Sofiia Dovhal

Sofiia Dovhal (Ukrainian: Софія Довгаль, Polish: Sofia Dowhal, born 8 December 2006), nicknamed Sonia,^[1] is a Ukrainian-Polish ice dancer who currently competes for Poland with Wiktor Kulesza. Together, they are two-time Polish national champions (2025–2026) and the 2025 Maria Olszewska Memorial silver medalists. At the junior level, they are two-time Polish junior national champions (2023–24).

In addition, the team represented Poland at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Dovhal was born on December 8, 2006, in Odessa, Ukraine.^[2] She has an older brother.^[3] In addition, Dovhal is able to speak Russian and Polish.^[1][4]

In 2019, she moved to Toruń, Poland at the age of twelve.^[1] In 2024, she enrolled at the Halina Konopacka University of Physical Education and Tourism.^[1][5]

In December 2024, she became a Polish citizen.^[6]

In 2012, Dovhal's parents first signed her up for figure skating when she was five years old after doctors recommended that Dovhal start breathing in more cold air as a means to improve her health.^[1][7] She began competing as an ice dancer in 2016 after teaming up with Ivan Kachur for the duration of the 2016–17 season.^[8][9] She then teamed up and competed with Ivan Melnyk the following season before they parted ways in early 2019.^[10]

During the summer of 2019, Dovhal met partnerless Polish ice dancer, Wiktor Kulesza, during a training camp in Cetniewo, Władysławowo, Poland. At the encouragement of Kulesza's coach, Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka, the duo decided to team up and represent Poland under the guidance of Nowak-Trębacka at the MKS Axel Toruń Skating Club in Toruń.^[1]

The team officially debuted at the 2021 Four National Championships, where they won the bronze medal on the junior level.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza opened their season by making their junior international debut at 2021 JGP Poland. They followed this up by finishing seventh at the 2021 Mezzaluna Cup before closing their season with a fifth-place finish at the 2021 Victor Petrenko Cup.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza started their season by competing on the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix series, finishing fourteenth at both 2022 JGP Poland I and 2022 JGP Poland II. They then continued to compete on the international junior level, winning gold at the 2022 Budapest Trophy, finishing sixth at the 2022 NRW Trophy, and winning silver at the 2022 Bosphorus Cup.^[11]

In December, Dovhal/Kulesza won the silver medal on the junior level at the 2023 Four National Championships. They went on to compete 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, finishing in twenty-third place.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza began their season by competing on the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix series, finishing seventh at 2023 JGP Turkey and ninth at 2022 JGP Poland. Going on to continue competing at the junior level, they won the silver medal at the 2023 Budapest Trophy and placed fifth at the 2023 Mezzaluna Cup.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza then made their senior international debut by competing on the 2023–24 Challenger Series, finishing seventh at the 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and twelfth at the 2023 CS Warsaw Cup. They followed up these results by placing seventh at the 2023 Bosphorus Cup.^[11]

In December, Dovhal/Kulesza competed on the senior level at the 2024 Four National Championships, where they finished sixth overall. The following month, they made their senior championship debut at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, finishing in twenty-sixth place overall. One week later, Dovhal/Kulesza won the gold medal at the 2024 Polish Junior Championships and the week after that, finished fourth at the 2024 Ephesus Cup on the senior level.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza ultimately closed the season with a nineteenth-place finish at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.^[11]

Prior to the season, Dovhal/Kulesza moved their training location to Bydgoszcz to train at the ICEskatERA Torbyd Ice Rink.^[12][13]

Dovhal/Kulesza started their season by competing on the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix series, finishing ninth at 2024 JGP Latvia and fifth at 2024 JGP Poland. They then competed on the senior level, finishing fifth at the 2024 Denkova-Staviski Cup, thirteenth at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy, thirteenth at the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup, and ninth at the 2024 Bosphorus Cup.^[11]

In December, Dovhal/Kulesza finished sixth at the 2025 Four National Championships. The following month, they competed at the 2025 Winter World University Games and the 2025 European Championships, finishing eleventh and twenty-fourth, respectively. They subsequently followed up these results by winning silver at the 2025 Maria Olszewska Memorial.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza then finished the season by making their World Championship debut in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, placing thirty-fourth overall.^[11]

Dovhal/Kulesza opened their season with a fourteenth-place finish at the ISU Skate to Milano. They subsequently went on to finish eleventh at the 2025 CS Trialeti Trophy, seventh at the 2025 Denkova-Staviski Cup, seventeenth at the 2025 CS Warsaw Cup, and twelfth at the 2025 Bosphorus Cup.^[11]

In December, Dovhal/Kulesza finished fourth at the 2026 Four National Championships. The following month, the team finished in twenty-fifth place at the 2026 European Championships in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.^[11]

Less than two weeks before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Winter Sports Association of Uzbekistan had reliquinshed their sole Olympic pair skating spot. This, in turn, allowed the Polish Figure Skating Association to use two additional athlete quotas in order to complete a team for Poland for the upcoming Olympic Figure Skating Team Event. Dovhal/Kulesza were ultimately granted those quotas.^[14][15][13]

On 6 February, Dovhal/Kulesza competed in the rhythm dance segment of the 2026 Winter Olympic Figure Skating Team Event. They placed tenth and scored a personal best. "I really, really had such powerful emotions at the end of the skate," said Dovhal following their performance. "It honestly feels like a dream come true. My emotions were so big. I’m so thankful to every coach, to my partner, and to all the friends who supported us. It’s a really beautiful moment that we shared together."

The following week, the team finished fifth at the 2026 Finnish Ice Dance Open.^[11]

• Sofiia Dovhal & Wiktor Kulesza at the International Skating Union
• Sofiia Dovhal & Wiktor Kulesza at Skating Scores
• Sofiia Dovhal at Milano Cortina 2026
• Sofiia Dovhal at Olympics.com
• Sofiia Dovhal at Olympedia
• Sofiia Dovhal on Instagram