Fedor Klimov

2.2.1. 2009-2011 seasons: Junior success and senior debut

In their inaugural season (2009-10) as a pair, Stolbova and Klimov competed on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, finishing 2nd and 7th at their respective events, which qualified them for the JGP Final, where they placed 7th. They went on to win the Russian Junior title and secured a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010.

For the 2010-11 season, Stolbova and Klimov continued their success on the Junior Grand Prix, winning both of their assignments and qualifying for the JGP Final. At the JGP Final, they improved their previous year's result, earning a silver medal. This season also marked their debut on the senior Grand Prix circuit, where they placed 5th at Skate America. At the 2011 Russian Championships, they finished 6th in their senior national debut and clinched their second consecutive Russian junior national title. Their season concluded with a silver medal at the 2011 World Junior Championships, surpassing the team that had defeated them in the previous year's World Junior Championships and JGP Final.

2.2.2. 2011-2013 seasons: Establishing senior presence

The 2011-12 season saw Stolbova and Klimov fully transition to the senior level. They competed at the 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard, placing 7th, and the 2011 Cup of Russia, where they finished 4th. At the 2012 Russian Championships, they secured their first senior national medal, a silver, after placing third in the short program and second in the free skate. They were initially alternates for the 2012 European Championships, but due to an emergency surgery for Alexander Smirnov, they were called upon to replace the team of Kavaguti and Smirnov. At the event, Stolbova and Klimov delivered strong performances, setting new personal bests in both segments to earn their first European medal, a bronze, contributing to Russia's sweep of the pairs podium.

For the 2012-13 season, the pair focused on upgrading their twist to a triple. They began their international season with a silver medal at the 2012 Coupe Internationale de Nice. They then earned their first senior Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the 2012 Cup of China, followed by a 5th-place finish at the 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard. They continued their domestic success by winning a bronze medal at the 2013 Russian Championships. As first alternates, they replaced Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov at the 2013 European Championships, finishing 6th. They then claimed their first senior international title at the 2013 Bavarian Open. In April 2013, the pair announced their intention to relocate to Moscow to train under coach Nina Mozer, a move which was approved by the Russian skating federation despite initial opposition from Oleg Nilov, head of the Saint Petersburg skating association. After their move to Moscow, their training was interrupted when Klimov suffered a broken leg from a bicycle fall in late May 2013.

2.2.3. 2013-2015 seasons: Olympic and World Championship medals

The 2013-14 season marked the pinnacle of Stolbova and Klimov's career. They started their Grand Prix season with a bronze medal at the 2013 Skate America. After a 6th-place finish in the short program at the 2013 Cup of Russia, they climbed to 4th overall after the free skate. The pair then won the gold medal at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy. They secured their first national title at the 2014 Russian Championships, narrowly defeating the 2012 national champions, Bazarova and Larionov.

At the 2014 European Championships, Stolbova and Klimov placed 4th in the short program but delivered a stellar free skate to win that segment. They earned a total of 207.98 points, securing the silver medal behind compatriots Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov. All three top Russian pairs were selected for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In the newly introduced Olympic team event, Stolbova and Klimov were assigned to the pairs free skate, where they placed first in their segment, contributing significantly to Team Russia's gold medal victory. In the individual pairs event, they placed third in the short program and climbed to second after the free skate, achieving an overall score of 218.68 points, earning them a historic silver medal ahead of four-time World champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy. They concluded their breakthrough season by winning a silver medal in their debut at the 2014 World Championships.



The 2014-15 season saw them continue their strong performances. They won both of their Grand Prix assignments, the 2014 Rostelecom Cup and 2014 Trophee Eric Bompard. Their consistent success qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, where they earned a silver medal behind Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. They then won their second consecutive national title at the 2015 Russian Championships and followed it with another silver medal at the 2015 European Championships, placing second to Kavaguti and Smirnov. Stolbova and Klimov made the decision to withdraw from the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, China, to dedicate their efforts to learning new throw jumps, prioritizing long-term development.

2.2.4. 2015-2016 season: Grand Prix Final victory

Stolbova and Klimov began their 2015-16 season competing in the Challenger Series at the 2015 Ondrej Nepela Trophy, where they won the gold medal. Their first Grand Prix event of the season was the 2015 Skate America, where they finished 4th. However, they refined their program and elements, securing a gold medal at their second Grand Prix event, the 2015 Rostelecom Cup, ahead of their teammates Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov.

These results qualified them for the 2015-16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. There, they placed first in both the short program and the free skate, earning 154.60 points in the free skate, just 0.06 points shy of the then-World record achieved by Volosozhar and Trankov. In their free skate, Stolbova and Klimov successfully landed clean side-by-side triple toe loop-triple toe loop-double toe loop combinations, as well as triple flip and triple Salchow throw jumps. They won the gold medal with a total score of 229.44 points, a career-best.

Despite their international success, Stolbova and Klimov withdrew from the 2016 Russian Championships due to an allergic reaction Klimov experienced from a therapeutic massage a week before the event. They were subsequently selected for the 2016 European Championships but withdrew before the competition, as a nerve problem affected Klimov's arm and shoulder muscles, preventing him from performing lifts. At the 2016 World Championships in Boston, the pair finished 5th in the short program, 4th in the free skate, and 4th overall.

2.2.5. 2016-2018 seasons: Later career and challenges

During a training camp in mid-July 2016, Stolbova developed a severe inflammation in her left ankle due to a nerve problem. As a result, she and Klimov withdrew from both of their Grand Prix assignments - the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and 2016 NHK Trophy. They returned to competition in late December, winning their third Russian national title at the 2017 Russian Championships by a narrow margin of 0.93 points over Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov.

In January 2017, they competed at the 2017 European Championships, where they placed 4th in both the short program and the free skate, finishing 4th overall and missing the podium for the first time in four years. Two months later, at the 2017 World Championships, they had a challenging short program, placing 13th after a fall on a triple twist lift and a step-out on a triple toe loop. However, they delivered a strong free skate, placing 3rd in that segment and climbing to 5th overall.

In the 2017-18 Grand Prix season, they secured two silver medals, first at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup and then at the 2017 NHK Trophy. These results qualified them for the 2017-18 Grand Prix Final, where they placed 4th. They then earned another pair of silver medals, first at the 2018 Russian Championships and subsequently at the 2018 European Championships. Despite their strong performances, their participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics was halted when the Russian Figure Skating Federation announced on 23 January 2018 that Stolbova had not received an invitation from the IOC to compete. Following this disappointment, they withdrew from the 2018 World Championships due to Stolbova suffering a right ankle ligament tear.