Vadym Kolesnik

Not to be confused with Vadim Kolesnik.

Vadym Kolesnik
Kolesnik at the 2023 Skate Canada International
Native name	Вадим Колесник
Born	(2001-10-27) October 27, 2001 (age 23) Kharkiv, Ukraine
Hometown	Novi, Michigan, United States
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Partner	Emilea Zingas (since 2022) Avonley Nguyen (2017–20)
Coach	Igor Shpilband Natalia Deller Adrienne Lenda Pasquale Camerlengo
Skating club	Skating Club of New York
Began skating	2006
Medal record
World Junior Championships 2020 Tallinn Ice dance Junior Grand Prix Final 2019–20 Turin Ice dance

Vadym Kolesnik ^[a] (born October 27, 2001) is an American ice dancer. With his skating partner, Emilea Zingas, he is the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist and 2023 U.S. national pewter medalist.

With his former partner, Avonley Nguyen, he is the 2020 World Junior champion, the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, and the 2020 U.S. junior national champion. He has also won four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, including three golds, and qualified to the 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final.

Personal life

Kolesnik was born on October 27, 2001, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. ^[1] He moved to the United States in spring 2017. ^[2]

Career

Early years

Kolesnik began learning to skate as a four-year-old after his grandmother took him to a local rink. ^[2] The coaches at the rink did not wish to take him due to his weight, but he kept returning until one accepted him. ^[2] In the 2015–2016 season, he appeared internationally with Zlata Iefymenko for Ukraine. Competing in advanced novice ice dancing, they placed ninth at the 2015 Ice Star and then fourth at the 2015 NRW Trophy. ^[3]

Partership with Nguyen

2017–2018 season: Debut of Nguyen/Kolesnik

In autumn 2016, Kolesnik and Avonley Nguyen of the United States had a three-week tryout in Novi, Michigan, following which he returned to Ukraine for a few months. ^[2] They began their partnership in February 2017. ^[4]

Nguyen/Kolesnik received their first ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) assignments in the 2017–2018 season. They placed fifth at JGP Belarus and sixth at JGP Italy. After taking gold in junior ice dancing at Midwestern Sectionals, they qualified to the 2018 U.S. Championships, where they would finish fifth.

2018–2019 season: JGP medals

Nguyen/Kolesnik at the 2019 World Junior Championships

Nguyen/Kolesnik won the silver medal at 2018 JGP Lithuania, behind Russia's Ushakova/Nekrasov, and the gold at 2018 JGP Slovenia to qualify for their first JGP Final. They placed fifth overall at the 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final after placing fifth in the rhythm dance and fifth in the free dance.

At the 2019 U.S. Championships, they won the silver medal behind Green/Green after placing second in the rhythm dance and winning the free dance.

At the 2019 World Junior Championships, Nguyen/Kolesnik placed fifth in the rhythm dance but moved up to fourth overall after placing third in the free dance. They were awarded a small bronze medal for the free, where they had the highest technical base value of any of the competing teams and the second-highest technical score overall. ^[5]

2019–2020 season: World Junior champion and Junior Grand Prix Final silver

Nguyen/Kolesnik at the 2019–20 JGP Final

Nguyen/Kolesnik began their Junior Grand Prix season at the 2019 JGP United States, where they placed first in both segments with personal best scores and won the gold medal. At 2019 JGP Poland, they again set personal best scores in both segments to take the title and qualify for the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Competing at the Final, Nguyen/Kolesnik narrowly lost the gold medal by only 0.16 points behind Kazakova/Reviya of Georgia at the JGP Final. ^[6] She commented "we're a little disappointed right now, but we’ll continue to keep on working. All our competitors were really strong. We were only a fourth of a point behind, and we felt we could push and get to the next level, but it didn’t work out." ^[7]

At the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Nguyen/Kolesnik scored 184.38 total points to take the gold medal by more than 22 points. Their free dance, set to Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2," featured all positive grades of execution and eight Level 4 elements, earning 109.89 points. ^[8]

At the 2020 Bavarian Open, they placed first in both the rhythm dance and free dance to win the gold medal. They concluded the season at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, where they entered as one of the favorites for the title. Nguyen/Kolesnik placed third in the rhythm dance behind Shanaeva/Naryzhnyy and Kazakova/Reviya, after Nguyen stepped out of her twizzle sequence. She remarked they had "left a few points on the table, but now we'll focus on the free dance." ^[9] They won the free dance, setting a new junior world record and taking the Junior World title over Kazakova/Reviya. Nguyen said afterward, "I've dreamed about this moment for so long and to know that our work finally paid off, it just feels great!" Kolesnik indicated that they had not decided whether to move up to senior competition or remain at the junior level for another season. ^[10]

At the end of June, Nguyen announced that the two had split. She said she had "many happy memories" of their partnership and wished him the best as they "pursued different paths." ^[11] Within minutes, Kolesnik's announcement post followed. He thanked Nguyen "for all you have done for our partnership," expressed his admiration for her, and wished her all the best. ^[12]

Partnership with Zingas

2022–2023 season: Debut of Zingas/Kolesnik

After many months of searching for a new permanent partnership in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kolesnik tried out with Cypriot-American singles skater Emilea Zingas. ^[13] 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." ^[14] On May 15, 2022, Zingas officially announced that the two would compete together representing the United States. ^[15]

Zingas/Kolesnik made their international debut in December 2022 at 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they won the bronze medal. ^[13]

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. ^[14] 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. Kolesnik said of the new partnership "I think we've got a match." ^[16]

2023–2024 season

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." ^[17]

Beginning the season on the Challenger circuit, Zingas/Kolesnik finished fourth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial. ^[18] They were invited to make their Grand Prix debut at 2023 Skate Canada International, where they placed fifth, despite a rhythm dance twizzle error. ^{[19] [17]} They were fifth as well at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. ^[20] Zingas/Kolesnik finished out the fall season at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they won the silver medal. ^[18]

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. ^[21]

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. ^{[22] [23]} 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." ^[23]

2024–2025 season

Zingas/Kolesnik started the season by winning bronze at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. ^[18] 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." ^[24] They followed this up by finishing fifth at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy. ^[18]

Programs

Ice dance with Emilea Zingas

Season	Rhythm dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2022–23 [25]	Conga by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine Tan Sola by Sole Giménez Conga performed by Meek Mill choreo. by Igor Shpilband	Metamorphosis II Violin Concerto No. 1 Truman Sleeps by Philip Glass choreo. by Igor Shpilband
2023–24 [26]	Another Part of Me Liberian Girl Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson choreo. by Igor Shpilband	Beauty and the Beast Main Title Prologue Transformations Overture by Alan Menken Evermore by Alan Menken & Tim Rice performed by Josh Groban choreo. by Igor Shpilband	Conga by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine Tan Sola by Sole Giménez Conga performed by Meek Mill choreo. by Igor Shpilband
2024–25 [27]	Jive Talkin' Stayin' Alive You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees choreo. by Igor Shpilband	Epilogue by Ólafur Arnalds Lost It to Trying by Son Lux choreo. by Benoît Richaud	Jive Talkin' Stayin' Alive You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees choreo. by Igor Shpilband

Ice dance with Avonley Nguyen

Season	Short dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2017–18 [28]	Cha Cha: Eres Todo en Mí by Ana Gabriel Mambo: Mambo Jambo by Pérez Prado	West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
	Rhythm dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2018–19 [1]	Argentine Tango: Vuelvo al Sur by Astor Piazzolla performed by Amelita Baltar Argentine Tango: Building the Bullet by Luis Bacalov	Demons by Imagine Dragons performed by Jennifer Thompson, Boyce Ave Experience by Ludovico Einaudi	Demons by Imagine Dragons performed by Jennifer Thompson, Boyce Ave
2019–20 [29]	Swing: Aladdin by Alan Menken Foxtrot:Aladdin by Alan Menken Swing:Aladdin by Alan Menken	Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Competitive highlights

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
• CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series

Ice dance with Emilea Zingas

Competition placements at senior level  ^[30]

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

Ice dance with Avonley Nguyen

Nguyen & Kolesnik (left) with Kazakova & Reviya (center) and Shanaeva & Naryzhnyy (right) on the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final podium

Competition placements at junior level  ^[31]

Season	2017–18	2018–19	2019–20
World Junior Championships		4th	1st
Junior Grand Prix Final		5th	2nd
U.S. Championships	5th	2nd	1st
JGP Belarus	5th
JGP Italy	6th
JGP Lithuania		2nd
JGP Poland			1st
JGP Slovenia		1st
JGP United States			1st
Bavarian Open			1st

Detailed results

Ice dance with Emilea Zingas

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System  ^[30]

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   ^[30]

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   ^[30]

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   ^[30]

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

Ice dance with Avonley Nguyen

Nguyen and Kolesnik at the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final

Results in the 2017–18 season   ^[31]

Date	Event	SD		FD		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 20–23, 2017	2017 JGP Belarus	5	50.37	6	64.52	5	114.89
Oct 11–14, 2017	2017 JGP Italy	6	52.84	6	72.46	6	125.30
Dec 28, 2017 – Jan 7, 2018	2018 U.S. Championships (Junior)	7	54.02	4	80.29	5	134.31

Results in the 2018–19 season   ^[31]

Date	Event	RD		FD		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 5–9, 2018	2018 JGP Lithuania	2	63.40	2	98.44	2	161.84
Oct 3–6, 2018	2018 JGP Slovenia	1	65.41	1	100.22	1	165.63
Dec 7–12, 2018	2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final	5	63.73	5	94.74	5	158.47
Jan 18–27, 2019	2019 U.S. Championships (Junior)	2	65.92	1	105.14	2	171.06
Mar 4–10, 2019	2019 World Junior Championships	5	65.18	3	102.72	4	167.90

Results in the 2019–20 season   ^[31]

Date	Event	RD		FD		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Aug 28–31, 2019	2019 JGP United States	1	66.17	1	104.63	1	170.80
Sep 18–21, 2019	2019 JGP Poland	1	69.20	1	105.48	1	174.68
Dec 5–8, 2019	2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final	2	68.72	2	106.02	2	174.74
Jan 20–26, 2020	2020 U.S. Championships (junior)	1	74.49	1	109.89	1	184.38
Feb 3–9, 2020	2020 Bavarian Open	1	64.13	1	101.33	1	165.46
Mar 2–8, 2020	2020 World Junior Championships	3	68.27	1	108.91	1	177.18

Notes

1. Ukrainian: Вадим Колесник, romanized: Vadym Kolesnyk

References

1. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018.
2. "Getting to Know Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik". ice-dance.com. July 25, 2017.
3. "Zlata Jefimenko & Vadym Kolesnik". tracings.net.
4. "Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018.
5. Slater, Paula (March 9, 2019). "Canada's Lajoie and Lagha take ice dance title at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
6. Slater, Paula (December 6, 2019). "Georgia's Kazakova and Reviya take lead in Junior Ice Dance in Torino". Golden Skate.
7. Slater, Paula (December 8, 2019). "Kazakova and Reviya capture first Junior Grand Prix gold for Georgia". Golden Skate.
8. "First Junior Champions Crowned at U.S. Championships". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. January 22, 2020.
9. Slater, Paula (March 5, 2020). "Shanaeva and Naryzhnyy take narrow lead at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
10. Slater, Paula (March 7, 2020). "Nguyen and Kolesnik dance to Junior World title". Golden Skate.
11. Nguyen, Avonley (2020-06-29). ""It is with many mixed emotions that I announce the end of my partnership with Vadym."" (Instagram). Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
12. Kolesnik, Vadym (2020-06-29). "Avonley and I have an announcement to make. We have achieved quite a lot in just three years, but we have decided it's time to go in different direction. ..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
13. "Team USA Wraps up Challenger Series with Seven Medals at Golden Spin of Zagreb". U.S. Figure Skating. December 10, 2022.
14. Walker, Elvin (January 27, 2023). "Knierim and Frazier, Levito, Chock and Bates Take First Step Toward Gold". U.S. Figure Skating.
15. @emileazingas (May 15, 2022). "So excited to announce our partnership" – via Instagram.
16. Flett, Ted (January 28, 2023). "Chock and Bates repeat as US Champions". Golden Skate.
17. Slater, Paula (October 29, 2023). "Gilles and Poirier win fourth consecutive Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
18. "Competition Results: Emilia ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK". International Skating Union.
19. "Browns, Thorngren Earn Career-Best Grand Prix Finishes at Skate Canada International". U.S. Figure Skating. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
20. Slater, Paula (November 18, 2023). "Chock and Bates take second consecutive Grand Prix gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
21. "Eighteen Athletes Named to Four Continents Team". U.S. Figure Skating. January 9, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
22. Flett, Ted (January 27, 2024). "Chock and Bates take fifth national title". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
23. Slater, Paula (February 4, 2024). "Gilles and Poirier add Four Continents gold to collection". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
24. Slater, Paula (October 28, 2024). "Gilles and Poirier claim fifth Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
25. "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023.
26. "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
27. "Emilea ZINGAS / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024.
28. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018.
29. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019.
30. "USA–Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik". SkatingScores.
31. "USA–Avonley Nguyen/Vadym Kolesnik". SkatingScores.

External links

• Avonley Nguyen / Vadym Kolesnik at the International Skating Union
• Emilea Zingas / Vadym Kolesnik at the International Skating Union