Sofia Samodelkina
If someone had told Sofia Samodelkina a few years ago that she’d be preparing for the upcoming Olympic season in California under the guidance of legendary Rafael Arutyunyan, she probably would have laughed. Back then, she was still a junior skater in Russia, consistently landing quads and a triple Axel, with no reason to imagine any major changes ahead.
Yet here she is in 2025, training in the United States, representing Kazakhstan, and chasing her first Olympic Games. And she’s hungry. The 18-year-old secured her ticket to Milano-Cortina 2026 at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, but it is this season that may truly define her place among the sport’s elite.
New Flag, New Dream
The Kazakh national champion started her season early, and the Cranberry Cup Challenger in Boston did not disappoint. A silver medal and a clear signal: she wants more.
“It was an amazing competition,” Sofia recalled. “I’m proud I could pull myself together, especially since we decided to compete at the very last minute. Originally, I planned to open the season in Kazakhstan at the Denis Ten Memorial. But it was my coach’s idea, and I’m truly grateful. At first, I was a little shocked—I felt unprepared. Yet when a legend like Rafael Arutyunyan believes in you, it gives you wings. Suddenly, all the doubts just disappear.”
The only challenge? She hadn’t skated her new programs enough times: just five full run-throughs for the short program and a few more for the free. And her costumes weren’t ready neither.
“I just stopped by a ballet shop in Los Angeles and bought two simple, yet elegant outfits,” she shared. “The one for the short program turned out really nice, so I’m even thinking of keeping this design for a new dress.”
It was a new kind of experience for her: Samodelkina was on her own at the competition, yet she still looked genuinely happy in the “Kiss and Cry.”
“My coaches couldn’t be there, and my mom and I decided that I would handle everything by myself,” she recalled. “It turned out I was fully capable of getting myself ready. The whole experience ended up being incredibly valuable.”
Naturally, she brought her new flag with her.
“I had a feeling I might make it to the podium and wanted to be prepared,” Samodelkina recalled with a smile. “Funny enough, one of my fans actually came all the way to Boston to see me. He brought a flag too, just in case, but I like to have things under my own control.”
Samodelkina doesn’t hesitate to thank others for their help, either.
“I’m truly grateful to my fans and to my federation,” she said. “Right after our last-minute decision to go to Boston, they organized my travel itinerary incredibly quickly. I can always reach out to them, and I feel they genuinely care—they even watch me compete when it’s the middle of the night in Kazakhstan.”
“The Cranberry Cup results made me really happy, not just for the medal itself,” she added. “It was proof that we’re moving in the right direction. We just need patience and hard work, and the results will follow.”
California Calling
But what brought Samodelkina to California? It was an urge for change; a desire to challenge herself in a new environment.
“Actually, this is already my second season in the U.S.,” she explained. “Last fall, after my Junior Grand Prix events, our federation reached out to Rafael. ”
All they asked was for a chance to come and train for a few weeks. So it all started small. Samodelkina admits it was a huge change for her; that everything felt so different.
“The rink, the practices, the atmosphere, and even the fact that you can’t get by in the states without a car…I had to adapt to everything,” she recalled.
After her first tryout, it became clear to Samodelkina that Great Park Ice was exactly the environment she needed to succeed. She had no doubt that Arutyunyan was the coach who could help relaunch her career—someone who could guide her now with her grown body and matured mindset.
She started coming back to California from all the tournaments she participated in. She would do a couple of weeks of training and then go back on the road again.
It was after Christmas that Samodelkina realized she needed to stay in California for good. Following a short break after the Worlds in Boston, she returned and made the move permanent.
“For me, it means the world,” she said. “Rafael believed I could transform my attitude, strengthen my mental approach, and he recognized how ready I was for non-stop work. I followed everything he said: extra ice sessions, more focused off-ice training. I even read all his interviews, looking for hidden messages that might guide me. Knowing that someone of his experience has that kind of faith in me—it’s incredibly motivating!”
“I learned so much, even going back over some of the basics,” she continued. “It turns out my flip was built on the wrong technique. For some reason, I was always jumping it with my right hand forward. Rafael corrected it, and suddenly everything felt so much easier.”
The Quad Loop Quest
Arutyunyan worked on all of Samodelkina’s jumps—not just the flip.
“Double Axel, we changed it a lot, and there’s still room for improvement,” she explained. “The Salchow was probably one of the least problematic, though it still needed some fine-tuning. Once I realized my technique wasn’t ideal, I started working on my jumps like crazy—Lutz, loop, all of them. I understood that if I want to land decent quads, I first need to get all my triples right. Otherwise, my quads will be shaky no matter how hard I try.”
So just how serious is Samodelkina and her team about quads?
“This is the plan,” she shared. “I want a solid triple Axel in the short program and one quad—probably the loop—in the free. Of course, it depends on my health, but so far, I haven’t seen any major problems. I’m extremely motivated to get them back.”
Why the loop?
“Not only because it hasn’t been landed (ratified) by a woman in senior competition yet, but also because it’s a very comfortable jump for me,” she explained. “It’s the first jump I do in every practice. Plus, I already successfully landed a quad loop back in juniors, three or four years ago, so I know it’s possible.”
Choreography and Star Quality
Arutyunyan isn’t the only coach shaping Samodelkina’s season. She also works closely with Vera Arutyunyan and Nadezhda Kanaeva, who focus on her skating skills and refine her programs. And then there are the choreographers who brought this season’s routines to life. Her short program was crafted by Shae-Lynn Bourne, an experience that the skater had been looking forward to.
“I had no idea what music I wanted to skate to,” Samodelkina admitted. “All I knew was that I didn’t want to keep any of my old programs. I wanted something interesting, something charismatic.”
Eventually, she discovered “Czardas,” a Hungarian folk dance. At first, she tried a slow version.
“It was beautiful, very soft, but I felt the program needed accents and development,” she recalled. “So, I switched to a more energetic version. It was so fast that I actually remember sitting in the car, listening to it for the first time, seriously doubting if I could maintain that tempo on the ice. But I knew it was the right music. I had never skated to anything like it before, and it would give me a chance to showcase other sides of my skating. I also wanted to connect with the crowd, and this piece felt perfect for that.”
Her teammate, Andrew Torgashev, who trains in the same California group, was one of her first supporters.
“He encouraged me from the very first time I played it on the ice,” said Samodelkina with a smile. “He said ‘Go for it, it would make a great program!’ These words helped a lot.”
Samodelkina described working with Bourne as both inspiring and demanding.
“A lot of work went into the accents and small details—that was new for me,” she admitted. “Working with Shae-Lynn was always a dream. I had seen so many of her programs and was always a fan. I never imagined I would work with her one day, so when Rafael suggested it, I was over the moon! Every minute on the ice with her is a creative experience. Her every move is so exquisite and complete; I couldn’t take my eyes off her.”
After a week of choreographing the program, they still meet occasionally to polish and fine-tune every detail.
Samodelkina’s free skate was choreographed by Joey Russell.
“That was Rafael’s idea,” she said. “He told me how much he liked Russell’s programs, so we decided to go for it.”
Russell came to California in June, and together they spent nearly a week building the routine.
“I really enjoy telling a story on the ice, so I was leaning toward character-based music,” Samodelkina explained. “When he suggested the Sunset Boulevard soundtrack, I was excited right away. I only asked for the music cuts to feel more powerful—especially toward the end of the program, since there were some big combos.”
Russell also shared with the skater the story behind Sunset Boulevard, and now she dreams of seeing the stage production in New York.
“Both programs were my first experience working with English-speaking choreographers,” Samodelkina pointed out. “You can’t imagine how nervous I was at first—what if I didn’t understand what they wanted from me? But it all worked out, and it was so much fun to collaborate with them! It was a bit challenging in the beginning, but I really enjoyed every moment of it.”
An Untimely Setback
Samodelkina’s next event was meant to be the home Denis Ten Memorial—a Challenger Series event—but an unexpected injury intervened.
“I had a minor knee injury. I twisted my leg during practice,” she explained. “It was probably because we had just started working on the triple Axel, and I rushed a bit into it.”
The setback was disappointing.
“It makes me really sad because I was looking forward to this event so much,” said the skater. “It’s always a great competition, but more importantly, it’s a chance to pay tribute to the incredible skater Denis was. It also means a lot for the development of figure skating in Kazakhstan, so I really wish I could have competed there.”
When asked about her goals for the season, Samodelkina focuses on the fundamentals.
“I want to show correct jump technique and skate all the choreography my programs are built on,” she said.
“The higher, the better,” she laughed when asked about obtaining any particular scores. Samodelkina admits she needs to work more on her components as they have a big impact on her overall scores.
Another goal for the season is to start giving all interviews in English.
“I’m happy that my English has improved,” she said. “I’ve been working with a tutor, and it’s really important to me.”
Sacrifice and a Mother’s Support
Samodelkina still lives in a hotel room in California with her mom.
“It’s very basic,” she said. “It has two beds, a closet and a table. We cook in the same room. Yes, it’s not exactly the place you invite your friends over to, but I am absolutely fine with it. I know why I am here and living conditions do not matter much.”
The past year would have been hard to imagine without her mother’s help.
“My mom is incredible!” said Samodelkina. “She is such an invaluable help for me—she takes care of so much! While I can travel to competitions on my own, all the everyday things and the paperwork—that’s on her. I don’t drive yet, so she takes me to the rink. She’s also a physiotherapist, so in the evenings after practice she often takes care of my recovery.”
Samodelkina’s younger sister, who lives in Kazakhstan, is 15 and already a member of the national fencing team. She even holds a national title in her age group.
“I miss her a lot,” Samodelkina admitted. “After Worlds, we spent some really good quality time together in Almaty.”
Samodelkina hopes to continue skating for a while as it still feels new for her. During her junior days, the plan was to finish after her first Olympics. Back then, she thought skating was all about challenges. Now, she feels something has changed.
“I like journaling, and I write a lot of notes to myself,” she revealed. “It feels like I’ve started a new chapter in my life. Of course, I treasure many memories from my skating career in Russia. There were medals and great competitions, but now I feel I’ve matured and grown. I’d love to skate for another five years, if my health allows. I’m excited about what the future will bring.”
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