Angela Nikodinov (; born May 9, 1980), is a Bulgarian-American former figure skater. She was the 2000 Four Continents champion and won four medals on the Grand Prix series, including gold at the 2004 Skate America.
Personal life Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Angela Nikodinov moved with her family to southern California when she was a child. She was raised in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrants and speaks Bulgarian fluently.
Nikodinov and Bulgarian figure skater Ivan Dinev were married in July 2008. Their daughter, Audriana, was born in May 2012.
Career Competitive Nikodinov began skating at about the age of five. She trained in Lake Arrowhead, California.
Nikodinov won the bronze medal at the 1999 U.S. Championships. She was sent to the 1999 Four Continents Championships, where she won bronze, and the 1999 World Championships, finishing 12th in her debut.
Nikodinov trained in Detroit during the 1999-2000 season. She finished 4th at the 2000 U.S. Championships and won gold at the 2000 Four Continents. Originally an alternate for the 2000 Worlds, she received the assignment after Sasha Cohen finished 6th at Junior Worlds and thus failed to meet the requirement for an age loophole. Nikodinov finished 9th at the event.
Nikodinov moved back to California in fall 2000 due to homesickness. She withdrew from the 2001 Goodwill Games due to blurred vision in her left eye caused by viral conjunctivitis. Her coach, Elena Tcherkasskaia, with whom she was very close, died of pancreatic cancer in November 2001. Nikodinov won bronze at the 2001 U.S. Championships and silver at the 2001 Four Continents. She placed 5th in her third appearance at the World Championships.
Nikodinov missed the entire 2002-03 season. She dislocated her shoulder in February 2002 and again in September, and then had a virus which sapped her strength. She withdrew from the U.S. Championships after the short program. She had shoulder surgery in February 2003 and was off the ice for seven months. After missing two Grand Prix seasons, Nikodinov returned to win the 2004 Skate America.
While in Portland, Oregon, for the 2005 U.S. National Championships, she and her family were involved in a car accident that killed her mother. Nikodinov did not return to competition following the accident.
During her career, her coaches included John Nicks, Peter Oppegard, Frank Carroll, Elena Tcherkasskaia, Richard Callaghan. Her choreographers included Anastasiya Sharenkova, Lori Nichol, and Nikolai Morozov.
Post-competitive Nikodinov coached Bulgarian figure skater Ivan Dinev in the 2005-06 season. In 2014, she was the skating director at the Skating Edge in Harbor City, California and coaches alongside Dinev. She occasionally skates in shows and was a guest skater on the Stars on Ice tour. The pairs team of Bianca Butler / Joseph Jacobsen and Tenile Victorsen are among her and Dinev's former students that have qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the senior level. The couple previously coached Kaitlyn Nguyen, who won the 2017 U.S. junior ladies' title. Dinev and Nikodinov coached together in Harbor City, California. Together, they coached Kaitlyn Nguyen, who won the 2017 U.S. junior ladies' title. They now coach at The Rinks-Lakewood ICE as part of the LA Elite Ice group in Lakewood, California, alongside Derrick Delmore.
Programs Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2004–05 Moonlight Sonata Romeo and Juliet: Overture 2003–04 Just for You Giselle Her Gypsy Heart 2002–03 Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun 2001–02 No One Gives Up on Love Giselle 2000–01 Serenity The Sleeping Beauty 1999–2000 Nuages gris Waltz No. 2 The Mummy Dust in the Wind
O Holy Night 1998–99 The Lark Ascending Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini My Heart Will Go On 1997–98 American Suite Donna Juanita Bohemian Woods & Fields Cinderella Spice Up Your Life 1996–97 Themes from Broadway 1995–96 Fantasy
Results GP: Grand Prix
International Event 96–97 97–98 98–99 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05 Worlds 12th 9th 5th Four Continents 3rd 1st 2nd 7th Cup of China 8th Cup of Russia 4th 3rd NHK Trophy WD 4th 4th Skate America 4th 3rd 7th 5th 1st Sparkassen 3rd Goodwill Games 4th WD Finlandia Trophy 11th Nepela Memorial 3rd Blue Swords 2nd International: Junior Junior Worlds 11th National U.S. Champ. 8th 4th 5th 3rd 4th 3rd 4th WD 5th WD
References
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