Veronika Zhilina
Zhilina at the 2020 Russian Figure Skating Cup | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Вероника Жилина |
| Full name | Veronika Zhilina |
| Born | 15 May 2008 |
| Home town | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 142 cm (4 ft 8 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | Russia |
| Coach | Evgeni Plushenko, Ludmila Alferova |
| Skating club | Figure Skating Academy of Evgeni Plushenko |
| Began skating | 2011 |
Veronika Zhilina (Russian: Вероника Жилина) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 JGP Slovakia champion, the 2023 Russian junior Grand Prix Final champion and the 2023 Russian junior national silver medalist.[1]
She has performed quadruple jumps in competition.[2]
Personal life
Veronika was born in Arkhangelsk, Russia on 15 May 2008.[2]
Career
Early career
Zhilina began skating at 3 years of age. She has previously trained at Sambo 70 with Eteri Tutberidze, Sergei Dudakov and Sergei Rozanov.[2]
2021–2022 season: International debut
Zhilina debuted on the Junior Grand Prix circuit in 2021 in Kosice, Slovakia where she won the gold medal in-front of Sofia Muravieva and Adeliia Petrosian.[3] Subsequently, she went onto finish 12th at Russian junior nationals after falling from 4th to 16th after the free skate segment.[1]
In early March 2022, the ISU banned all figure skaters and officials from Russia and Belarus from competing in international competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February.[4]
2022–2023 season: Russian Grand Prix final champion
Veronika finished 2nd place at 2023 Russian junior nationals - rising from 9th place after the short program, to 1st in the free skate.[1] She went onto win the 2023 Russian Grand Prix Final.[1]
2024-present: Request to represent Azerbaijan
Veronika took two competitive seasons off (2023–24, 2024–25) to undergo severe spinal surgery to recover from an injury. She was excluded from the Russian national team during this time period.[5]
In May 2025, she obtained Azerbaijani citizenship and passport with hopes to represent the country internationally in the 2025–26 season. In July 2025, the ISU and Russian Figure Skating Federation denied her transfer, citing her continued status as a national team member.[6]
As of March 2026, she has returned to training[7] and began to restore her jumps and jump combinations with hopes of her transfer being approved.[6][8]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skate program |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | N/a | "Smooth Criminal" – by Michael Jackson |
| 2018-19 | "Chandelier" – by Sia | "Once Upon a December" – by Liz Callaway |
| 2019-20 | "Once Upon a December" – by Liz Callaway | "Chandelier" "Elastic Heart" – by Sia |
| 2020-21 | "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" – by Emily Browning | "Камиль Сен-Санс" – by Самсон и Далила |
| 2021-22 | "Seven Nation Army" – by The White Stripes | "Love Story" – by LoLa, Hauser |
Competitive highlights
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 216.92 | 2021 JGP Slovakia |
| Short program | TSS | 71.57 | 2021 JGP Slovakia |
| TES | 40.51 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | |
| PCS | 31.06 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | |
| Free skating | TSS | 145.35 | 2021 JGP Slovakia |
| TES | 83.43 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | |
| PCS | 62.92 | 2021 JGP Slovakia |
| Season | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Championships | 12th | 12th | 2nd |
| Russian Grand Prix Final | 8th | 4th | 1st |
| Russian GP Stage 2 | 1st | ||
| Russian GP Stage 4 | 2nd | 1st | |
| Russian GP Stage 5 | 2nd | ||
| JGP Slovakia | 1st |
References
- ^ a b c d "Skating Scores: Latest Figure Skating Results, Scores, Rankings & Statistics". skatingscores.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ a b c "Veronika ZHILINA - International Skating Union". isu-skating.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "- Junior Women". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "Why Russia Is Not Competing in the 2026 Olympics". The Pacifican. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.[self-published]
- ^ a b "The ISU Council has denied Veronika Zhilina's application for Azerbaijani sports citizenship". FS Gossips - blog about figure skating. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.