Gina Zehnder

Last updated
Gina Zehnder
Gina Zehnder & Beda Leon Sieber 2024 Worlds Rhythm Dance 7.jpg
Gina Zehnder and Beda Leon Sieber at the 2024 World Championships
Born (2005-08-05) 5 August 2005 (age 20)
Zürich, Switzerland
Hometown Küsnacht, Switzerland
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Figure skating career
CountryFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
Discipline Ice dance
Partner Beda Leon Sieber
CoachCornelia Leroy
Alisa Besseghier
Skating clubEislaufclub Küsnacht
Began skating2009
Medal record
Swiss Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2025 Geneva Ice dance

Gina Zehnder (born 5 August 2005) is a Swiss ice dancer. With her skating partner, Beda Leon Sieber, she is the 2023 JGP Turkey bronze medalist, and a two-time Swiss junior national champion. Zehnder/Sieber are the first Swiss ice dance team, junior or senior, to win a medal at an ISU Grand Prix event. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Zehnder was born on 5 August 2005 in Zürich, Switzerland. She has two sisters. [2]

Career

Early years

Zehnder began learning how to skate at age five after following her older sister into the sport. She competed as a single skater at the novice level through the 2018–19 season. In January 2019, Zehnder's coach Cornelia Leroy presented both her and her now partner, Beda Leon Sieber, with the opportunity to compete as a dance team at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, a home event for the Swiss teenagers, and together, they chose to switch disciplines with that goal in mind. [2]

2019–20 season: Debut of Zehnder/Sieber

Zehnder/Sieber made their junior international debut as an ice dance team at the 2019 Ice Star in October, where they finished twenty-third. They gained further competitive experience at two additional international events over the fall of 2019, the 2019 Pavel Roman Memorial and the 2019 Bosphorus Cup, where they placed sixteenth and nineteenth, respectively. [3]

Zehnder and Sieber at the 2020 Youth Olympics 2020-01-11 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (2020 Winter Youth Olympics) by Sandro Halank-0778.jpg
Zehnder and Sieber at the 2020 Youth Olympics

In order to achieve their goal of receiving the ice dance host pick spot at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Zehnder and Sieber needed to be the top junior dance team at the 2020 Swiss Figure Skating Championships in December. Despite being newcomers to ice dance with less than a year of training together under their belts, Zehnder and Sieber won the national title by an over nine-point margin over silver medalists Alina Klein and Maxim Kobelt, and were named to the Swiss Youth Olympic team. [3]

At the Youth Olympics in January, then-14-year-old Zehnder had the honor of lighting the cauldron at the event's opening ceremony as the youngest athlete in the Swiss delegation. [4] During the ice dance competition, Zehnder and Sieber placed twelfth in both the rhythm dance and the free dance for a twelfth-place finish overall in the individual event. The duo were also included in the Mixed NOC Team Trophy, grouped into Team Motivation with Ukrainian and Italian single skaters Andrey Kokura and Alessia Tornaghi, and Russian pair team Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilya Mironov. Zehnder and Sieber placed eighth in the team ice dance event, and Team Motivation finished fifth of eight overall. [3]

Zehnder and Sieber concluded their debut season at the 2020 World Junior Championships where they placed twenty-ninth in the rhythm dance and did not advance to the final segment of competition. [3]

2021–22 season

Travel restrictions and health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Zehnder/Sieber from competing during the 2020–21 season. The team returned to international competition in September 2021 for their ISU Junior Grand Prix debut at the 2021 JGP Russia. In Krasnoyarsk, the team placed fifteenth in the rhythm dance and fourteenth in the free dance for fourteenth-place finish overall. They replicated this placement at their next event in October, the 2021 JGP Austria. [3] Zehnder/Sieber competed at one final event in the fall in the lead up to their national championships, the 2021 Autumn Talents Cup, where they claimed their first international medal, a silver behind Ukrainian team Myroslava Tkachenko/Andrii Kapran. [5]

In November, Zehnder/Sieber defended their junior national title at the 2021 Swiss Figure Skating Championships, winning gold again by an approximately nine-point margin, this time over compatriots Kayleigh Maksymec/Maxmilien Rahier. The team was initially named to the Swiss berth at the 2022 World Junior Championships, but were forced to withdraw after Zehnder sustained a knee injury. Zehnder/Sieber ultimately concluded their season at the 2022 Egna Dance Trophy, where they finished thirteenth. [3]

2022–23 season

Zehnder's knee injury continued to impact the team's ability to train throughout 2022. [1] They finally returned to the ice in September, opting to withdraw from their Junior Grand Prix assignments due to lack of preparation time. Zehnder and Sieber opened their competitive season at the 2022 Bosphorus Cup where they placed fourth. [3] The team's only other event during the season was the 2022 Swiss Figure Skating Championships where they placed second in the junior dance category behind Milla O'Brien and Laurin Wiederkehr. [6]

2023–24 season: Junior Grand Prix bronze

Fully recovered from injury, Zehnder/Sieber returned to the Junior Grand Prix circuit for their fourth competitive season as a team. At their first assignment, the 2023 JGP Turkey, the team placed fourth in the rhythm dance, but rose to first in the free dance, ultimately placing third overall. Their bronze medal marked the first medal for a Swiss ice dance team at any ISU Grand Prix event, junior or senior. [1]

At their second JGP assignment, the 2023 JGP Poland, Zehnder/Sieber finished in fourth place. They followed up this result by winning the 2023 Swiss Open on the junior level and taking bronze at the 2023 Pavel Roman Memorial on the junior level. [3]

In late November, Zehnder/Sieber debuted on the senior international level by winning silver at the 2023 Bosphorus Cup. They then went on to win the junior national title at the 2024 Swiss Championships. [3]

Following a silver medal win on the junior level at the 2024 Ephesus Cup, Zehnder/Sieber placed fourteenth at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. [3]

Selected to compete at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Zehnder/Sieber placed thirty-second in the rhythm dance and did not advance to the free dance segment of the competition. [3]

2024–25 season

Zehnder/Sieber performing their rhythm dance at the 2025 World Championships Gina Zehnder & Beda Leon Sieber 2025 Worlds Rhythm Dance 03.jpg
Zehnder/Sieber performing their rhythm dance at the 2025 World Championships

Zehnder/Sieber started the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Junior Grand Prix, placing fifth at 2024 JGP Turkey and at 2024 JGP Slovenia. They subsequently went on to win the silver medal on the junior level at the 2024 Budapest Trophy. [3]

Going on to compete on the senior international level, Zehnder/Sieber won the bronze medal at the 2024 Pavel Roman Memorial and finishing fourth at the 2024 Bosphorus Cup. In December, the team won their first senior national title at the 2025 Swiss Championships. The following month, Zehnder/Sieber made their European Championship debut at the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. The team placed twenty-third in the rhythm dance and did not advance to the free dance segment of the competition. [3]

Following a silver medal win on the junior level at the 2025 International Challenge Cup, Zehnder/Sieber placed twelfth at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. [3]

They then finished the season by placing thirtieth at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. [3]

Zehnder noted that heading into the 2025–26 figure skating season, the team wanted to improve on their technical score. She said, "At all the big competitions, we didn’t get the levels we wanted to. So, I think that’s, especially during summer now, what we’re going to work on. To get better levels in the step sequences and the one-foot section." [7]

Programs

Ice dance with Beda Leon Sieber

Season Short program Free skating
2024–2025
[8]
2023–2024
[9]
2022–2023
[10]
  • Tango: Dark Tango
    by Edo Notarloberti
  • Spanish Waltz: Amor Dulce Muerte
  • Flamenco: Poeta en el Mar
    by Vicente Amigo
    choreo. by Cornelia Leroy, Alisa Besseghier
2021–2022
[11]
  • Time
    by Nathan Lanier
  • Time Lapse
  • Run
    by Ludovico Einaudi
    choreo. by Cornelia Leroy, Alisa Besseghier
2020–2021
[12]
2019–2020
[13]

Competitive highlights

Ice dance with Beda Leon Sieber

Competition placements at senior level [3]
Season 2023–24 2024–25
World Championships 32nd30th
European Championships 23rd
Swiss Championships 1st
Bosphorus Cup 2nd4th
Pavel Roman Memorial 3rd
Competition placements at junior level [3]
Season 2019–20 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Winter Youth Olympics 12th
Winter Youth Olympics
(Team event)
5th
World Junior Championships 29th14th12th
Swiss Championships 1st1st2nd1st
JGP Austria 14th
JGP Poland 4th
JGP Russia 14th
JGP Slovenia 5th
JGP Turkey 3rd5th
Autumn Talents Cup 2nd
Bosphorus Cup 19th4th
Budapest Trophy 2nd
Challenge Cup 2nd
Egna Dance Trophy 13th
Ephesus Cup 2nd
Ice Star 23rd
Pavel Roman Memorial 16th3rd
Swiss Open 1st

Detailed results

Ice dance with Beda Leon Sieber

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [3]
SegmentTypeScoreEvent
TotalTSS153.29 2024 JGP Slovenia
Short program TSS62.712024 JGP Slovenia
TES34.632024 JGP Slovenia
PCS28.59 2024 JGP Turkey
Free skating TSS90.582024 JGP Slovenia
TES47.942024 JGP Slovenia
PCS43.08 2023 JGP Poland

Senior level

Results in the 2023–24 season [3]
DateEvent SP FS Total
PScorePScorePScore
Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2023 Flag of Turkey.svg 2023 Bosphorus Cup 273.182113.292186.47
Mar 18–24, 2024 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 2024 World Championships 3258.193258.19
Results in the 2024–25 season [3]
DateEvent SP FS Total
PScorePScorePScore
Nov 8–10, 2024 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 2024 Pavel Roman Memorial 366.883102.193169.07
Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2024 Flag of Turkey.svg 2024 Bosphorus Cup 564.774100.014164.78
Dec 13–15, 2024 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2025 Swiss Championships 167.581102.791170.37
Jan 28 – Feb 2, 2025 Flag of Estonia.svg 2025 European Championships 2353.442353.44
Mar 25–30, 2024 Flag of the United States.svg 2025 World Championships 3057.073057.07

Junior level

Results in the 2023–24 season [3]
DateEvent SP FS Total
PScorePScorePScore
Sep 6–9, 2023 Flag of Turkey.svg 2023 JGP Turkey 455.35188.303143.65
Sep 27–30, 2023 Flag of Poland.svg 2023 JGP Poland 459.65488.924148.57
Oct 26–29, 2023 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2023 Swiss Open 159.09187.631146.72
Nov 10–12, 2023 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 2023 Pavel Roman Memorial 363.46389.973153.43
Dec 15–17, 2023 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2024 Swiss Championships (Junior) 161.19190.181151.37
Jan 25–28, 2024 Flag of Turkey.svg 2024 Ephesus Cup 260.19195.752155.94
Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2024 Flag of the Republic of China.svg 2024 World Junior Championships 958.901677.1514136.05
Results in the 2024–25 season [3]
DateEvent SP FS Total
PScorePScorePScore
Sep 18–21, 2024 Flag of Turkey.svg 2024 JGP Turkey 460.85685.735146.58
Oct 2–5, 2024 Flag of Slovenia.svg 2024 JGP Slovenia 562.71590.585153.29
Oct 11–13, 2024 Flag of Hungary.svg 2024 Budapest Trophy 261.19294.252155.44
Feb 13-16, 2025 Flag of the Netherlands.svg 2025 Challenge Cup 255.79291.022146.81
Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2025 Flag of Hungary.svg 2025 World Junior Championships 1255.721383.2712138.99

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Eistanz: Grosser Erfolg für Beda Sieber aus der Au" [Ice dancing: Great success for Beda Sieber from Au] (in German). Wädenswiler. 20 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 "gina-beda-icedance" (in German). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "SUI–Gina Zehnder/Beda-Leon Sieber". SkatingScores.
  4. "Figure skater, 14, lights Lausanne Youth Olympic cauldron at Opening Ceremony". NBC Sports. 9 January 2020.
  5. "2021 Autumn Talent Cup - Junior Ice Dance Results". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  6. "2023 Swiss Nationals - Junior Ice Dance Results". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  7. Slater, Paula (May 4, 2025). "Swiss ice dancers Zehnder and Sieber embrace senior stage". Golden Skate.
  8. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  9. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  10. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  11. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  12. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. "Gina ZEHNDER / Beda Leon SIEBER: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2023.