Not even near her teenage years yet but this little lady can proudly say that she’s a national figure skating champion after she beat out 250 other competitors to claim the title of 2022 U.S. National Figure Skating Juvenile Champion.
This is little Sofia Bezkorovainaya.
Sofia is coached by Inna Volyanskaya, who herself is a former professional figure skater for the Soviet National Team.
Bezkorovainaya may be an incredible skater but she is still very much a student as well. So she’s had to learn how to adapt to a schedule and manage her time.
Sofia is up at 5 a.m. every day to train.
The young champion studies at an online school, “I do online school, Virginia Virtual Academy is like really, really comfortable.”
Volyanskaya had this to say about her little prodigy,
“She never gives up. She’s always like, ‘Can I try this, can I try this?’ She right now is asking if she can do triple axles. It’s not just me pushing her, she’s pushing herself.”
It comes as no surprise as you watch her tiny figure glide and carve the ice.
Winning the national competition had the young skater’s dream coming closer to fruition.
A dream to one day compete in the Olympics, and win it. She’s ambitious and hungry to prove herself.
That’s a good thing.
“I was really, really happy because it was one of my biggest goals,” said Bezkorovainaya.
“She’s not a regular kid. She’s a very talented kid,” said Volyanskaya.
Sofia’s work ethic sets her apart from many other skaters, says Volyanskaya.
Sofia trains on the ice six hours a day, then another 2 hours of off-ice ballet training. Then there’s school.
Bezkorovainaya spent years working and training hard for competitions. It was by no means easy for the young skater.
“It was a long way. A year of preparation, and a lot of hard work,” said Volyanskaya.
“My hope is that she enjoys figure skating like she’s enjoying right now,” says her coach. “This is my first hope. And second of course her dream comes true, and she’s dreaming to compete in the Olympics.”
Sofia’s advice to all aspiring skaters out there is, “To not give up, to believe in what you do and go for it.”
And she embodies her advice as you can see with her skating.
Bezkorovainaya knows she’s got a long way to go, and that she will have to keep getting better to compete in the Olympics.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan.
Sofia at her age has both eyes on the gold.
She’ll have to constantly set fire to the ice but that shouldn’t be a problem with her work ethic.
But one thing is for certain. We will be seeing more of Sofia in the years to come.
She’ll be one of the biggest names in the Olympics, perhaps even adding popularity to the sport.
Watch Sofia take to the ice below!
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