1. Overview
Adelina Dmitriyevna Sotnikova is a retired Russian figure skater who achieved significant milestones in the sport, most notably becoming the first Russian Olympic gold medalist in ladies' singles at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Her career also includes two European silver medals, multiple Grand Prix series medals, and four Russian national championships. On the junior circuit, she was the 2011 Junior World champion and the 2010 Junior Grand Prix Final champion. Despite her athletic achievements, Sotnikova's Olympic victory was met with international controversy regarding judging. Following her Olympic triumph, her career was affected by injuries, leading to her eventual retirement in 2020. In addition to her competitive career, Sotnikova has attracted attention for her personal life, business ventures, and her public support for the Russian government's actions, which led to sanctions from the Ukrainian Parliament.
2. Early Life and Background
Adelina Sotnikova's journey into figure skating began at a very young age, influenced by her family and supported through her early education.
2.1. Childhood and Education
Adelina Dmitriyevna Sotnikova was born on July 1, 1996, in Moscow, Russia. Her father, Dmitry, served as a police officer, while her mother, Olga, worked as a homemaker and in merchandising. Sotnikova has a younger sister, Maria, who is two years her junior and lives with Treacher Collins syndrome. Adelina has consistently credited Maria as the most influential person in her career, viewing figure skating as a means to support her sister. She attended a high school where approximately half of the student body were athletes. In 2013, she enrolled in a sports university, indicating her aspiration to become a coach after her competitive career. Her great-grandfather, Alexander Kochetov, was a decorated ace pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II.
2.2. Early Skating Career
Sotnikova began skating at the age of four at the Yuzhny ice rink, located near her home in Moscow. She was initially coached by Anna Patrikeeva until she was seven years old. Following this, she transitioned to training at CSKA Moscow, a club further from her residence, where she began working with coach Elena Buianova (Vodorezova) a year later.
During the 2008-2009 season, Sotnikova made her senior debut at the 2009 Russian Nationals at the age of 12, where she remarkably won the gold medal. One month later, she also secured the title at the 2009 Russian Junior Championships. However, she was ineligible to compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit during the 2009-2010 season due to International Skating Union (ISU) rules requiring skaters to turn 13 before July 1 in their place of birth; Sotnikova was born just a few hours into July 1. Her mother reportedly told her that she was born a month prematurely anyway. During this period, she faced challenges with a growth spurt, which led to a drop in her performance, placing fourth at the Russian senior nationals and sixth in the junior event.
3. Career
Adelina Sotnikova's competitive journey saw her rise through the junior ranks to achieve significant international success at the senior level, culminating in an Olympic gold medal.
3.1. Junior Career
Sotnikova's junior career was marked by rapid progression and notable achievements, establishing her as a formidable talent.
3.1.1. Junior Grand Prix and World Junior Championships
Sotnikova made her Junior Grand Prix debut during the 2010-2011 season. She won gold medals at the events in Austria and the United Kingdom, which qualified her for the 2010 Junior Grand Prix Final. At the Final, she secured the title, winning both the short program and the free skate. At the 2011 Russian Championships, she placed second in the short program and first in the free skate, earning her second national title. She was subsequently assigned to the World Junior Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, where she won the gold medal, finishing ahead of teammate Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. This season was particularly successful for Sotnikova, as she won every competition she entered. She also notably landed a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, becoming only the third female skater in history to achieve this, following Irina Slutskaya and Miki Ando.
3.1.2. Youth Olympics
In the 2011-2012 season, Sotnikova competed at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. She earned the silver medal at this event, finishing behind her teammate Elizaveta Tuktamysheva.
3.2. Senior Career
Sotnikova's transition to senior competition saw her continue to build on her junior success, leading to her Olympic triumph and subsequent challenges.
3.2.1. Early Senior Career (pre-2014)
According to ISU age rules, Sotnikova was eligible to compete on the senior Grand Prix circuit during the 2011-2012 season, although she was not yet eligible for senior ISU Championships. She was assigned to two Grand Prix events, the 2011 Cup of China and the 2011 Rostelecom Cup. She initially intended to start her season at the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial but withdrew due to a leg injury that caused her to miss a month of off-season training. She won the bronze medal at both the Cup of China and the Rostelecom Cup, making her the first alternate for the ladies' event at the Grand Prix Final. Sotnikova then competed at the 2011 Golden Spin of Zagreb and won the gold medal. At the 2012 Russian Championships, she secured her third national title by placing first in the short program and second in the free skate. She then earned the bronze medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships, finishing behind teammate Yulia Lipnitskaya and U.S. skater Gracie Gold. Sotnikova was also named to the Russian team for the 2012 ISU World Team Trophy, where she finished fourth overall and achieved a season's best free skate score of 113.57 points.
Sotnikova began her 2012-2013 season by winning a silver medal at the 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy. Her first Grand Prix event of the season was the 2012 Skate America. In her free skate, Sotnikova's jump combination of 3Lo-2T-2Lo (triple loop-double toe loop-double loop) was deemed an invalid element and received no points. Despite this, she won the bronze medal overall, behind Americans Christina Gao and Ashley Wagner. At her subsequent event, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup, Sotnikova finished fifth. At the 2013 Russian Championships, she won the bronze medal, placing behind Elena Radionova and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. At the 2013 European Championships, she placed first in the short program and third in the free skate, ultimately winning the silver medal overall, just 0.72 points behind gold medalist Carolina Kostner. Sotnikova and bronze medalist Elizaveta Tuktamysheva were the first Russian medalists in the European ladies' event since Irina Slutskaya won the title in 2006. Following the European Championships, Sotnikova performed in the "Art on Ice" show in Switzerland. She finished ninth in her World Championships debut. In her second team event appearance, she placed fourth in ladies' singles at the 2013 World Team Trophy. Team Russia finished fourth overall in the competition.
3.2.2. 2013-2014 Season
Sotnikova commenced her 2013-2014 season by competing with Team Europe at the 2013 Japan Open. Her first 2013-14 Grand Prix assignment was the 2013 Cup of China. She placed first in the short program and third in the free skate, securing the silver medal ahead of Carolina Kostner. In her next event, the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard, she placed third in the short program and first in the free skate, winning the silver medal behind American Ashley Wagner. These results qualified Sotnikova for her first Grand Prix Final. At the event held in Fukuoka, Japan, she was second in the short program and sixth in the free skate, finishing fifth overall.
At the 2014 Russian Championships, Sotnikova placed first in the short program and second in the free skate, winning her fourth national title and narrowly defeating Yulia Lipnitskaya for the gold. Appearing in her second European Championships, Sotnikova placed first in the short program and second in the free skate, taking the silver medal with an overall score of 202.36 points, while Lipnitskaya won gold. Sotnikova became the second Russian skater to record a score above the 200-point mark in ladies' singles.
3.2.3. 2014 Winter Olympics
The figure skating events at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics commenced with the team event. Although Russian skating officials initially planned to assign Sotnikova and Lipnitskaya to one program each, they ultimately decided a week before the event that Lipnitskaya would skate both segments.
Sotnikova won the gold medal in the ladies' individual event with an overall score of 224.59 points, becoming one of the youngest Olympic figure skating champions. She was in second place after the short program, trailing the defending Olympic and reigning World Champion Kim Yuna by 0.28 points, but she overtook Kim by winning the free skate with a score of 149.95 points. Following her victory, Sotnikova stated in a press conference that she became "more motivated to win the singles competition" after not being selected to compete in the earlier team event. On February 24, 2014, she was awarded the Order of Friendship by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sotnikova did not participate in the 2014 World Championships held in Saitama, Japan.
3.2.4. Post-Olympic Career
Sotnikova was initially selected to compete at the 2014 Rostelecom Cup and the 2014 NHK Trophy during the 2014-2015 season. However, she withdrew from both events due to a torn ankle ligament sustained during practice when landing a flip jump. She later also withdrew from the 2015 Russian Championships. While doctors had advised her against full-force jumping, Sotnikova chose to focus on the choreographic component of her performances. She participated in the 2015 Russian version of Dancing with the Stars with Gleb Savchenko, where she finished in second place.
During the 2015-2016 season, Sotnikova placed fourth in the individual competition of the Japan Open. She competed at two Challenger Series events, earning the silver medal at the 2015 Mordovian Ornament behind Anna Pogorilaya and placing sixth at the 2015 Golden Spin of Zagreb. On the ISU Grand Prix, Sotnikova competed only at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup, where she won a bronze medal behind her teammates Elena Radionova and Evgenia Medvedeva. From December 24-27, 2015, Sotnikova competed at the 2016 Russian Championships and placed sixth. She was subsequently named only as an alternate for the 2016 European Championships. This season marked her last competitive appearances.
As injuries continued to persist, Sotnikova did not participate in any domestic or international events from 2016 onwards. In April 2017, she changed coaches and training locations, hiring former Olympic men's champion Evgeni Plushenko to train at his skating academy, Angels of Plushenko, in Moscow. However, her ongoing health problems prevented her from performing in any further competitions. While performing in a skating show in Turkey during the summer of 2019, Sotnikova experienced back pain, which she initially believed was manageable. However, just before the 2019 Rostelecom Cup exhibition gala, her spinal pain intensified to the point where she considered seeking further medical treatment. In December, facing more severe pain, she was recommended for surgery but decided to delay it due to ongoing commitments, including performances in Plushenko's New Year show as Cinderella. In late February 2020, she underwent surgery, receiving two spinal implants connected by a metal sheet, which was fixed by six titanium screws inserted into her vertebrae.
4. Programs
Adelina Sotnikova's competitive programs featured a diverse range of musical selections and choreographers throughout her career.
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition | ||||||
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| 2016-17 |
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| 2015-16 |
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|- | 2014-15 |
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| 2013-14 |
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|- | 2012-13 |
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|- | 2011-12 |
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|- | 2010-11 |
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|- | 2009-10 |
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| 2008-09 |
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|- | 2007-08 |
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5. Major Competition Results
Adelina Sotnikova's career is highlighted by numerous medals and strong placements at both junior and senior international and national competitions.
| International | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | 11-12 | 12-13 | 13-14 | 14-15 | 15-16 |
| Olympics | 1st | ||||||||
| Worlds | 9th | ||||||||
| Europeans | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||
| GP Final | 5th | ||||||||
| GP Bompard | 2nd | ||||||||
| GP Cup of China | 3rd | 2nd | |||||||
| GP NHK Trophy | WD | ||||||||
| GP Rostelecom | 3rd | 5th | WD | 3rd | |||||
| GP Skate America | 3rd | ||||||||
| CS Golden Spin | 1st | 6th | |||||||
| CS Mordovian | 2nd | ||||||||
| Nebelhorn | 2nd | ||||||||
| International: Junior | |||||||||
| Junior Worlds | 1st | 3rd | |||||||
| Youth Olympics | 2nd | ||||||||
| JGP Final | 1st | ||||||||
| JGP Austria | 1st | ||||||||
| JGP U.K | 1st | ||||||||
| NRW Trophy (Junior) | 6th | ||||||||
| National | |||||||||
| Russian Champ. | 1st | 4th | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 6th | ||
| Russian Junior | 10th | 1st | 6th | ||||||
| Team events | |||||||||
| World Team Trophy | 5th T 4th P | 4th T 4th P | |||||||
| Japan Open | 3rd T 4th P | 3rd T 4th P | |||||||
6. Personal Life
Beyond her competitive career, Adelina Sotnikova has engaged in various personal endeavors and reached significant life milestones.
Sotnikova was born on July 1, 1996, in Moscow. Her family includes her father, Dmitry, a police officer, and her mother, Olga, who worked as a homemaker and in merchandising. Her younger sister, Maria, who is two years her junior, has Treacher Collins syndrome. Sotnikova has openly stated that her sister Maria is the most influential person in her career, and she views figure skating as a means to support her. She attended a high school where approximately half of the student body were athletes. In 2013, she enrolled in a sports university with the aim of becoming a coach in the future. Among the skaters she admired were Brian Joubert, Stéphane Lambiel, Mao Asada, Miki Ando, and Carolina Kostner. She once commented that while Mao Asada was a strong rival, they were "more than friends" off the ice and expressed a wish for Asada to continue competing.
In 2015, Sotnikova ventured into business, opening a beauty salon in Moscow initially named "Studio Be Happy." By mid-July 2019, the salon was rebranded as "Studio Adelina Sotnikova." On October 30, 2022, Sotnikova welcomed her first child, a son whom she named Adrian.
7. Political Views and Activities
Adelina Sotnikova has publicly expressed her political views and participated in events supporting the Russian government, drawing international attention and sanctions.
On March 18, 2022, Sotnikova attended a Moscow rally organized by the Russian government. The rally celebrated the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and served to justify the Russian invasion of the country. Sotnikova posted videos on her Instagram account showing herself singing along and other scenes from the rally. In August 2022, while pregnant, Sotnikova visited Donbas, a region of Ukraine under Russian occupation, as part of a publicity tour. Her actions led to her being sanctioned by the Ukrainian Parliament in December 2022 for her support of the war.
In March 2023, Sotnikova commented on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) proposal to allow Russian athletes to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics as neutrals. She stated, "This is unfair. It's horrible. How can a person who represents his country, in order to satisfy someone there, speak against his country? This is foolish and stupid on the part of the IOC. It shouldn't be like that. I was taught all my life by my parents and coach that politics should never be mixed with sports."
8. Controversies and Evaluation
Adelina Sotnikova's career, particularly her Olympic victory, has been marked by significant controversies, including intense debates over judging and allegations of doping.
8.1. Sochi Olympics Judging Controversy
Sotnikova's gold medal victory at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics was met with considerable controversy, leading to allegations of judges' impartiality and widespread criticism of the scoring system. Questions were raised in the press regarding the composition of the judging panel and the anonymity of scores. Specifically, it was highlighted that one of the nine judges had previously received a one-year suspension for involvement in a match-fixing scandal at the 1998 Winter Olympics ice dancing event. Another judge was identified as the wife of the general director of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, and was observed embracing Sotnikova after the competition. These concerns fueled a public outcry, with a petition calling for an investigation into the judging garnering over 1.5 million signatures.
However, some analyses, including one by The New York Times, argued that Sotnikova's victory was justifiable based on her higher technical scores, despite a minor error on a double loop jump landing in her free skate. They noted that her program contained a more challenging sequence of seven triple jumps. Olympic champions like Scott Hamilton observed that while Sotnikova was known for inconsistent emotional control in her long programs, she performed well at the Olympics and "faithfully fulfilled the elements the judges wanted." Similarly, Elvis Stojko, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, stated that he believed the judging was fair. Despite these counterarguments and the International Skating Union (ISU) dismissing appeals from the Korean Olympic Committee, some Korean media outlets continued to criticize Sotnikova and the result, even resorting to personal attacks and creating parody images. Sotnikova, when asked about the controversy, expressed understanding for the Korean people's strong support for Kim Yuna, acknowledging that they were fighting for their athlete.
8.2. Doping Allegations
Adelina Sotnikova has also faced allegations of doping violations, particularly concerning her 2014 Olympic performance. In December 2016, she was named in the McLaren Report, a WADA-commissioned investigation into Russian state-sponsored doping. The report indicated that scratches, suggestive of tampering, were found on the test tubes containing her urine samples from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
However, in November 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared Sotnikova of any wrongdoing, stating that "there is no sufficient element in the evidence available to date" to establish an anti-doping rule violation. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and a key whistleblower in the McLaren Report, also stated that Sotnikova was not part of the state-sponsored doping program.
Despite the IOC's clearance, in July 2023, Sotnikova admitted in an interview that she had indeed returned a positive doping test during the year of her Olympic triumph. She insisted, however, that her second sample (B-sample) showed no signs of doping, which led to her being cleared. Following her admission, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) stated to the state-run news agency TASS that it had "no information on this issue," while WADA and the IOC declined to comment.
9. Retirement
On March 1, 2020, Adelina Sotnikova officially announced her retirement from competitive figure skating. Her decision was primarily attributed to persistent injuries, particularly the spinal issues that required surgery in late February 2020. Despite her retirement from competition, Sotnikova has expressed intentions to continue performing in skating shows, leveraging her recovery from surgery to pursue this avenue.
10. Influence and Legacy
Adelina Sotnikova holds a significant place in the history of figure skating, particularly for Russia. She is celebrated as Russia's first Olympic ladies' singles champion, a groundbreaking achievement for the nation. Her victory at the 2014 Winter Olympics also made her the fifth youngest Olympic ladies' singles champion in history, at 17 years old, following Tara Lipinski (15), Sonja Henie (15), Oksana Baiul (15), and Sarah Hughes (16).
Throughout her career, Sotnikova was recognized for her strong technical abilities, including her characteristic and high-quality spins, which were noted for their minimal traveling. She also had a reputation for powerful and high jumps. Her successful execution of the triple Lutz-triple loop combination jump established her as only the third female skater in history to achieve this difficult element, underscoring her technical prowess and contribution to the sport's progression.