Nikita Katsalapov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nikita Katsalapov
Katsalapov at the Kremlin in 2022
Personal information
Native name	Никита Геннадьевич Кацалапов
Full name	Nikita Gennadyevich Katsalapov
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1991-07-10) 10 July 1991 (age 33) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Residence	Moscow
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Partner	Victoria Sinitsina
Former partner	Elena Ilinykh Angelina Kabysheva
Coach	Alexander Zhulin Petr Durnev
Former coach	Marina Zoueva Nikolai Morozov Maria Voitsekhovskai Denis Samokhin Tatiana Tarasova Oleg Volkov Irina Lobacheva
Choreographer	Sergei Petukhov
Former choreographer	Nikolai Morozov Liudmila Vlasova Alexander Zhulin
Skating club	Olympic School Moskvich, Moscow
Former skating club	Vorobievye Gory
Training locations	Moscow
Former training locations	Novogorsk, Ventspils
Began skating	1995
World standing	With Sinitsina 1 (2020-21) 1 (2019-20) 2 (2018-19) 23 (2017–18) 18 (2016–17) 25 (2015–16) 70 (2014–15) With Ilinykh 7 (2013–14) 7 (2012–13) 10 (2011–12) 13 (2010–11) 31 (2009–10)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	221.17 2021 Worlds
Short dance:	88.85 2022 Olympics
Free dance	133.02 2021 Worlds
Medal record Figure skating: Ice dance Representing  ROC (with Sinitsina) Olympic Games Silver 2022 Beijing Ice dancing Bronze 2022 Beijing Team Representing FSR (with Sinitsina) World Championships Gold 2021 Stockholm Ice dancing Representing  Russia (with Sinitsina) World Championships Silver 2019 Saitama Ice dancing Grand Prix Final Silver 2018–19 Vancouver Ice dancing World Team Trophy Gold 2021 Osaka Team Bronze 2019 Fukuoka Team Representing  Russia (with Ilinykh) Olympic Games Gold 2014 Sochi Team Bronze 2014 Sochi Ice dancing World Junior Championships Gold 2010 The Hague Ice dancing Junior Grand Prix Final Silver 2009–10 Tokyo Ice dancing

Nikita Gennadyevich Katsalapov (Russian: Никита Геннадьевич Кацалапов; born 10 July 1991) is a Russian ice dancer. He is famous for his amazing performances on the ice.

With his partner Victoria Sinitsina, he has won many important medals. These include a silver medal at the 2022 Olympics in ice dancing and a bronze medal in the team event at the same Olympics. They also became World Champions in 2021 and European Champions twice (in 2020 and 2022). They have won silver at the World Championships in 2019 and at the Grand Prix Final in 2018–19. They are also two-time Russian national champions.

Before partnering with Sinitsina, Nikita skated with Elena Ilinykh. Together, they won a gold medal in the team event at the 2014 Olympics and a bronze medal in ice dancing at the same games. They also won three European medals and were Junior World Champions in 2010.

About Nikita Katsalapov

Nikita Katsalapov was born in Moscow, Russia, on July 10, 1991.

On May 22, 2022, Nikita asked his ice dancing partner, Victoria Sinitsina, to marry him. They officially became husband and wife on October 2, 2022.

How Nikita Started Skating

Nikita first started as a single skating athlete. However, he found some jumps difficult. So, he decided to try ice dancing instead.

He was first paired with Elena Ilinykh. They trained with coaches Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh. In 2005, they even trained with Alexander Zhulin, who was coaching Olympic champions. But they split up soon after because they were very young and found it hard to work together. Nikita then skated with Angelina Kabysheva until 2008.

Skating with Elena Ilinykh

Junior Competitions

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov decided to skate together again in 2008. They trained with Alexander Zhulin in Moscow. In their first season (2008–09), they placed fourth at the Russian Junior Championships.

In the 2009–10 season, they competed in the Junior Grand Prix series for the first time. They won gold medals at events in Hungary and Poland. This helped them qualify for the JGP Final. They won a silver medal at the Final and at the Russian Junior Championships. Then, they went on to win the gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

Senior Competitions

For the 2010–11 season, Ilinykh and Katsalapov used music from the ballet Don Quixote for their free dance. They made their senior debut at the 2010 NHK Trophy, finishing fourth. They then won their first senior Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the 2010 Cup of Russia. At the Russian Nationals, they won a bronze medal, which allowed them to compete at the European Championships.

At the 2011 Europeans, they finished fourth. They then competed at their first senior World Championships in 2011, where they placed seventh. After this season, they started working with a new coach, Nikolai Morozov.

In the 2011–12 season, they won a bronze medal at the 2011 NHK Trophy despite Elena injuring her knee. They also won a silver medal at the Russian Championships and a bronze medal at the 2012 European Championships. They finished fifth at the 2012 World Championships.

For the 2012–13 season, they won gold at the 2012 Crystal Skate of Romania. They also earned silver medals at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup and the 2012 NHK Trophy. They qualified for the Grand Prix Final in Russia, finishing sixth. They won silver at the Russian Championships and at the 2013 European Championships. They placed ninth at the 2013 World Championships.

Katsalapov with President Vladimir Putin at an awards ceremony in 2014.

In the 2013–14 season, they won a silver medal at the 2013 Trophee Eric Bompard. They also won their third national silver medal at the Russian Championships and another silver at the 2014 European Championships.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ilinykh and Katsalapov helped Team Russia win the gold medal in the team event. They then won a bronze medal in the individual ice dancing event. This was a huge achievement for them!

After the 2014 World Championships, Nikita decided to end his partnership with Elena.

Skating with Victoria Sinitsina

On April 11, 2014, Nikita Katsalapov and Victoria Sinitsina formed a new partnership. They began training together in Michigan, USA.

Early Seasons Together

Sinitsina and Katsalapov made their first competition appearance at the 2014 Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, where they placed fourth. At the 2014 NHK Trophy, they finished seventh. They were fourth at the 2015 Russian Championships.

In the 2015–16 season, Nikita had a foot injury. But they still managed to win a silver medal at the 2015 Skate America and a bronze at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup. They won a silver medal at the 2016 Russian Championships. They finished fourth at the 2016 European Championships and ninth at the 2016 World Championships.

For the 2016–17 season, they moved back to Russia to train. They placed fourth at the 2016 Cup of China and fifth at the 2016 NHK Trophy. They won a bronze medal at the 2017 Russian Championships but finished tenth at the 2017 European Championships.

In the 2017–18 season, they won a bronze medal at the 2017 CS Minsk-Arena Ice Star and at the 2017 Skate America. They had to withdraw from the Russian Championships due to an injury.

Major Successes

Sinitsina and Katsalapov at the 2019 World Championships.

The 2018–19 season was a big one for Sinitsina and Katsalapov. They won the gold medal at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. They also won silver medals at Skate Canada and Internationaux de France. These results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, where they won a silver medal.

At the 2019 Russian Championships, they won their first national title! At the 2019 European Championships, they finished fourth. Then, at the 2019 World Championships, they won a silver medal, which was their first World medal together. They also won a bronze medal as part of Team Russia at the 2019 World Team Trophy.

Sinitsina and Katsalapov winning gold at the 2020 European Championships.

In the 2019–20 season, they won gold at the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial, 2019 Cup of China, and 2019 Rostelecom Cup. They won their second national title at the 2020 Russian Championships. A major highlight was winning the gold medal at the 2020 European Championships. This was a big win because they beat the five-time defending champions! The 2020 World Championships were cancelled due to the global pandemic.

For the 2020–21 season, Nikita was recovering from an injury, and both skaters got sick. Despite this, they won the 2020 Rostelecom Cup. After winning the Russian Cup Final, they competed at the 2021 World Championships. They won both parts of the competition (rhythm dance and free dance) to take home the gold medal! This also helped Russia get three spots for ice dance at the next Olympics. They finished the season by winning gold with Team Russia at the 2021 World Team Trophy.

In the 2021–22 season, Nikita had a back injury, but they still won gold medals at the 2021 NHK Trophy and the 2021 Rostelecom Cup. They successfully defended their European title at the 2022 European Championships.

2022 Winter Olympics

Ilinykh and Katsalapov at the 2014 Winter Olympics podium.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Sinitsina and Katsalapov competed in the team event. They placed second in both their segments and helped Team Russia win the bronze medal. Nikita became the first skater to win two medals in the team event.

In the individual ice dance event, they won the silver medal! This was Victoria's second Olympic medal and Nikita's fourth. They were very happy with their performance.

Skating Programs

Skaters choose music and create special routines called "programs" for their performances. Here are some of the programs Nikita has skated to:

With Victoria Sinitsina

With Elena Ilinykh

Ilinykh and Katsalapov at the 2014 European Championships.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov at the 2013 European Championships.

Records and Achievements

(with Victoria Sinitsina)

• They set a new record for the highest free dance score (120.46 points) at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy.
• They were the first team to score over 120 points in the free dance at that event.
• They became the first ice dance team to win both the World Championship and the World Team Trophy in the same year.

Competition Highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Victoria Sinitsina

Sinitsina and Katsalapov at the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final.

With Elena Ilinykh

Images for kids

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  Sinitsina and Katsalapov at the 2017 Skate America.

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  Sinitsina and Katsalapov at the 2016 World Championships.

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  Sinitsina and Katsalapov at the 2016 European Championships.

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  Ilinykh and Katsalapov's free dance at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup.

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  Ilinykh and Katsalapov at the 2012 World Championships.

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  The short dance at the 2011 World Championships.

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  Ilinykh and Katsalapov won the 2009 Junior Grand Prix Final.

See also

In Spanish: Nikita Katsalápov para niños