Kazakhstan praised Sofia Samodelkina's collaboration with a star coach in the USA.

The Kazakhstan Figure Skating Championship for adults took place in Karaganda, delighting fans with performances from the country's top skaters, reports Caravan.kz.

A total of 70 athletes participated in the tournament from Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, as well as from Karaganda, Pavlodar, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, Mangistau, and Ulytau regions. The tournament was held in three disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, ice dance, and across five categories: Youth Candidate Master (KMS) for boys, Youth Candidate Master (KMS) for girls, Master of Sports (MS) for men, Master of Sports (MS) for women, and ice dance.

In the women's singles category, the champion was Sofia Samodelkina, who will represent Kazakhstan and Astana starting from summer 2024. According to experts, the athlete showcased outstanding technique and artistry.

Before competing in the Kazakhstan Championship, Samodelkina underwent two training camps in the USA with world-renowned coach Rafael Arutyunyan. As previously reported, the coach set strict conditions for Sofia. Her performance at the Kazakhstan Championship demonstrated that working with the American specialist has already begun to yield results. In particular, the president of the Kazakhstan Figure Skating Union, referee Yuri Guskov, positively assessed Samodelkina's progress.

“Sofia Samodelkina has improved after training with Rafael Arutyunyan, and they will continue their collaboration,” Yuri Guskov told Caravan.

The second place among female singles was taken by Zere Sarbalina (Astana), while Sofia Farafonova (Almaty) secured the bronze medal.

In the men's singles tournament, with the absence of the national team's leader, Almaty's Mikhail Shaidorov, the victory went to Dias Zhirenbaev from Astana. The silver medal was claimed by Nikita Krivosheev (Almaty), and Arthur Smagulov (Kyzylorda) finished third.

“Mikhail participated in four tournaments, and after competing in the Grand Prix final, a slight injury made itself known, so he was allowed not to compete in the Kazakhstan Championship. In the new year 2025, Mikhail Shaidorov will participate in the Winter Universiade, followed by the Winter Asian Games, and then the Four Continents Championship and the World Championship,” said Yuri Guskov.

Undoubtedly, the main event of the 2024/25 figure skating season will be the World Championship, which will take place from March 24 to 30, 2025, in Boston, USA. Not only medals will be contested, but also quotas for participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to Yuri Guskov, the Kazakhstan team hopes to secure three Olympic licenses, including two for men's singles and at least one for women's singles.

As for the pairs category, Boysangur Datiev and Gauhar Nauryzova are back in action in ice dance and also intend to pleasantly surprise Kazakhstan and global figure skating fans.

“The Nauryzova-Datiev pair is training in Spain with Dmitry Khaliavin; they have improved and have chances to compete at the Four Continents, having met the qualification standard. The current goal is to achieve the technical standard for participation in the World Championship, and I believe this is achievable,” concluded Yuri Guskov.