Wikipedia

Emilea Zingas

Emilea Zingas (born April 22, 2002) is a Cypriot-American figure skater. Competing in ice dancing with her skating partner, Vadym Kolesnik, she is the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist and 2023 U.S. national pewter medalist.

Emilea Zingas
Zingas at 2023 Skate Canada International
Born (2002-04-22) April 22, 2002 (age 22)
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan,
United States
Height1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Figure skating career
Country United States
(since 2022)
 Cyprus (2020–22)
DisciplineIce dance (since 2022)
Women's singles (2020–22)
PartnerVadym Kolesnik
CoachIgor Shpilband
Natalia Deller
Adrienne Lenda
Pasquale Camerlengo
Skating clubSt. Clair Shores Figure Skating Club
Began skating2022

Zingas previously represented Cyprus in women's singles, and was the 2020 Santa Claus Cup silver medalist and the 2021 Challenge Cup bronze medalist. She was the first Cypriot skater to qualify for the World Championships.

Personal life

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Zingas was born on April 22, 2002, in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan to parents Chris, an orthopedic surgeon, and Marsha, a dermatopathologist.[1] She is the youngest of four children, including a sister, Elana, who currently plays ice hockey at Cornell University.[2][3] Zingas' paternal grandparents, Nick and Xenia Zingas, were born in Cyprus. She holds both U.S. and Cypriot citizenship.[4]

Zingas graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School in 2020, and currently studies neuroscience at Wayne State University.[1]

Career

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Early career

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Zingas began skating as a preschooler and started training at age seven with Lindsay O'Donoghue and Brooke Castile O'Keefe in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.[5] Zingas won the 2018 U.S. national novice silver medal in her only trip to the U.S. Championships as a singles skater.[6]

Singles skating for Cyprus

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2020–2021 season

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During the 2020–21 season, Zingas took advantage of her gap semester and switched nationalities to compete for Cyprus.[4] She made her international competitive debut at the 2020 CS Budapest Trophy, where she finished seventh. Zingas later competed at 2020 Ice Star and 2020 Santa Claus Cup, where she finished fifth and second, respectively. She noted that she was grateful to have the opportunity to travel internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as she was returning to her Michigan training base between events in Europe.[7]

At the 2021 Challenge Cup in February, Zingas won the bronze behind Belgian Loena Hendrickx and Emmy Ma of Chinese Taipei, as well as earned her technical minimums to qualify for the 2021 World Championships. She is the first Cypriot skater to ever qualify for the World Championships.[4] During the short program at the World Championships in March, Zingas popped a planned triple Lutz into a single, and fell on the triple flip in her planned triple flip-triple toe loop combination, both of which severely impacted her score. She finished thirty-sixth in the segment and did not advance to the free skate.[8]

2021–2022 season

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After a tenth-place finish at the Skating Club of Boston's Cranberry Cup International event, Zingas was assigned to compete at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy to attempt to qualify a berth for Cyprus at the 2022 Winter Olympics. She placed ninth at the event, resulting in Cyprus being the second reserve for the Olympics. She appeared at two additional Challenger events in the fall, coming sixteenth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria and fourteenth at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup.[9]

During her competitive season, Zingas was offered the opportunity to try out in ice dancing, a discipline she had no previous experience in, with reigning World Junior champion Vadym Kolesnik, whose partnership with Avonley Nguyen had ended after that gold medal win.[10] Kolesnik would later say that "the first time I skated with Emilea I felt something special. I felt like I can be myself. She opens up in the way that I want to skate and that's how it comes out — freedom."[11] On May 15, Zingas officially announced that the two would compete together representing the United States.[12]

Ice dance with Kolesnik for the United States

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2022–2023 season: Debut of Zingas/Kolesnik

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Zingas/Kolesnik made their international debut in December 2022 at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they won the bronze medal.[10]

After winning gold in November 2022 at the U.S. Ice Dance Final to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Championships, the team entered a dance field more open than normal due to presumptive national silver medalists Hawayek/Baker being absent due to health issues. Zingas/Kolesnik unexpectedly placed third in the rhythm dance, less than a point ahead of Zagreb gold medalists Carreira/Ponomarenko, who had erred on their twizzles.[11] After the free dance, Carreira/Ponomarenko had squeaked ahead overall by 0.32, but Zingas/Kolesnik stood on the podium as pewter medalists, a noteworthy achievement in a team's first season. Zingas called the whole week "surreal."[13]

2023–2024 season

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Zingas/Kolesnik during their free dance at 2023 Skate Canada International

For their free dance, Zingas proposed skating to Alan Menken's Beauty and the Beast film score, which Kolesnik was persuaded of after a "watch party."[14]

Beginning the season on the Challenger circuit, Zingas/Kolesnik finished fourth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.[15] They were invited to make their Grand Prix debut at 2023 Skate Canada International, where they placed fifth, despite a rhythm dance twizzle error.[16][14] They were fifth as well at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo.[17] Zingas/Kolesnik finished out the fall season at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they won the silver medal.[15]

In advance of the 2024 U.S. Championships, Zingas/Kolesnik were named as first alternates for the American team for the 2024 Four Continents Championships in Shanghai.[18]

 
Zingas/Kolesnik performing their rhythm dance at 2024 Skate Canada International

They finished only sixth at the national championships, but were notified while driving home that national champions Chock/Bates had withdrawn from the Four Continents Championships due to illness, and they were to fly to Shanghai the following morning.[19][20] They were fourth in both segments of the competition, coming fourth overall, 1.07 points back of bronze medalists Carreira/Ponomarenko. Zingas called the event "a great bonus."[20]

2024–2025 season

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Zingas/Kolesnik started the season by winning bronze at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.[15] Beginning the 2024–25 Grand Prix series at 2024 Skate Canada International, they came fourth in the rhythm dance, 1.13 points behind third-place French team Lopareva/Brissaud. Both partners received low levels on their twizzles in the free dance, and they dropped to fifth overall, which Kolesnik called "very disappointing."[21] They followed this up by finishing fifth at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy.[15]

Programs

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Ice dance with Vadym Kolesnik (for the United States)

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Season Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2022–2023
[22]
2023–2024
[23]
2024–2025
[24]

Single skating (for Cyprus)

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Season Short program Free skating
2021–2022
[25]
2020–2021
[26]

Competitive highlights

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Ice dance with Vadym Kolesnik (for the United States)

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Competition placements at senior level [27]
Season 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Four Continents Championships 4th
U.S. Championships 4th 6th
GP Finland 5th 5th
GP Skate Canada 5th 5th
CS Golden Spin 3rd 2nd
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3rd
CS Nepela Memorial 4th
CS Warsaw Cup 2nd

Single skating (for Cyprus)

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Competition placements at senior level [28][9]
Season 2020–21 2021–22
World Championships 36th
CS Budapest Trophy 7th
CS Cup of Austria 16th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 9th
CS Warsaw Cup 14th
Challenge Cup 3rd
Cranberry Cup 10th
Ice Star 5th
Santa Claus Cup 2nd

Detailed results

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Ice dance with Vadym Kolesnik (for the United States)

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [27]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 196.07 2024 CS Warsaw Cup
Rhythm dance TSS 78.23 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
TES 45.04 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
PCS 33.84 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Free dance TSS 118.87 2024 CS Warsaw Cup
TES 67.07 2024 CS Warsaw Cup
PCS 51.80 2024 CS Warsaw Cup
Results in the 2022–23 season [27]
Date Event RD FD Total
P Score P Score P Score
Dec 7–10, 2022   2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 3 73.14 3 110.96 3 184.10
Jan 23–29, 2023   2023 U.S. Championships 3 78.18 4 119.95 4 198.13
Results in the 2023–24 season [27]
Date Event RD FD Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 28–30, 2023   2023 CS Nepela Memorial 3 75.61 3 111.67 4 187.28
Oct 27–29, 2023   2023 Skate Canada International 5 72.25 5 112.71 5 184.96
Nov 17–19, 2023   2023 Grand Prix of Espoo 5 72.13 5 111.65 5 183.78
Dec 6–9, 2023   2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2 78.23 3 105.09 3 183.32
Jan 22–28, 2024   2024 U.S. Championships 5 77.59 8 104.11 6 181.70
Jan 30 – Feb 4, 2024   2024 Four Continents Championships 4 75.76 4 117.31 4 193.07
Results in the 2024–25 season [27]
Date Event RD FD Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 18–21, 2024   2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3 77.47 3 116.87 3 194.34
Oct 25–27, 2024   2024 Skate Canada International 4 75.63 5 113.78 5 189.41
Nov 15–17, 2024   2024 Finlandia Trophy 6 72.72 3 116.76 5 189.48
Nov 20–24, 2024   2024 CS Warsaw Cup 2 77.20 2 118.87 2 196.07

Single skating (for Cyprus)

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2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 17–20, 2021 2021 CS Warsaw Cup 17
50.30 		13
101.87 		14
152.17
November 11–14, 2021 2021 CS Cup of Austria 13
50.02 		16
94.65 		16
144.67
September 22–25, 2021 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 11
52.90 		9
105.26 		9
158.16
2020–21 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 22–28, 2021 2021 World Championships 36
43.20 		– 36
43.20
February 26–28, 2021 2021 Challenge Cup 5
55.05 		2
116.25 		3
171.30
November 26–29, 2020 2020 Santa Claus Cup 4
51.07 		1
107.60 		2
158.67
Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, 2020 2020 Ice Star 10
42.64 		5
97.31 		5
139.95
October 14–17, 2020 2020 CS Budapest Trophy 7
46.86 		8
97.75 		7
144.61

References

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  1. ^ a b "2022–23 Figure Skating Roster: Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Freshman Friday: Elana Zingas". Cornell Big Red. Cornell University. January 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Novetsky, Jason; Bogey, Kyle (June 18, 2020). Rising Champions Episode #5: Inspirational Interview With Elana and Emilea Zingas (YouTube). Champion Mindset Group.
  4. ^ a b c Adzima, Mike (March 11, 2021). "Farms skater heads to world championships". Grosse Pointe News.
  5. ^ Demske, Kristyne E. (January 23, 2018). "St. Clair Shores figure skater wins medal at national event". St. Clair Shores Sentinel.
  6. ^ Walsh, Melissa (January 2018). "Farms Teen Earns Buzz in U.S. Figure Skating". Grosse Pointe Magazine.
  7. ^ Bohannon, Meghan (December 22, 2020). ""The most important thing I learned is what's important": #My100Days as a competitive figure skater". Boston University College of General Studies.
  8. ^ "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 Results – Ladies". International Skating Union.
  9. ^ a b "Competition Results: Emilea ZINGAS". International Skating Union.
  10. ^ a b "Team USA Wraps up Challenger Series with Seven Medals at Golden Spin of Zagreb". U.S. Figure Skating. December 10, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Walker, Elvin (January 27, 2023). "Knierim and Frazier, Levito, Chock and Bates Take First Step Toward Gold". U.S. Figure Skating.
  12. ^ @emileazingas (May 15, 2022). "So excited to announce our partnership" – via Instagram.
  13. ^ Flett, Ted (January 28, 2023). "Chock and Bates repeat as US Champions". Golden Skate.
  14. ^ a b Slater, Paula (October 29, 2023). "Gilles and Poirier win fourth consecutive Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d "Competition Results: Emilia ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK". International Skating Union.
  16. ^ "Browns, Thorngren Earn Career-Best Grand Prix Finishes at Skate Canada International". U.S. Figure Skating. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Slater, Paula (November 18, 2023). "Chock and Bates take second consecutive Grand Prix gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "Eighteen Athletes Named to Four Continents Team". U.S. Figure Skating. January 9, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Flett, Ted (January 27, 2024). "Chock and Bates take fifth national title". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Slater, Paula (February 4, 2024). "Gilles and Poirier add Four Continents gold to collection". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  21. ^ Slater, Paula (October 28, 2024). "Gilles and Poirier claim fifth Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  22. ^ "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023.
  23. ^ "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024.
  25. ^ "Emilea ZINGAS: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "Emilea ZINGAS: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021.
  27. ^ a b c d e "USA–Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik". SkatingScores.
  28. ^ "CYP–Emilea Zingas". SkatingScores.
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