Polina Tsurskaya
# Polina Tsurskaya

Polina Igorevna Tsurskaya (pronounced TSOO-rskaya; Russian: Полина Игоревна Цурская, born 11 July 2001) is a Russian former competitive figure skater and figure skating coach. She is the 2017 NHK Trophy bronze medallist.

On the junior level, she is the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic champion, the 2015 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, a four-time Junior Grand Prix event champion, and the 2015 Russian junior national champion.

## Personal life

Polina Igorevna Tsurskaya was born on July 11, 2001, in Omsk, Russia. She has an elder brother, Igor, who is nine years her senior. She moved to Moscow in 2013.

## Career

### Early years

Tsurskaya began skating in 2005. Coached by Tatiana Odinokova in Omsk until 2013, she joined Eteri Tutberidze and Sergei Dudakov after relocating to Moscow. Fifth in her first appearance at the Russian Junior Championships, in 2014, she finished fourth in 2015.

### 2015−2016 season

Tsurskaya made her international debut in August 2015 at the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Bratislava, Slovakia. She was awarded the gold medal after placing first in both segments and finishing 10 points ahead of the silver medalist, Mai Mihara. Outscoring Ekaterina Mitrofanova by 21 points, she won her next JGP assignment, in Toruń, Poland, and qualified for the final. At the 2015–16 JGP Final, held on December in Barcelona, she won the gold medal with personal best scores in both segments and a total of 195.28 points. She broke the junior records in the free skate and total scores set by compatriot Elena Radionova. Competing on the senior level, Tsurskaya finished fourth later in December at the Russian Championships before winning her first junior national title in January.

In February, Tsurskaya won gold at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. In March, she was scheduled to compete at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen but withdrew before the start of the event. An ankle injury had occurred a day before she departed for the event and was aggravated when she fell in Hungary during the morning practice before the short program. After three months during which she had to avoid running and jumping, she resumed training in early June.

### 2016–2017 season

In September 2016, Tsurskaya won gold at two JGP series events; she ranked first in the short program and second in the free in Saransk, Russia, and first in both segments in Tallinn, Estonia. She was the second-ranked qualifier to the JGP Final in Marseille, but withdrew on 29 November. She underwent surgery on her right knee and resumed practicing jumps in mid-December.

Tsurskaya finished tenth at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. During the season, she was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans and a herniated disc.

### 2017–2018 season

Making her senior international debut, Tsurskaya won the bronze medal at the 2017 NHK Trophy, setting personal best scores in both segments. In November, Tsurskaya finished fourth at 2017 Skate America, placing eighth in the short program and fourth in the long program and scoring 195.56 points total.

On May 7, 2018, it was announced Tsurskaya was ending her partnership with coach Eteri Tutberidze.

### 2018–2019 season

Tsurskaya began her season by competing at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy where she placed fourth. In her Grand Prix events, she placed seventh at the 2018 Skate America and eighth at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup. She placed fourteenth at the 2019 Russian Championships. Tsurskaya announced her retirement from figure skating on May 31, 2019.

## Coaching

In summer 2020 Polina started working as a figure skating coach in the skating club Sambo-70, Chrustalnyi department, in a cooperation with the team of her former coach Eteri Tutberidze. She mainly works with children.

## Achievements

* Set the junior-level ladies' record for the free program to 128.59 points at the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final, previously held by Elena Radionova. Record was broken by Marin Honda at the 2016 JGP Japan.
* Set the junior-level ladies' record for the combined total to 195.28 points at the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final, previously held by Elena Radionova. Record was broken by Alina Zagitova at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final.
* Set the junior-level ladies' record for the short program to 69.02 points at the 2016 JGP Russia, previously held by Evgenia Medvedeva. Record was broken by Alina Zagitova at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2018–2019 | And the Waltz Goes On by Anthony Hopkins performed by André Rieu choreo. by Nikita Mikhailov, Tatiana Tarasova | Leningrad by William Joseph Prodigy by Kōtarō Nakagawa Live Or Die by X-Ray Dog choreo. by Nikita Mikhailov, Tatiana Tarasova | The Best performed by Tina Turner |
| 2017–2018 | Light of the Seven (from Game of Thrones soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadi choreo. by Daniil Gleikhengauz | Nocturne in F Minor Op. 55, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin arr. by Chad Lawson for piano Stillness of the Mind (from A Single Man soundtrack) by Abel Korzeniowski Song for the Little Sparrow performed by Patricia Kaas | The Great Gatsby: Gatsby Believed in the Green Light by Tobey Maguire, Craig Armstrong Kill and Run by Sia, Chris Braide |
| 2016–2017 | Light of the Seven (from Game of Thrones) by Ramin Djawadi choreo. by Daniil Gleikhengauz | February by Leonid Levashkevich choreo. by Eteri Tutberidze | |
| 2015–2016 | Adagio in G minor by Remo Giazotto, Tomaso Albinoni performed by Ikuko Kawai choreo. by Daniil Gleikhengauz | Chess by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus choreo. by Eteri Tutberidze | The Witch Hunters (from Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) by Atli Örvarsson I Put a Spell on You performed by Annie Lennox Adagio in G minor by Remo Giazotto, Tomaso Albinoni performed by Ikuko Kawai choreo. by Daniil Gleikhengauz |
| 2014–2015 | Carmenita Lounging by Claude Challe In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) by Edvard Grieg choreo. by Eteri Tutberidze | Chess by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus choreo. by Eteri Tutberidze | |
| 2013–2014 | Between The Beats by Jeroen van Veen | Scene d'Amour by Francis Lai performed by Sarah Brightman | Scene d'Amour by Francis Lai performed by Sarah Brightman |

## Competitive highlights

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

International :

| Event | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | | 3rd | |
| GP Rostelecom | | | | | | 8th |
| GP Skate America | | | | | 4th | 7th |
| CS Ondrej Nepela | | | | | | 4th |
| International: Junior |||||||
| Junior Worlds | | | WD | 10th | | |
| Youth Olympics | | | 1st | | | |
| JGP Final | | | 1st | WD | | |
| JGP Estonia | | | | 1st | | |
| JGP Poland | | | 1st | | | |
| JGP Russia | | | | 1st | | |
| JGP Slovakia | | | 1st | | | |
| National |||||||
| Russia | | | 4th | WD | 5th | 14th |
| Russia: Junior | 5th | 4th | 1st | 3rd | | |
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew |||||||

## Detailed results

### Senior level

2018–19 season :

| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 19–23 December 2018 | 2019 Russian Championships | 11 66.35 | 15 118.97 | 14 185.32 |
| 16–18 November 2018 | 2018 Rostelecom Cup | 7 56.81 | 8 92.64 | 8 149.45 |
| 19–21 October 2018 | 2018 Skate America | 8 58.42 | 8 101.03 | 7 159.45 |
| 19–22 September 2018 | 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy | 4 54.36 | 5 100.25 | 4 154.61 |
| 2017–18 season ||||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 21–24 December 2017 | 2018 Russian Championships | 3 75.33 | 6 132.28 | 5 207.61 |
| 24–26 November 2017 | 2017 Skate America | 8 63.20 | 4 132.36 | 4 195.56 |
| 10–12 November 2017 | 2017 NHK Trophy | 3 70.04 | 2 140.15 | 3 210.19 |

### Junior level

Previous ISU Junior world records highlighted in bold.

2016–17 season :

| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15–19 March 2017 | 2017 World Junior Championships | Junior | 11 54.30 | 9 101.61 | 10 155.91 |
| 1–5 February 2017 | 2017 Russian Junior Championships | Junior | 5 65.79 | 2 134.29 | 3 200.08 |
| 28 Sept. – 1 Oct. 2016 | 2016 JGP Estonia | Junior | 1 66.72 | 1 127.30 | 1 194.02 |
| 14–18 September 2016 | 2016 JGP Russia | Junior | 1 69.02 | 2 114.71 | 1 183.73 |
| 2015–16 season ||||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| 14–20 March 2016 | 2016 World Junior Championships | Junior | - | - | WD |
| 12–21 February 2016 | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics | Junior | 4 58.65 | 1 127.39 | 1 186.04 |
| 19–23 January 2016 | 2016 Russian Junior Championships | Junior | 1 73.51 | 1 136.53 | 1 210.04 |
| 24–27 December 2015 | 2016 Russian Championships | Senior | 5 70.53 | 5 134.93 | 4 205.46 |
| 10–13 December 2015 | 2015−16 JGP Final | Junior | 1 66.69 | 1 128.59 | 1 195.28 |
| 23–26 September 2015 | 2015 JGP Poland | Junior | 1 61.04 | 1 126.81 | 1 187.85 |
| 19–23 August 2015 | 2015 JGP Slovakia | Junior | 1 66.08 | 1 123.42 | 1 189.50 |
| 2014–15 season ||||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| 4–7 February 2015 | 2015 Russian Junior Championships | Junior | 3 64.07 | 4 118.76 | 4 182.83 |
| 2013–14 season ||||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| 23–25 January 2014 | 2014 Russian Junior Championships | Junior | 3 63.58 | 6 116.02 | 5 179.60 |
