Polina Edmunds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Polina Edmunds
at the 2014 U.S. Championships at the TD Garden in Boston.
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1998-05-18) May 18, 1998 (age 27) Santa Clara, California
Home town	San Jose, California
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Coach	David Glynn Nina Edmunds
Former coach	Frank Carroll
Choreographer	Rudy Galindo
Former choreographer	Marina Klimova
Skating club	Peninsula SC
Training locations	San Jose, California
Began skating	2000
Retired	July 15, 2020
World standing	132 (As of 18 February  2018 (2018 -02-18)[update])
Season's bests	72 (2017–18)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	187.50 2014 Worlds
Short program	65.29 2015 Rostelecom Cup
Free skate	126.91 2014 Worlds
Medal record Representing  United States Figure skating: Ladies' singles Four Continents Championships Gold 2015 Seoul Ladies' singles U.S. Championships Silver 2014 Boston Ladies' singles Silver 2016 St.Paul Ladies' singles

Polina Edmunds Bast (born May 18, 1998) is a retired American figure skater. She is famous for winning the 2015 Four Continents title. Polina also won the 2014 U.S. Classic and earned two silver medals at the U.S. national championships in 2014 and 2016.

She represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. There, she finished in 9th place. Polina started skating when she was very young, at just two years old. She began taking lessons by age four.

About Polina's Life

Polina Edmunds was born on May 18, 1998, in Santa Clara, California. Her mother, Nina, was a figure skating coach and a former skater from Russia. Her father, John Edmunds, worked as a CFO for a computer software company.

Polina has two brothers. James is two years older, and Daniel is four years younger. Both of her brothers play hockey. In 2007, when she was eight, Polina started taking ballet and jazz dance classes. She went to Archbishop Mitty High School and finished in May 2016. Later, she studied communication at Santa Clara University.

Polina married Ian Bast on September 14, 2024.

Polina's Skating Career

Polina first stepped onto the ice when she was only 20 months old. By age four, she was taking lessons in both skating and ballet. She looked up to famous figure skaters like Carolina Kostner, Sasha Cohen, and Michelle Kwan. Polina trained at the Sharks Ice Rink in San Jose. Her coaches were David Glynn and her mother, Nina Edmunds, who had coached her since she was four.

Early Skating Days

Polina placed seventh in the junior level at the 2011 U.S. Championships. The next year, in 2012, she finished sixth. In the 2012–2013 season, she won the U.S. national junior title at the 2013 U.S. Championships.

Even though she won, Polina didn't get to compete in the ISU Junior Grand Prix events that year. Instead, she went to the 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy and won a junior gold medal.

2013–2014: The Sochi Olympics

Edmunds performing her short program at the 2014 Olympics.

In mid-2013, Polina started getting coaching from Frank Carroll. She also continued training with David Glynn and her mother. In the 2013–14 season, she got her first ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) assignments. She won gold medals at both the JGP in Mexico City and the JGP in Belarus.

At the Junior Grand Prix Final in Fukuoka, Japan, she finished fourth overall. This was a great achievement for her.

Polina then competed at the senior level for the first time at the 2014 U.S. Championships. She won the silver medal, coming in second behind Gracie Gold. Because of her strong performance, Polina was chosen for the U.S. team for the Olympics and World Championships.

She made her senior international debut at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She finished in ninth place. A month later, Polina competed at the 2014 World Championships in Japan. She finished eighth overall.

2014–2015: Four Continents Champion

Polina started her new season by winning a gold medal at the 2014 U.S. International Classic. She also competed in two Grand Prix events. She finished fourth in China and eighth in Japan.

At the 2015 U.S. Championships, Polina placed fourth overall. Even though she was fourth, she was chosen for both the Four Continents and World teams. This was because the third-place skater was not old enough to go to the World Championships.

Edmunds at the 2015 Four Continents.

Polina won the gold medal at the 2015 Four Continents. She placed first in the free skate, which helped her win the title.

At the 2015 World Championships, Polina finished eighth overall.

2015–2016 Season

Polina competed at the 2015 Skate Canada International and 2015 Rostelecom Cup. She finished sixth in Canada and fourth in Russia. She then won the silver medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships, coming in second to Gracie Gold.

Polina had to withdraw from the 2016 Four Continents Championships. This was because her old skates were too worn out, and she didn't have enough time to get used to new ones.

In February 2016, doctors found a bone bruise in her right foot. This injury happened because she started jumping too soon in her new skates. Because of this, she also had to withdraw from the 2016 World Championships. After a break, she started skating again, but the problem came back in June. She decided to rest her foot for a month.

2016–2020: Dealing with Injuries

Edmunds during her short program at the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy

Polina started skating again in August 2016. However, she stopped training in November because the bone bruise in her foot returned. She was worried about a serious fracture that could end her career. She withdrew from her two Grand Prix competitions that year. In January 2017, she also withdrew from the U.S. Championships. Polina returned to the ice in March 2017.

Polina qualified for the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in her hometown of San Jose. She skated a good short program and finished seventh. However, during practice before the free program, she felt a sharp pain in her foot. She withdrew from the free program, fearing her old injury had returned.

Polina did not compete during the 2018–2019 season. This was due to another bone bruise on her right foot. She explained that the bruise was very deep and serious. It needed a lot of time off the ice to heal properly. Polina missed out on qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Retirement from Skating

On July 15, 2020, Polina Edmunds announced that she was leaving competitive skating. She said she was proud of what she had achieved. She also mentioned that if it hadn't been for the COVID-19 pandemic, she would have been training fully for the season. Polina is now looking forward to other opportunities in skating and her career.

Polina's Skating Programs

Edmunds performing a Kerrigan spiral during her free skate at the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy

Edmunds performing her short program at the 2015 Skate Canada International

Polina's Competition Results

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

2012–13 to Present

2007–08 to 2011–12

See Also

In Spanish: Polina Edmunds para niños