Natalia Kaliszek Polish figure skater Date of Birth: 17.05.1996 Country: Poland

1. Natalia Kaliszek: Polish Ice Dancer
2. Early Career
3. Switch to Ice Dancing
4. Partnership with Maxim Spodirev
5. Recent Career

Natalia Kaliszek: Polish Ice Dancer

Natalia Kaliszek is a Polish ice dancer who has been competing in the sport since 2014. She is currently partnered with Maxim Spodirev. Kaliszek is a three-time Polish champion, winning the title in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Early Career

Natalia Kaliszek was born in May 1996 and began figure skating at a young age, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Michal. Together, they competed in pair skating and achieved success as silver (2012) and bronze (2013) medalists in the national championship. They also won the Polish junior championship in pair skating in 2009.

Switch to Ice Dancing

After their pair skating career, Kaliszek and her brother decided to switch to ice dancing in 2010. They experienced some setbacks and were unable to qualify for the Junior World Championships in Minsk. Following the pre-Olympic season, Michal decided to retire from competitive skating, and Natalia found a new partner in Yaroslav Kurbakov. They competed together in the junior Olympic season but did not achieve significant results and ended their partnership.

Partnership with Maxim Spodirev

After her partnership with Kurbakov ended, Kaliszek teamed up with former Ukrainian skater Maxim Spodirev. They made their competitive debut in Riga at the Volvo Cup, where they won a silver medal and earned technical minimum scores for the continental and junior championships. They continued to achieve success, winning the New Year's Tournament in Budapest and becoming national champions for the first time. They made their debut at the European Championships in Stockholm and the World Junior Championships in Tallinn, where they earned double quotas for the following championship. They also competed in the World Championships in Shanghai but did not advance to the final.

Recent Career

In the new season, Kaliszek and Spodirev began their journey with a mid-table finish at the Nebelhorn Trophy. They won a bronze medal at the Mordovian Ornament Challenger in Saransk, Russia. They finished second at the Warsaw Cup, their home competition, and became national champions for the second time in December. In January 2016, they finished in 11th place at the European Championships in Bratislava and qualified for the final at the World Championships in Boston.

In the pre-Olympic season, Kaliszek and Spodirev finished fourth at the Nepela Memorial in Slovakia and in the top five at the Finnish Trophy a week later. They competed in the Chinese Grand Prix, where they finished fifth, and the Japanese Grand Prix, where they finished in the middle of the standings. They became national champions for the third time in December. In January 2017, they competed in the Continental Championships in Ostrava and finished in the top eight, earning two spots for the following season. They qualified for the Olympic Games in Helsinki, where they confidently advanced to the free program. They achieved their best results to date, surpassing all previous achievements.

The Olympic season started with a mid-table finish at the Finland Trophy in Espoo. They had a disappointing performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing second to last. They also had a mediocre performance at the French Grand Prix, finishing in the middle of the standings.