Sofja Stepčenko (born 21 December 2006) is a Latvian figure skater. She is a two-time Latvian national champion (2022-23) and 2023 Volvo Open Cup champion. She placed eleventh at the 2023 European Championships.

Sofja Stepčenko
Sofja Stepčenko at the 2024 World Championships
Born (2006-12-21) 21 December 2006 (age 18)
Riga, Latvia
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Figure skating career
Country Latvia
DisciplineWomen's singles
CoachStéphane Lambiel
Angelo Dolfini
Giulia Isceri
Gerli Liinamäe
Skating clubKristal Ice
Began skating2010
Medal record
Latvian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Riga Singles
Gold medal – first place 2024 Riga Singles
Silver medal – second place 2025 Riga Singles

Career

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Early years

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Stepčenko competed in the advanced novice category for two seasons and then moved up to the junior ranks.[1] She made her ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in September 2021.

2022–23 season

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Stepčenko began her season on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing twenty-first at the 2022 JGP France and twelfth at the 2022 JGP Latvia. In November, making her senior international debut, she placed fourth at the Volvo Open Cup and seventh at the Tallinn Trophy. Her first senior international medal, gold, came in December 2022 at the Latvia Trophy.[2] The second-best Latvian woman at the event was Angelīna Kučvaļska, who finished in fifth place.

Stepčenko was nominated to represent Latvia at the 2023 European Championships, which took place in January in Helsinki, Finland. Ranked fourteenth in the short program, she qualified to the free skate and climbed to eleventh overall.[3] This was the best European result by a Latvian woman since Angelina Kučvaļska's fourth place at the 2016 edition.[4] Stepčenko came twenty-third at the 2023 World Championships.[5]

2023–24 season

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Stepčenko started the season by competing on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixth at the 2023 JGP Turkey. She went on to compete on the senior international level as well, winning the 2023 Jelgava Cup and placing twelfth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.[5]

Appearing again on the Junior Grand Prix, Stepčenko finished tenth at the 2023 JGP Armenia. Her next event was the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy, where she finished eleventh. Going on to compete at two events in Latvia, Stepčenko won silver at the 2023 Volvo Open Cup and gold at the 2023 Latvia Trophy.[5]

Selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, Stepčenko placed twenty-first in the short program and thirteenth in the free skate, finishing thirteenth overall. At this event, Stepčenko scored a new personal best free skate score. [6] Soon after, Stepčenko competed on the junior level at the 2024 Volvo Open Cup, winning the gold medal.[5]

Competing at the 2024 Youth Olympics, Stepčenko finished sixteenth.[5]

2024–25 season

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In July 2024, it was announced that Stepčenko was now being coached by Stéphane Lambiel in Champéry.[7] Competing at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Stepčenko finished twelfth. Debuting on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Stepčenko finished twelfth at 2024 Skate America. She then went on to finish ninth at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy and at the 2024 Santa Claus Cup.[5]

Programs

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2024–2025
[8]
2023–2024
[9]
  • All Eyes On Me
    by Victor McKnight, SquigglyDigg
    choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich
2022–2023
[10]
2021–2022
[11]

Competitive highlights

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

International[5]
Event 20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24 24–25
Worlds 23rd 31st
Europeans 11th 13th
GP Skate America 12th
CS Budapest Trophy 11th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 12th
CS Nepela Memorial 12th
CS Tallinn Trophy 7th 9th
Jelgava Cup 1st
Latvia Trophy 1st 1st
Santa Claus Cup 9th
Volvo Open Cup 1st[a] 2nd
4th[b]
Wolmar Spring Cup 1st
International: Junior[5][1]
JGP Youth Olympics 16th
JGP Armenia 10th
JGP Austria 26th
JGP France 21st
JGP Latvia 12th
JGP Poland 17th
JGP Turkey 6th
Kurbada Cup 2nd
Petrenko Cup 2nd
Volvo Open Cup 5th 2nd 1st
National[1]
Latvian Champ. 1st 1st 2nd
  1. ^ 48th Volvo Cup Open
  2. ^ 47th Volvo Cup Open

Detailed results

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [6]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 159.34 2023 European Championships
Short program TSS 58.87 2023 World Championships
TES 34.84 2023 World Championships
PCS 25.67 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Free skating TSS 105.16 2024 European Championships
TES 56.06 2024 European Championships
PCS 52.07 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Senior results

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2024–25 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 27–December 2, 2024 2024 Santa Claus Cup 11
45.88
6
93.08
9
138.96
November 12–17, 2024 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy 16
42.34
8
93.13
9
135.47
October 18–20, 2024 2024 Skate America 11
44.56
12
93.36
12
137.92
September 19–21, 2024 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 11
53.29
13
91.98
12
145.27
2023–24 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 18–24, 2024 2024 World Championships 31
46.74

-
31
46.74
January 10–14,2024 2024 European Chamipnships 21
52.53
13
105.16
13
157.69
December 8–10, 2023 2023 Latvia Trophy 1
60.01
1
110.75
1
170.76
November 2–5, 2023 2023 Volvo Open Cup 2
53.60
1
110.77
2
164.37
October 13–15, 2023 2023 CS Budapest Trophy 7
56.81
18
91.38
11
148.19
September 28–30 2023 2023 CS Nepela Memorial 15
47.48
11
94.75
12
142.23
September 28–30 2023 2023 Jelgava Cup 1
62.05
1
109.85
1
171.90
2022–23 season
Date Event SP FS Total
April 7–9, 2023 2023 Wolmar Spring Cup 1
60.80
2
99.07
1
159.87
March 22–26, 2023 2023 World Championships 18
58.87
24
99.51
23
158.38
January 25–29, 2023 2023 European Championships 14
55.32
11
104.02
11
159.34
January 19–22, 2023 2023 Volvo Open Cup 3
56.10
1
118.56
1
174.66
December 16–18, 2022 2022 Latvia Trophy 2
58.64
1
119.07
1
177.71
November 24–27, 2022 2022 Tallinn Trophy 9
47.80
4
97.66
7
145.46
November 3–4, 2022 2022 Volvo Open Cup 10
48.65
2
111.62
4
160.27

Junior results

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2023–24 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 28–30, 2024 2024 Winter Youth Olympics 16
44.77
16
76.02
16
120.79
January 10–14,2024 2024 Volvo Open Cup 1
56.67
2
103.31
1
159.98
October 4–7, 2023 2023 JGP Armenia 13
46.23
10
93.78
10
140.01
September 6–8, 2023 2023 JGP Turkey 15
56.78
11
100.63
12
157.41
2022–23 season
Date Event SP FS Total
September 7–10, 2022 2022 JGP Latvia 18
43.24
9
96.75
12
139.99
August 24–27, 2022 2022 JGP France 22
34.11
20
66.07
21
100.18
2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
April 8–10, 2022 2022 Kurbada Cup 3
44.83
2
90.73
2
135.56
November 3–7, 2021 2021 Volvo Open Cup 2
48.51
6
78.36
2
126.87
October 20–23, 2021 2021 Petrenko Cup 2
48.55
2
97.23
2
145.78
October 6–9, 2021 2021 JGP Austria 16
46.16
31
60.48
26
106.64
September 29–October 2, 2021 2021 JGP Poland 22
35.38
14
74.18
17
109.56
2020–21 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 7–8, 2020 2020 Volvo Open Cup 5
41.20
5
66.32
5
107.52

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Sofja STEPCHENKO". rinkresults.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  2. ^ Druvietis, Gatis (18 December 2022). "Daiļslidotāja Stepčenko pārsteidzoši triumfē "Latvia Trophy", uzvar arī Vasiļjevs". sportacentrs.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Stepčenko izcīna 11. vietu Eiropas daiļslidošanas čempionātā". LETA (in Latvian). sports.tvnet.lv. 28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023.
  4. ^ Dilāns, Kristiāns (2 February 2023). "Daiļslidotājas Stepčenko trenere: "Būtu ļoti priecīgas arī par 24. vietu"". sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Competition Results: Sofja STEPCENKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b "LAT-Sofja STEPCENKO". Skating Scores.
  7. ^ Anything GOEs [@AnythingGOEs] (July 9, 2024). "🇱🇻 Sofja Stepcenko is now being coached by Stéphane Lambiel and the rest of the team in Champéry" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Sofja STEPCENKO: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Sofja STEPCENKO: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Sofja STEPCENKO: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Sofja STEPCENKO: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022.
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