Viktoriia Andreevna Safonova (, Belarusian: Вікторыя Сафонава; born 8 May 2003) is a Russian-Belarusian figure skater who currently competes as an Individual Neutral Athlete. She is the 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb silver medalist, the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, the 2020 Ice Star champion, the 2019 Volvo Open Cup champion, and a seven-time Belarusian national champion (2020–26). Viktoriia is capable of landing the Quadruple Loop jump in practice, the only Belarusian woman to do so.
Safonova represented Belarus at the 2022 Winter Olympics and competed as an Individual Neutral Athlete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Personal life Viktoriia Safonova was born on 8 May 2003 in Moscow, Russia.
Career Early career Safonova's first coach was Elena Selivanova. She placed fourteenth at the 2018 Russian Junior Championships and eighth at the 2019 Russian Junior Championships. In addition, Safonova won the 2018 Ice Star while competing for Russia.
2019–2020 season: Debut for Belarus Safonova switched to representing Belarus in August 2019, alongside former Russian national teammates Konstantin Milyukov and Victoria Yatsenko / Daniil Parkman. She placed fourth at a Russian domestic event earlier in the summer, but was not included into the national team. Safonova won the Summer Cup of the Skating Union of Belarus in her domestic debut.
According to International Skating Union rules for switching nationalities, Safonova was required to sit out international competition for a year dating from her last international appearance, ruling her ineligible for Junior Grand Prix events. Coached by Oksana Matveeva, Safonova made her international debut for Belarus at the 2019 Volvo Open Cup, where she won the gold medal ahead of Azerbaijan's Ekaterina Ryabova and Alina Urushadze of Georgia. She then placed seventh at 2019 CS Warsaw Cup. Safonova earned personal bests in all segments to win the silver medal at 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, behind Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia and ahead of Germany's Nicole Schott.
Safonova won the national title in her first attempt at the 2020 Belarusian Championships, ahead of Milana Ramashova and Anastasiya Sidorenko. She then finished fourteenth at the 2020 European Championships. Safonova had been assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but those were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
2020–2021 season Safonova opened her season at the 2020 Ice Star in October, winning gold ahead of Russians Anastasiia Guliakova and Sofia Samodurova. She was assigned to make her Grand Prix debut at the 2020 Rostelecom Cup, placing eighth at the event. Safonova was scheduled to compete at the 2021 World Championships but was forced to withdraw two days before the ladies' short program due to a positive COVID-19 test.
2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics Following the withdrawal from the World Championships, Safonova competed at the beginning of the new season at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, seeking a second opportunity to qualify a berth for Belarus at the 2022 Winter Olympics. She was third in both segments to win the bronze medal, taking the third of six available spots. She went on to place eighth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy and repeat as gold medalist at the Ice Star. She won the gold medal at the 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge. Safonova was invited to compete on the Grand Prix at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup following the withdrawal of Kazakh skater Elizabet Tursynbaeva. She placed seventh at the event.
At the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Safonova finished ninth. Named to the Belarusian team for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Safonova placed seventeenth in the short program of the women's event. Thirteenth in the free skate, she rose to thirteenth overall.
In March 2022, the International Skating Union banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in international competitions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
2025–2026 season: Milano Cortina Olympics
In May 2025, the International Skating Union announced that Safonova had been approved as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), making her eligible to compete at the 2025 ISU Olympic Qualifying Competition to vie for a spot to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She competed at the Skate To Milano competition in Beijing, China, finishing in fourth place and securing herself an Olympic spot.
In November, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially declared Safonova as eligible to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On 17 February, Safonova competed in the women's short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She doubled out on what was intended to be a triple toe on the second part of her planned jump combination. This costly mistake led her to finish in twenty-sixth place, failing to qualify for the event's free skate segment.
Following the Olympics, it was announced that Safonova had left longtime coach, Oksana Matveeva, and was now training under Oleg Vasiliev.
2026–2027 season On June 30, 2026, the International Skating Union announced that figure skaters from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete at international competitions as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs). Each of these skaters are required to undergo an individual assessment conducted by the ISU Council to determine whether they meet the criteria for neutral status. Safonova's application was approved, allowing her to continue competing as a neutral athlete.
Safonova opened the new season at the 2026 Trialeti Trophy, where she placed fifth overall.
Programs Season Short program Free skating Exhibition2026–2027 Serpentby Dwara and Alexander Vincentchoreo. by Sergei Verbillo, Julia Goryunova Yo Viviré 2025–2026 Bésame Mucho 2024–2025 You Don't Own Me Proud 2023–2024 Never Tear Us Apart 2022–2023 Deliciate Your Heart Is as Black as Night Power я искала тебя
My Love 2021–2022 Time to Say Goodbye 2020–2021 Je t'aime Boléro 2019–2020 Welcome to Burlesque
Competitive highlights
Skating as an Individual Neutral Athlete
For Belarus
For Russia
Detailed results For Belarus
Skating as an Individual Neutral Athlete
Skating for Belarus
2024–25 season Date Event SP FS Total 17–18 January 2025 2025 Belarusian Championships 1 69.59 1 132.27 1 201.86 2023–24 season Date Event SP FS Total 16–17 December 2023 2024 Belarusian Championships 1 64.24 1 128.17 1 192.41 2022–23 season Date Event SP FS Total 15–18 December 2022 2022 Belarus Open Championships 1 67.83 1 134.55 1 202.38 2021–22 season Date Event SP FS Total 15–17 February 2022 2022 Winter Olympics 16 61.46 12 123.37 12 184.83 10–16 January 2022 2022 European Championships 8 63.07 8 122.34 9 185.41 16–19 December 2021 2021 Belarus Open Championships 1 69.21 1 131.81 1 201.02 26–28 November 2021 2021 Rostelecom Cup 9 58.19 6 127.45 7 185.64 28–31 October 2021 2021 Denis Ten Memorial 1 66.67 1 123.39 1 190.06 14–18 October 2021 2021 Ice Star 1 68.68 1 129.40 1 198.08 7–10 October 2021 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy 9 64.26 9 123.57 8 187.83 22–25 September 2021 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3 62.02 3 128.27 3 190.29 2020–21 season Date Event SP FS Total 22–28 March 2021 2021 World Championships WD WD WD 11–13 December 2020 2020 Winter Star (Belarusian Championships) 1 67.79 1 126.56 1 194.35 20–22 November 2020 2020 Rostelecom Cup 7 64.25 7 120.32 8 184.57 29 Oct. – 1 Nov. 2020 2020 Ice Star 3 66.56 1 134.10 1 200.66 2019–20 season Date Event SP FS Total 13–16 February 2020 2020 Tallink Hotels Cup 3 62.23 2 114.82 3 177.05 20–26 January 2020 2020 European Championships 20 53.33 13 106.58 14 159.91 14–15 December 2019 2020 Belarusian Championships 2 60.42 1 120.52 1 180.94 4–7 December 2019 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2 64.35 2 128.14 2 192.49 14–17 November 2019 2019 CS Warsaw Cup 7 55.55 7 115.88 7 171.43 5–10 November 2019 2019 Volvo Open Cup 2 64.19 1 117.69 1 181.88
For Russia 2018–19 season Date Event SP FS Total 31 Jan. – 4 Feb. 2019 2019 Russian Junior Championships 8 69.25 9 122.20 8 191.45 18–21 October 2018 2018 Ice Star 1 61.60 1 112.47 1 174.07 2017–18 season 23–26 January 2018 2018 Russian Junior Championships 15 60.40 13 116.94 14 177.34
References
External links
Viktoriia Safonova at Milano Cortina 2026