Event | Notes |
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| Dec 10, 2016 | 70.92 | Short program (J) | 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final | Alina was the first junior woman to score over 70 points in the short program. |
| Dec 11, 2016 | 136.51 | Free skating (J) | Alina broke the record set by her teammate Anastasiia Gubanova at the same event. | |
| Dec 11, 2016 | 207.43 | Combined total (J) | Alina was the first junior woman to score over 200 points. | |
| Mar 19, 2017 | 138.02 | Free skating (J) | 2017 World Junior Championships | This record was later broken by Alexandra Trusova. |
| Mar 19, 2017 | 208.60 | Combined total (J) | This record was later broken by Alexandra Trusova. | |
| Feb 21, 2018 | 82.92 | Short program | 2018 Winter Olympics | Alina beat the world record set just 15 minutes earlier by her teammate Evgenia Medvedeva. |
| Date | Score | Segment | Event | Notes |
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| Sep 27, 2018 | 79.93 | Short program | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | Alina broke a record set by Alexandra Trusova. |
| Sep 28, 2018 | 158.50 | Free skating | This record was later broken by Alexandra Trusova. | |
| Sep 28, 2018 | 238.43 | Combined total | This record was later broken by Alexandra Trusova. | |
| Nov 17, 2018 | 80.78 | Short program | 2018 Rostelecom Cup | This record was later broken by Rika Kihira. |
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skate program | Exhibition program |
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| 2016–17 |
Samson and Delilah
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Don Quixote
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The Pink Panther
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2017–18 |
Black Swan
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Don Quixote
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"Afro Blue"
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| 2018–19 |
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Carmen Suite
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"Survivor"
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"Bad Guy"
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| 2019–20 |
"Me Voy"
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Cleopatra
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"Outro"
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"Bad Guy"
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| 2020–21 | N/A | N/A |
"To Build a Home"
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"Esmeralda"
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"Outro"
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| 2021–22 | N/A | N/A |
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"Я"
(lit. I)
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"Esmeralda"
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| 2022–23 | N/A | N/A |
"Молчи и обнимай меня крепче"
(lit. Be silent and hug me tighter)
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| 2023–24 | N/A | N/A |
"I Feel Like I'm Drowning"
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"To Build a Home"
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Competitive Highlights
- GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
- JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
- CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
- Medals for team events are for the team results only. Individual placements are in parentheses.
| Season | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 |
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| Winter Olympics | 1st | |||
| Winter Olympics (Team event) | 2nd | |||
| World Championships | 5th | 1st | ||
| European Championships | 1st | 2nd | ||
| Grand Prix Final | 1st | 2nd | 6th | |
| Russian Championships | 2nd | 1st | 5th | WD |
| GP Cup of China | 1st | |||
| GP Finland | 1st | |||
| GP France | 1st | 2nd | ||
| GP NHK Trophy | 3rd | |||
| GP Rostelecom Cup | 1st | |||
| CS Lombardia Trophy | 1st | |||
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 1st | |||
| Japan Open | 1st (3rd) |
2nd (1st) |
1st (2nd) |
| Season | 2015–16 | 2016–17 |
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| World Junior Championships | 1st | |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 1st | |
| Russian Junior Championships | 9th | 1st |
| JGP France | 1st | |
| JGP Slovenia | 3rd | |
| European Youth Olympic Festival | 1st | |
| Russian Cup Final | 4th |
Detailed Results
- TSS – Total segment score
- TES – Technical element score
- PCS – Program component score
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
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| Total | TSS | 238.43 | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| Short program | TSS | 82.08 | 2019 World Championships |
| TES | 44.72 | 2019 World Championships | |
| PCS | 37.36 | 2019 World Championships | |
| Free skating | TSS | 158.50 | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| TES | 83.54 | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | |
| PCS | 74.96 | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
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| Total | TSS | 239.57 | 2018 Winter Olympics |
| Short program | TSS | 82.92 | 2018 Winter Olympics |
| TES | 45.30 | 2018 Winter Olympics | |
| PCS | 37.62 | 2018 Winter Olympics | |
| Free skating | TSS | 157.97 | 2018 European Championships |
| TES | 82.67 | 2018 European Championships | |
| PCS | 75.30 | 2018 European Championships |
- Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
- Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.
Senior Level Results
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 20–26 Dec 2016 |  2017 Russian Championships |
3 | 74.26 | 2 | 146.95 | 2 | 221.21 | Details |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 14–17 Sep 2017 |  2017 CS Lombardia Trophy |
3 | 71.29 | 1 | 147.17 | 1 | 218.46 | Details |
| 7 Oct 2017 |  2017 Japan Open |
N/A | N/A | 3 | 145.28 | 1 (3) | N/A | Details |
| 3–5 Nov 2017 |  2017 Cup of China |
4 | 69.44 | 1 | 144.44 | 1 | 213.88 | Details |
| 17–19 Nov 2017 |  2017 Internationaux de France |
4 | 69.44 | 1 | 144.44 | 1 | 213.88 | Details |
| 7–10 Dec 2017 | 2017–18 Grand Prix Final |
2 | 76.27 | 1 | 147.03 | 1 | 223.30 | Details |
| 21–24 Dec 2017 | 2018 Russian Championships |
1 | 78.15 | 1 | 155.44 | 1 | 233.59 | Details |
| 15–21 Jan 2018 | 2018 European Championships |
1 | 80.27 | 1 | 157.97 | 1 | 238.24 | Details |
| 9–12 Feb 2018 |  2018 Winter Olympics (Team event) |
N/A | N/A | 1 | 158.08 | 2 | N/A | Details |
| 21–23 Feb 2018 | 2018 Winter Olympics |
1 | 82.92 | 2 | 156.65 | 1 | 239.57 | Details |
| 19–25 Mar 2018 | 2018 World Championships |
2 | 79.51 | 7 | 128.21 | 5 | 207.72 | Details |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 26–29 Sep 2018 |  2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
1 | 79.93 | 1 | 158.50 | 1 | 238.43 | Details |
| 6 Oct 2018 | 2018 Japan Open |
N/A | N/A | 1 | 159.18 | 2 (1) | N/A | Details |
| 2–4 Nov 2018 |  2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki |
1 | 68.90 | 1 | 146.39 | 1 | 215.29 | Details |
| 16–18 Nov 2018 | 2018 Rostelecom Cup |
1 | 80.78 | 1 | 142.17 | 1 | 222.95 | Details |
| 6–9 Dec 2018 |  2018–19 Grand Prix Final |
2 | 77.93 | 2 | 148.60 | 2 | 226.53 | Details |
| 19–23 Dec 2018 | 2019 Russian Championships |
1 | 80.62 | 12 | 131.41 | 5 | 212.03 | Details |
| 21–27 Jan 2019 |  2019 European Championships |
1 | 75.00 | 4 | 123.34 | 2 | 198.34 | Details |
| 18–24 Mar 2019 | 2019 World Championships |
1 | 82.08 | 1 | 155.42 | 1 | 237.50 | Details |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 5 Oct 2019 | 2019 Japan Open |
N/A | N/A | 2 | 154.41 | 1 (2) | N/A | Details |
| 1–3 Nov 2019 | 2019 Internationaux de France |
2 | 74.24 | 3 | 141.82 | 2 | 216.06 | Details |
| 22–24 Nov 2019 | 2019 NHK Trophy |
4 | 66.84 | 3 | 151.15 | 3 | 217.99 | Details |
| 5–8 Dec 2019 | 2019–20 Grand Prix Final |
2 | 79.60 | 6 | 125.63 | 6 | 205.23 | Details |
Junior Level Results
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 19–23 Jan 2016 | 2016 Russian Junior Championships |
12 | 52.85 | 8 | 108.08 | 9 | 160.93 | Details |
| 16–20 Feb 2016 | 2016 Russian Cup Final (Junior) |
6 | 57.55 | 1 | 121.04 | 4 | 178.59 | Details |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | Details | |||
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| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | |||
| 24–27 Aug 2016 | 2016 JGP France |
1 | 68.07 | 1 | 126.30 | 1 | 194.37 | Details |
| 22–24 Sep 2016 |  2016 JGP Slovenia |
1 | 68.09 | 4 | 109.29 | 3 | 177.38 | Details |
| 8–11 Dec 2016 | 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final |
1 | 70.92 | 1 | 136.51 | 1 | 207.43 | Details |
| 1–5 Feb 2017 | 2017 Russian Championships (Junior) |
1 | 74.46 | 1 | 142.36 | 1 | 216.82 | Details |
| 13–15 Feb 2017 |  2017 European Youth Olympic Festival |
1 | 58.30 | 1 | 128.76 | 1 | 187.06 | Details |
| 15–19 Mar 2017 |  2017 World Junior Championships |
1 | 70.58 | 1 | 138.02 | 1 | 208.60 | Details |
Images for kids
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Alina Zagitova in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Alina Zaguítova para niños
