Victoria Sinitsina has built a prominent career in ice dancing, partnering with Nikita Katsalapov since the 2014-15 season. Their collaboration quickly evolved into a defining dynamic in Russian and international competition, highlighted by a standout performance at the Beijing Olympic Games where they led the team event and earned a silver medal in the ice dance portion. That success cemented their status as one of the sport’s premier couples on the world stage.
Throughout their time together, Sinitsina and Katsalapov have claimed multiple national and international honors. They won the Russian championship twice, in 2019 and 2020, and claimed the European crown in 2020 and again in 2022. Their podium streak spans World Championships with gold and silver medals, and a silver at the 2018 Grand Prix Final in the figure skating circuit. Like many athletes, they faced a season away from competition during 2022-23 for personal reasons, a pause that allowed them to regroup and return with renewed focus. On October 2, they celebrated a new milestone by marrying, signaling a personal chapter alongside continued competitive ambition.
Earlier in Sinitsina’s career, she skated with Ruslan Zhiganshin until 2014. The partnership produced meaningful results, including bronze medals at the Russian Championships in 2014 and at the Winter Universiade in 2013, underscoring her growing talent and presence on the national stage before joining Katsalapov.
The broader competitive landscape for Russian and Belarusian skaters shifted during the 2022-23 season due to the International Skating Union’s suspension of athletes from those nations. In response, Sinitsina and Katsalapov concentrated on domestic events, balancing national Grand Prix stages with the national championship course. While the topic of a broader return for Russian athletes was discussed at ISU meetings in 2022, it did not advance to the formal agenda that season, leaving the path forward open to continued domestic competition and future international decisions.
Other notable movements within the sport include public expressions from peers and predecessors, such as Anna Shcherbakova, who has been known for playful emoji-inspired parodies. These moments reflect a culture where athletes engage with fans and media in ways that humanize the intense world of elite figure skating while highlighting the sport’s evolving social media presence.