Darya Popova (; born 29 September 2001) is a Ukrainian ice dancer. With her former skating partner, Volodymyr Byelikov, she is the 2017 Volvo Open Cup silver medalist and 2019 Ukrainian national champion on the senior level. The team has finished within the top twelve at two World Junior Championships (2017, 2018).
Career
Early years Popova began learning to skate in 2005. Early in her career, she skated with Vadym Kravtsov and Volodymyr Nakisko. During the 2015–2016 season, Popova/Nakisko competed at two ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) events and won the bronze medal at the Ukrainian Junior Championships. They were coached by Halyna Churylova and Mariana Kozlova in Kharkiv.
2016–2017 season Popova and Volodymyr Byelikov teamed up in 2016, coached by Halyna Churylova and Mariana Kozlova in Kharkiv. They made their international debut at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic in early September 2016. They placed 8th in Ostrava and 7th at their next JGP assignment, in Tallinn, Estonia. The duo took silver at the senior-level Ukrainian Championship before winning gold at the junior event.
Popova/Byelikov were selected to represent Ukraine at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan; they placed 11th in the short dance, 12th in the free dance, and 12th overall.
2017–2018 season During the 2017 JGP series, Popova/Byelikov placed 6th competing in September in Minsk, Belarus, and 5th in early October in Gdańsk, Poland. Their senior international debut came in November at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia. They won silver at the event, finishing second to Germany's Katharina Müller / Tim Dieck and ahead of Hungary's Anna Yanovskaya / Ádám Lukács.
Continuing on the senior level, Popova/Byelikov placed 9th at the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy, 8th at the Santa Claus Cup, and second at the Ukrainian Championships. They were included in Ukraine's team to the 2018 European Championships, held in January in Moscow, but did not reach the free dance, placing 22nd in the short. In March, they competed at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia (Bulgaria), ranking 9th in the short, 11th in the free, and 11th overall.
2018–2019 season Popova/Byelikov won bronze at their first 2018 Junior Grand Prix event in Lithuania, and then placed fourth in Slovenia. Following that, they competed at the 2018 CS Tallinn Trophy, placing fifth, and won their first Ukrainian national title. After a sixteenth-place finish at the 2019 European Championships, they competed at the 2019 World Junior Championships, placing eleventh.
2019–2020 season Competing in two Challenger events, Popova/Byelikov placed twelfth at the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and tenth at the 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. They won the silver medal at the Ukrainian championships, and competed at a number of minor internationals.
2020–2021 season Beginning the season at the 2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic was attended only by European skaters. They won the bronze medal.
Programs
With Byelikov Season Rhythm dance Free dance 2019–2021 Hopelessly Devoted to You You're the One That I Want Believer I Can't Go On Without You 2018–2019 Larrons en foire Chopin Nocturne Run Short dance 2017–2018 Junior level Salsa en la Calle Casi un Bolero Can, Can, Can
Senior level Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha Can Can Can Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2016–2017 Save My Soul Cinnamon Girls Code Name Vivaldi Adagio Storm
With Nakisko Season Short dance Free dance 2015–2016 Radetzky March Masquerade Waltz Song of Spirits
Competitive highlights CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
With Byelikov International Event 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 European Champ. 22nd 16th Golden Spin 10th Nebelhorn Trophy 12th 3rd Tallinn Trophy 9th 5th Warsaw Cup 7th Mentor Toruń Cup 5th NRW Trophy 2nd Santa Claus Cup 8th Volvo Open Cup 2nd 4th Winter Star 1st International: Junior World Junior Champ. 12th 11th 11th Belarus 6th Czech Republic 8th Estonia 7th Lithuania 3rd Poland 5th Slovenia 4th Jégvirág Cup 1st NRW Trophy 4th National Ukrainian Champ. 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd Ukrainian Junior Champ. 1st 1st J = Junior level
With Nakisko International: Junior Event 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 Austria 13th Croatia 10th NRW Trophy 8th Santa Claus Cup 6th International: Advanced novice NRW Trophy 9th 2nd 4th National Ukrainian Jr. Champ. 3rd J = Junior level
References
External links