Russian figure skater Adelia Petrosyan will compete at the 2026 Olympics: who is she and what is she known for

From September 19 to September 21, 2025, Beijing hosts the ISU Skate to Milano, a qualifying tournament for the 2026 Olympics. Russian figure skater Adelia Petrosyan will compete in women's single skating under a neutral status (AIN). This afternoon, on September 19, the athlete will take to the ice with a short program and try to win a ticket to the main winter championship. For more information about when Adelia Petrosyan's speech will take place and what is known about her, see the Izvestia article.

Biography of Adelia Petrosyan

Adelia Tigranovna Petrosyan was born on June 5, 2007 in Moscow. Since childhood, Adelia has shown a deep interest in figure skating. The future athlete was attracted not only by spinning and jumping, but also by the feeling of flight, airiness and the complexity of technical elements.

Her parents noticed this passion and put her on skates for the first time at the age of four. Since then, ice has become a place of joy and inspiration for her. She often remembers hugging the rink and trying to mimic the movements of more experienced skaters.

The sports career of Adelia Petrosyan

In 2011, Adelia Petrosyan enrolled in the Moskvich Olympic Reserve Sports School. Her first coach was Irina Strakhova, under whose guidance Adelia mastered a full set of triple jumps and cascades 3-3.

In 2019, Adelia Petrosyan joined coach Eteri Tutberidze at the Khrustalny Sports School at the Sambo-70 club. At first, joining the new group was not easy for Petrosyan: she had to get used to the high training pace and work out the most difficult elements in order to match the level of other students.

The young athlete is supported by a whole coaching team in the training process. Eteri Tutberidze usually adjusts Adelia before going on the ice and immediately after the performances conducts a mistake analysis. Daniil Gleikhengauz handles program analysis and choreography details, while Sergey Dudakov accompanies Petrosyan at competitions.

In September 2019, Adelia made her debut at the Russian Junior Cup: she took fifth place in the first stage and third in the second. In 2021, at the Junior Grand Prix, she won gold at the tournament in Slovenia and bronze in Slovakia. She became a vice-champion at the Russian Junior Championships in 2021.

The main milestone of her career was in December 2021, when at the Russian Championships Petrosyan performed two clean quadruple Rittbergers, one of them in a cascade, becoming the first figure skater in history to demonstrate this most difficult element in competition. As a result, she took the fourth place with a total of 233.97 points, losing only to the stars of the national team — Kamila Valieva, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova.

In 2022, Petrosyan was included in the list of candidates for the Russian adult national team. In the same season, she won the second stage of the Russian Grand Prix.

In the 2023/2024 season, the figure skater reached new heights by winning two stages of the Russian Grand Prix - in Ufa and Omsk. In December 2023, Petrosyan became the champion of Russia for the first time, showing a clean performance of a cascade of two quadruple sheepskin coats and a sequence with a triple lutz in the free program, ahead of Sofia Muravyova and Kamila Valieva.

The 2024/2025 season has become even more successful for Adelia. In February 2025, she won the All-Russian Sports Contest in Magnitogorsk with a score of 252.97 points. At the end of the year, Petrosyan defended the title of champion of Russia with a total score of 262.92, becoming a two-time national champion. In November 2024, she won the stage of the Russian Grand Prix in Moscow with a total score of 251.57 points, demonstrating high-class jumping combinations, including a triple axel, a cascade of quadruple toe loop — double toe loop and other complex elements.

At the beginning of 2025, Adelia won the Russian Jumping Championship by performing the most difficult cascades, including the triple axel — triple sheepskin coat and triple lutz — triple sheepskin coat, as well as the quadruple sheepskin coat and triple flip.

In May, the International Skating Union (ISU) granted her neutral status to participate in international tournaments. This allowed Adelia to enter the ISU Skate to Milano Olympic qualifying tournament. Due to restrictions, coach Daniil Gleikhengauz was unable to accompany her to the competition. Nevertheless, Adelia is ready to fight for a ticket to the 2026 Olympics and show all her strengths.

Personal life of Adelia Petrosyan

Adelia likes to devote her free time to reading fiction and drawing. She also enjoys dancing, which, according to her, helps to relax and take her mind off the excitement before the competition. The figure skater actively conducts her social networks, where she shares with fans photos from everyday life and content from training and competitions.

The program for the selection for the Olympic Games-2026

From September 19 to September 21, 2025, Beijing hosts the ISU Skate to Milano, an Olympic qualification tournament in figure skating, where licenses for participation in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are awarded.

Two singles athletes from Russia are competing in this tournament — Adelia Petrosyan in women's and Peter Gumennik in men's skating, both under the neutral status of AIN (Authorized Neutral Athlete).

The women's qualification starts on September 19 at 13:00 Moscow time. The skaters were divided into five warm-ups with breaks for cleaning the ice. Petrosyan will perform in the first warm-up at number four, taking to the ice at 13:26 Moscow time.

Her program includes the following jumps: double axel, triple lutz and the triple flip — triple sheepskin coat cascade. The music for the rental is classic hits by Michael Jackson — Earth Song, Billie Jean and They Don't Care About Us. For the performance, the athlete chose an elegant look — a red jacket and black trousers.

Petrosyan's strengths in this program are her jumping technique and the stability of her performance, which she has worked out over the season. The free program, in which the best performers will perform according to the results of the short program, is scheduled for September 20.

Where can I watch Adelia Petrosyan's performance?

Adelia Petrosyan's performance at the ISU Skate to Milano 2025 Olympic Qualification tournament can be viewed live on several platforms.

The official broadcast is available on the channel of the International Skating Union (ISU) "Skating ISU". All the main competitions of the tournament, including the women's short and free programs, are broadcast here. Broadcasts are also available on sports TV channels and online services.