Maksym Nikitin

Maksym Nikitin
Personal information
Native name Максим Нікітін
Alternative names Russian: Максим Никитин; Maxim Nikitin
Country represented Ukraine
Born 5 October 1994
Kharkiv, Ukraine
Home town Kharkiv
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Partner Oleksandra Nazarova
Coach Alexander Zhulin, Oleg Volkov
Former coach Halyna Churilova, Mariana Kozlova
Choreographer Sergei Petukhov
Former choreographer Larysa Fiodorova, Halyna Churilova, Mariana Kozlova
Skating club Kolos Kharkiv
Training locations Moscow
Former training locations Kharkiv
Began skating 1998
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 148.48
2014 Golden Spin
Short dance 58.20
2014 Golden Spin
Free dance 90.31
2015 Junior Worlds

Maksym Nikitin (Ukrainian: Максим Нікітін; born 5 October 1994) is a Ukrainian ice dancer. With partner Oleksandra Nazarova, he is the 2015 World Junior bronze medalist and 2012 Youth Olympic silver medalist. On the senior level, they won silver at the 2014 CS Warsaw Cup and the 2015 Ukrainian national title.

Personal life

Maksym Nikitin[1] was born on 5 October 1994 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.[2] In 2013, he moved to Moscow, Russia.[3] Around 2012, he enrolled at the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture, where he is a correspondence student.[4]

Career

Nikitin was a recreational single skater in his early years. Around 2004, Halyna Churilova encouraged him and Oleksandra Nazarova, also a single skater from Kharkiv, to form an ice dancing partnership.[4] Churilova coached the team in their hometown.[5]

Seasons: 2010–11 to 2013–14

Nazarova/Nikitin debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 2010. They placed 11th in Graz, Austria and 7th in Sheffield, England.

In 2011–12, Nazarova/Nikitin made no appearances on the JGP series but were sent to the Youth Olympics in January 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria. They won the silver medal behind Russia's Anna Yanovskaya / Sergey Mozgov. In 2012–13, the duo placed 5th in both of their JGP events and were assigned to their first World Junior Championships. At the latter competition, held in late February and early March 2013 in Milan, Italy, Nazarova/Nikitin placed 12th in the short dance, 9th in the free dance, and 11th overall. After the event, Churilova advised them to join Russian coach Alexander Zhulin.[4] They relocated to Moscow to train with Zhulin and Oleg Volkov.[3]

During the 2013–14 season, Nazarova/Nikitin won silver at both of their Junior Grand Prix assignments and qualified for the JGP Final. They placed fifth at the Final, held in December 2013 in Fukuoka, Japan. In March 2014, they finished fifth at the World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, having ranked seventh in the short dance and fourth in the free dance.

2014–15 season: Senior debut

Nazarova/Nikitin continued training in Moscow in the 2014–15 season.[6] At the Junior Grand Prix event in Courchevel, France, they ranked fifth in the short dance and third in the free dance. The duo finished fourth overall, 0.54 shy of third place. They won the bronze medal at their next JGP event, in Tallinn, Estonia, after placing sixth in the short and third in the free dance.

Making their senior international debut, Nazarova/Nikitin won the silver medal at the CS Warsaw Cup in November 2014. After winning the Ukrainian senior national title, they were named in Ukraine's team to the European Championships, held in late January 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden. Ranked 12th in the short dance and 11th in the free dance, the two finished 11th overall. In early March, Nazarova/Nikitin competed at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. They were awarded the bronze medal after placing fifth in the short dance, second in the free dance, and third overall behind Anna Yanovskaya / Sergey Mozgov of Russia and Lorraine McNamara / Quinn Carpenter of the United States. It was Ukraine's first podium finish at the event since 2000.

Programs

(with Nazarova)

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2014–2015
[2][7][4]		 Senior level
  • Flamenco: Street Dance
    by Didulia
  • Paso Doble

Junior level

  • Samba Vocalizado
    by Luciano Perrone
  • Rhumba: Perfidia
    by John Altman
  • Samba Vocalizado
    by Luciano Perrone
2013–2014
[3]
2012–2013
[8]
  • Gopher Mambo
  • Habanera
  • Malambo
2011–2012
[9]
    2010–2011
    [5]

    Competitive highlights

    GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

    With Nazarova

    International[10]
    Event 2007–08 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15
    Worlds 17th
    Europeans 11th
    CS Golden Spin 4th
    CS Warsaw Cup 2nd
    International: Junior and novice[10]
    Junior Worlds 11th 5th 3rd
    Youth Olympics 2nd
    JGP Final 5th
    JGP Austria 11th 5th
    JGP Croatia 5th
    JGP Czech Rep. 4th
    JGP Estonia 2nd 3rd
    JGP Poland 2nd
    JGP U.K. 7th
    Volvo Open 2nd J.
    Istanbul Cup 5th J.
    NRW Trophy 1st N. 1st N. 10th J. 5th J. 7th J.
    Santa Cup 8th J. 1st J.
    National[10]
    Ukrainian 1st J. 1st
    Levels: N. = Novice, J. = Junior; WD = Withdrew

    References

    1. ↑ "6th SANTA CLAUS CUP 2012 - ISU". Hungarian Skating Association. December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014.
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Golinsky, Reut (23 March 2015). "Meet Alexandra (Sasha) Nazarova and Maxim Nikitin". Absolute Skating.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011.
    6. ↑ Максим Никитин: О смене гражданства у нас даже мыслей не было [Maxim Nikitin: We didn't consider changing citizenship] (in Russian). Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. 14 August 2014.
    7. ↑ "Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
    8. ↑ "Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014.
    9. ↑ Golinsky, Reut (11 February 2012). "Youth Olympic Games 2012". Absolute Skating. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Competition Results: Alexandra NAZAROVA / Maxim NIKITIN". International Skating Union.

    External links

    Media related to Maksym Nikitin at Wikimedia Commons