Last season will be hard to top, but U.S. Ice Dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik are off to a scalding start. The duo won the Skate America ice dance title on Sunday, Nov. 15 in Everett, Washington, marking their first win at an ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix competition.
The pair scored a 201.88 across the Rhythm Dance and Free Dance, winning both segments to take the title and scoring 15 points towards their Grand Prix Final qualification.
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Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France finished second, and Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of Czechia claimed bronze.
All three American teams scored points in the final, with Katarina Wolfkostin & Dimitry Tsarevski finishing fourth (nine points) and Leah Neset & Artem Markelov claiming fifth overall (seven points).
Skate America Results – Top Six
|
Rank |
Skaters |
Country |
Total (RD + FD) |
|
Gold |
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik |
United States |
201.88 |
|
Silver |
Evgeniia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud |
France |
195.28 |
|
Bronze |
Katerina Mrazkova & Daniel Mrazek |
Czechia |
190.88 |
|
4 |
Katarina Wolfkostin & Dimitry Tsarevski |
United States |
177.03 |
|
5 |
Leah Neset & Artem Markelov |
United States |
175.64 |
|
6 |
Holly Harris & Jason Chan |
Australia |
173.02 |
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2026 Hot Streak Continues
Zingas and Kolesnik’s win is their first Grand Prix title and comes in their Skate America debut. During the 2025-26 season, the pair claimed silver at Cup of China and bronze in Finland, both ISU Grand Prix events.
Bronze medalists Emilea Zingas (L) and Vadym Kolesnik of the United States during the medal ceremony for Ice Dance competition at the ISU Figure Skating World Championships. (Photo by Tomas Tkacik/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Grand Prix silver and bronze were far from the season’s highlights. Zingas and Kolesnik won gold at the Four Continents Championships in January and silver at the U.S. Championships, punching tickets to the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
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In Italy, the duo placed fifth for an impressive Olympic debut. Just over a month later, they won bronze at the World Championships in Prague – also their debut – continuing a legacy of Ice Dance successes for U.S. Figure Skating.
With Olympic gold and silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates on indefinite competitive hiatus, Zingas and Kolesnik have emerged as the next American gold medal hope for USFS.
What’s Next for Zingas and Kolesnik
Next up, the pair heads to Japan for the NHK Trophy from November 27 to November 29, 2026, another Grand Prix event. From there, they hope to qualify for the Grand Prix Final, held in early December in China.
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Skaters and teams must finish in the top six of their respective discipline’s standings to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. The ISU utilizes a point-placement system, with first-place finishes earning 15 points, second: 13 points, and third: 11 points. The lowest placement to earn points is sixth, earning five points.
Thus, with 15 points in the bank, Zingas and Kolesnik head to NHK Trophy in prime position to skate all the way to China.
In 2027, the pair will travel to Salt Lake City for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and a bid for their first national title. From Salt Lake, they will look to qualify for the 2027 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Finland.
While the 2030 Olympics are still more than three years away, the future of U.S. ice dance looks to be in good hands.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
