Dmitry Epstein (born 10 August 1993) is a Dutch pair skater. He has won four senior international medals with his skating partner, Nika Osipova.
Earlier in his career, he skated with his twin sister, Rachel. The two competed at three consecutive World Junior Championships.
Personal life Dmitry Epstein and his twin sister, Rachel, were born on 10 August 1993 in Enschede, Netherlands.
Career
Early years Epstein began learning to skate in 2003. Early in his career, he skated in partnership with his twin sister, Rachel. The two competed in novice pairs during the 2008–09 season and moved up to juniors the following season. They represented the Netherlands at three consecutive World Junior Championships (2011, 2012, and 2013).
The Epstein twins trained in Zoetermeer, Netherlands; Stavanger, Norway; and Moscow, Russia. Their coaches included Alexander Artyshenko, Arina Ushakova, Pavel Kitashev, Zsolt Kerekes, Dmitri Boyenko, Aneta Kowalska, and Chris Laheij.
Beginning with the 2018–19 season, Epstein skated two seasons with Finland's Liubov Efimenko for the Netherlands. In February 2019, making their international debut, they finished seventh at the Bavarian Open and fourth at the International Challenge Cup. In September, they placed eleventh at the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. The two were coached by Dmitri Kaplun in The Hague.
2020–21 season Epstein teamed up with Russia's Nika Osipova after contacting her via a website, IcePartnerSearch. He said, "It was in the middle of the pandemic, so we couldn't meet or try out together on the ice if it would work. We wanted to lose as little time as possible, so as soon as traveling became possible again, she immediately came to The Hague. We immediately started skating together and since then she has stayed in the Netherlands."
Osipova/Epstein decided to represent the Netherlands. In February 2021, they placed sixth at the International Challenge Cup, their sole international event that season.
2021–22 season In October, Osipova/Epstein placed 15th at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy. In November, they were second of two pairs at the NRW Trophy. They won bronze at the Bavarian Open in January 2022 and at the International Challenge Cup in February.
2022–23 season Epstein continued to be affected by lung problems related to long COVID, having first developed the disease two years earlier.
In November 2022, Osipova/Epstein won silver at the Ice Challenge in Austria. Later that month, they competed at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, to which they were invited a couple of weeks before the event. Making their Grand Prix debut, they placed fifth in Finland.
Osipova/Epstein edged out Daria Danilova / Michel Tsiba to claim the Netherlands' only pair skating berth at the 2023 European Championships.
Programs
With Nika Osipova Season Short program Free skating 2022–2023 Exit Music (For a Film) Prelude (Age of Heroes) 2021–2022 Seven Nation Army
With Liubov Efimenko Season Short program Free skating 2019–2020 Oops!... I Did It Again ...Baby One More Time Stand by Me Say Something Golden Brush 2018–2019
With Rachel Epstein Season Short program Free skating 2012–2013 Highway to Hell The Lion King 2011–2012 Rumba Claro de Luna Capone 2010–2011 Bolero
Competitive highlights GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
Pairs with Nika Osipova International Event 20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24 Worlds 20th Europeans 8th Finland 6th Skate America WD Finlandia Trophy 15th WD Lombardia Trophy WD Nebelhorn Trophy 9th WD Golden Spin WD 4th Bavarian Open 3rd Challenge Cup 6th 3rd 3rd Ice Challenge 2nd Lombardia 4th NRW Trophy 2nd National Netherlands 1st 2nd 1st TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled
Pairs with Liubov Efimenko International Event 2018–19 2019–20 Nebelhorn Trophy 11th Bavarian Open 7th Challenge Cup 4th National Netherlands 1st
Pairs with Rachel Epstein International: Junior Event 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 Junior Worlds 17th 17th 16th Austria 18th Estonia 12th Germany WD Bavarian Open 1st Challenge Cup 4th Ice Challenge 1st NRW Trophy 5th 1st 4th 7th Warsaw Cup 8th National Netherlands 1st J 1st J 1st J
References
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