Polina Igorevna Tsurskaya (born July 11, 2001) is a Russian retired competitive figure skater. She is the the 2017 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, the 2015-16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics champion, the 2016 Russian Junior champion, and the 2017 Russian Junior bronze medalist.
Personal Life[]
Polina Igorevna Tsurskaya was born on July 11, 2001 in Omsk, Russia, a Siberian city near the border of Kazakhstan. Polina began figure skating when she was four years of age. She immediately displayed talent when she first started. She moved to Moscow in 2013, where she began receiving coaching from Eteri Tutberidze and Sergei Dudakov.
Tsurskaya's hobbies include reading and needlework. She has a brother, Igor, who is nine years her senior.
Career[]
2015-16 Season[]
Tsurskaya debuted internationally at 2015 JGP Slovakia. She won the competition after leading the short program and freeskate, finishing with a 10.14 point margin over second place finisher, Mai Mihara.
Tsurskaya's second Junior Grand Prix assignment, 2015 JGP Poland, ended in another victory. She led the short program despite a fall, with a 3.35 point margin. She remained the leader after the freeskate with a 17.87 point margin, and won the competition with a 21.22 point margin. She earned the first berth to the 2015-16 JGP Final in Barcelona, Spain.
Producing two more clean performances, again leading in both the short program and freeskate, Tsurskaya won the 2015-16 JGP Final by 11.27 points.
Finishing her first senior national championships with a fourth place finish, and winning junior national championships shortly after, Tsurskaya qualified for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.
Finishing the short program in fourth place after receiving penalizations for two underrotations, Tsurskaya won the freeskate and overall competition, ending with a 16.54 point margin.
The next month, having traveled to Debrecen to compete at the 2016 World Junior Championships, Tsurskaya withdrew from the competition shortly before the short program, having aggravated an ankle injury in practice. She had to refrain from running or jumping for three months, until June.
2016-17 Season[]
Tsurskaya's first international competition this season was at 2016 JGP Russia. Leading the short program by 4.64 points, Tsurskaya finished second in the freeskate after popping a double axel. Having received the highest program component scores in both programs, she won the competition in with an 8.53 point margin.
After performing two clean performances at her next Junior Grand Prix assignment, 2016 JGP Estonia, Tsurskaya won with a 5.59 point margin. Having received the second berth to the 2016-17 JGP Final, Tsurskaya withdrew from the competition after experiencing pains on her right knee. While receiving a subsequent medical examination, it was determined she was in need of surgery.
Tsurskaya was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans, a rare genetic disease, which likely contributed to her knee injury. It was later revealed that she additionally had a herniated disc. She traveled to Germany in late October for surgery, in which a piece of detached cartilage was removed. She resumed jumping in mid-December.
Tsurskaya did not compete at senior nationals due to injury. Receiving the bronze medal at junior nationals, she qualified for 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei.
Tsurskaya ended 2017 World Junior Championships with a tenth place finish. She was situated in eleventh place in the short program after falling once and receiving three underrotation marks. She finished ninth in the freeskate after popping several jumps and receiving two underrotation marks.
2017-18 Season[]
Tsurskaya's senior international debut was at 2017 NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan. Finishing with third place in the short program, and second in the freeskate, Tsurskaya received a bronze medal.
Tsurskaya's next Grand Prix assignment was 2017 Skate America. She was situated in eighth place after a fall in the short program. She placed fourth in the freeskate and overall after a clean performance, being held back by a low program component score.
At 2018 Russian Figure Skating Championships, Tsurskaya finished in fifth place after popping a triple lutz in the freeskate. She was named as the second alternate to the 2018 European Championships.
Programs[]
| Season | Short Program | Freeskate |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 |
|
|
| 2017-2018 |
|
|
| 2016-2017 |
|
|
| 2015-2016 |
|
|
| 2014-2015 |
|
|
| 2013-2014 | unknown |
|
| 2012-2013 |
Exhibitions[]
| Season | Music |
|---|---|
| 2019-2020 |
|
| 2017-2018 | |
| 2015-2016 |
|
|
ISU Results[]
(Season bests highlighted in bold, current personal bests italicized)
| 2018-2019 Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Competition | SP | FS | Total |
| November 16 - 18 | 2018 Rostelecom Cup
 |
7 56.81 |
8 92.64 |
8 149.45 |
| October 19 - 21 | 2018 Skate America
 |
8 58.42 |
8 101.03 |
7 159.45 |
| September 20 - 22 | 2018 Ondrej Nepela Trophy
 |
4 54.36 |
5 100.25 |
4 154.61 |
| 2017-2018 Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Competition | SP | FS | Total |
| November 24 - 26 | 2017 Skate America
|
8 63.20 |
4 132.36 |
4
195.56 |
| November 10 - 12 | 2017 NHK Trophy
 |
3 70.04 |
2 140.15 |
3 210.19 |
| 2016-2017 Season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Competition | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| March 13 - 19 | 2017 World Junior Championships
 |
Junior | 11 54.30 |
9 101.61 |
10 155.91 |
| September 28 - October 1 | 2016 JGP Estonia
 |
Junior | 1 66.72 |
1 127.30 |
1 194.02 |
| September 14 - 18 | 2016 JGP Russia
|
Junior | 1 69.02 |
2 114.71 |
1 183.73 |
| 2015-2016 Season | |||||
| Date | Competition | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 12 - 21 | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
 |
Junior | 4 58.65 |
1 127.39 |
1 186.04 |
| December 10 - 13 | 2015-16 JGP Final
 |
Junior | 1 66.69 |
1 128.59 |
1 195.28 |
| September 23 - 26 | 2015 JGP Poland
 |
Junior | 1 61.04 |
1 126.81 |
1 187.85 |
| August 19 - 23 | 2015 JGP Slovakia
|
Junior | 1 66.08 |
1 123.42 |
1 189.50 |
Medal Record[]
(In chronological order)
| Type | Competition | Season | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 2017 NHK Trophy | 2017-18 | Senior |
| Gold | 2017 Russian Cup Stage III | 2017-18 | Senior |
| Silver | 2017 Russian Cup Stage II | 2017-18 | Senior |
| Gold | 2017 Russian Cup Final | 2016-17 | Senior |
| Bronze | 2017 Russian Championships | 2016-17 | Junior |
| Gold | 2016 JGP Estonia | 2016-17 | Junior |
| Gold | 2016 JGP Russia | 2016-17 | Junior |
| Gold | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics | 2015-16 | Junior |
| Gold | 2016 Russian Championships | 2015-16 | Junior |
| Gold | 2015-16 JGP Final | 2015-16 | Junior |
| Gold | 2015 JGP Poland | 2015-16 | Junior |
| Gold | 2015 JGP Slovakia | 2015-16 | Junior |
| Gold | 2015 Spartakiad of Students | 2014-15 | Junior |
| Silver | 2015 Zonal Championships | 2014-15 | Junior |
| Gold | 2014 Russian Cup Final | 2013-14 | Junior |
| Gold | 2014 Russian Championships | 2013-14 | Novice |
| Bronze | 2013 Russian Cup Stage IV | 2013-14 | Junior |
| Gold | 2013 Russian Cup Stage III | 2013-14 | Junior |
Social Media[]
Instagram: polina_tsurskaya
VK: tsurskayap
Sources[]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polina_Tsurskaya
https://www.statsonice.com/skater/Polina/Tsurskaya/
http://jwc2016debrecen.hu/en/interview-with-youth-olympic-champion-polina-tsurskaya/
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00054618.htm
https://rsport.ria.ru/interview/20161220/1113939411.html
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2016/09/13/20112435
https://rsport.ria.ru/figure_skating/20170428/1119739454.html