Here is the translation of the article on the official website of the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation on April 12
https://www.ukrfsf.org.ua/2026/04/1...o-poshuk-novyh-talantiv-popry-neprosti-umovy/
Danil Amirkhanov: "We do not stop searching for new talents despite the challenging conditions".
April 12, 2026
The Ukrainian Figure Skating Championships, held at the Liodohrai Arena in Bohuslav, Kyiv region, were primarily highlighted by Kyrylo Marsak’s brilliant victory, the crowning of a new women's champion, and a "rival-free" competition in pair skating.
Following the conclusion of the event, Danil Amirkhanov, President of the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation (UFSF), commented on the results.
Men's Single Skating
"Not only the national championships but other events this season have shown that a new, bright leader has emerged in domestic figure skating. Kyrylo Marsak has progressed right before our eyes, from one competition to the next, and currently holds the best results in Ukrainian men's single skating in the last twenty years. In a relatively short time, he has mastered quadruple jumps—the Salchow and the Lutz. He is now working on others, realizing that success cannot be achieved without high-quality 'ultra-c' elements. It seems that over the past year, Kyrylo has re-evaluated everything: his goals and objectives in figure skating, his approach to training, and his outlook on life… As a result, this year we saw a world-class competitor on the ice with his own style, charisma, and unique program presentation. Notably, after a grueling Olympic season, Kyrylo did not allow himself to relax at the Ukrainian Championships and performed his programs with 100% commitment.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the other participants in this discipline. Both Ivan Shmuratko and Vadym Novikov failed to show the necessary fighting spirit and proved to be insufficiently prepared, primarily in technical terms. In the skating of Ivan, who held the lead in our men's single skating for several years, we have seen no progress in technical elements lately, and it is also noticeable that his skating speed has dropped. As for Vadym, he also needs to put in significant effort to reach a new level, particularly in learning multi-revolution jumps. He has potential; I know he is currently training a quadruple jump."
Women's Singles
"Women's singles is where we face the most problems, and practically all of them were evident at the Ukrainian Championship. The participants demonstrated a frankly low level of skating. Suffice it to say that many took to the ice with single jumps, which is simply unacceptable! Due to an inability to perform triple jumps, Sofia Hryhorenko lost her champion title, while medalists Taisiia Spesyvtseva and Yelyzaveta Babenko looked weak. Sofia Ekzarkhova, who became the winner, had slightly fewer mistakes, but overall, it must be admitted that the picture in this discipline is currently quite bleak. At the same time, we hope the situation will gradually change thanks to the intensive implementation of a talent search program. Ultimately, we haven't stopped it despite the difficult conditions—throughout the season, we hold multi-stage All-Ukrainian competitions for young skaters and championships in younger age categories. This means the calendar is quite dense, and in other disciplines, this is bringing significant results. However, the personal responsibility of athletes who enter the most important international and national starts cannot be ignored. Obviously, work is needed here, particularly on the psychological approach to training and competitions. Moreover, a group of participants from the Ukrainian Championship will still join the national team, which carries a different level of obligation. This leads to another important point: no results, no funding. The Federation cannot take on more than it is capable of. That is, we cover expenses that, for various reasons, do not receive state funding. Suffice it to say that this year, our figure skaters participated in over 40 sporting events. This is a large-scale, multi-faceted organizational effort provided mostly by the Federation."
Pair Skating
"Currently, Ukraine has one pair competing at the senior level in whom we believe: Sofia Holichenko and Artem Darenskyi. They had a difficult season, performing somewhat inconsistently and with lower results than last year. There were objective reasons for this—primarily Sofia's lengthy injury treatment, which prevented full preparation for competitions. Furthermore, let’s not forget that the athletes live and train in Dnipro and, so to speak, experience the hardships of war firsthand. At the Ukrainian Championship, not everything went as planned; it was noticeable that they need to 'tighten up' their choreography, work on performance skills, and perhaps correct some technical moments. However, Sofia and Artem are an experienced pair, and I am confident they will fix these shortcomings by next season. These athletes command respect because they constantly strive to improve technically, complicate their programs, and move forward.
I would like to wish all our figure skaters effective preparation for the next season and hope they please Ukraine with gratifying results."
, but nice to see such a wide range of events, with so many entered in adult categories 
!
