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Alexandra NazarovaUkrainian figure skater
Date of Birth: 30.11.1996
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Alexandra Nazarova
Alexandra Nazarova is a Ukrainian figure skater who competes in ice dancing with Maxim Nikitin. Together, they are the champions of the 2017 Winter Universiade, bronze medalists at the Junior World Championships in 2015, silver medalists at the I Winter Youth Olympic Games, two-time champions of Ukraine (2014 and 2016), and winners of the Ukrainian Junior Championship in 2012. As of November 14, 2017, the pair was ranked 20th in the International Skating Union (ISU) rankings.
Early Life and Career
Alexandra Nazarova was born on November 30, 1996, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. In 2014, she began studying at the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture. At the junior level, she initially competed in singles skating. Later, her coach Galina Churilova paired her with Mikhail Kasalo, but this partnership did not last long. Her current partner, Maxim Nikitin, joined her soon after. They made their international debut at the Junior Grand Prix in the fall of 2010.
One of the pair's major achievements at the junior level was winning the silver medal at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012. They narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the team event, finishing first in their discipline. In the following season, they competed in the junior Grand Prix series, finishing fifth in Croatia and Austria. They went on to win the junior tournament in Hungary and the Ukrainian Junior Championship.
In their debut at the Junior World Championships in Italy, the couple finished in the top twenty. After the championship in Milan, their coach Galina Churilova suggested that they move to Moscow and train under Alexander Zhulin and Oleg Volkov for further development. The following season, they won two silver medals in Estonia and Poland, securing a spot in the Junior Grand Prix Final in Fukuoka, Japan. They finished fifth in the final. In March 2014, they participated in the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, and secured two spots for Ukraine in the following season.
Senior Level
In late November 2014, the pair made their senior debut at the Warsaw Cup, winning the silver medal. Two weeks later, they competed at the Golden Spin of Zagreb, narrowly missing the podium. They became national champions for the first time in January of the following year. In March, they competed at the Junior World Championships in Tallinn, winning bronze medals. They also made their debut at the World Championships in Shanghai, finishing in the middle of the second ten.
For the 2016-2017 season, Nazarova and Nikitin switched coaches and began training under Igor Shpilband. They won a bronze medal at the Cup of Nice in France and finished in the middle of the table at the French Grand Prix. They won an international tournament in Minsk and finished in the top six at the Golden Spin of Zagreb. At the Ukrainian Championships, they won their second national title. At the European Championships in Ostrava, they improved their previous results and finished ninth, securing two spots for Ukraine at the next championship. They won a gold medal at the Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They finished the season with a successful performance at the World Championships in Helsinki, qualifying for the next Olympic Games and achieving their best results to date.
Later Career
In the Olympic season, Nazarova and Nikitin won bronze medals at the Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo. Their performance at the Nice International Cup was not as successful, finishing fifth. They finished near the podium at the Challenger Series in Minsk. They competed in the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing in the middle of the standings. They also won a bronze medal at the Warsaw Cup. Despite some injuries, they were able to recover and participate in the World Championships in Boston in late March. They subsequently achieved their best results in terms of overall and free dance scores.
