Isabella Flores Explained

Isabella Flores (born April 30, 2003) is an American ice dancer. With her current skating partner, Ivan Desyatov, she is the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist.

With her former skating partner, Dimitry Tsarevski, she is the 2021 JGP France II silver medalist, the 2021 JGP Poland silver medalist, and the 2021 U.S. junior national pewter medalist.

Personal life

Flores was born on April 30, 2003, in Wiesbaden, Germany to parents Holly, a financial advisor, and Tony, a consultant, both of whom served in the U.S. Army. She has a younger sister, Olivia, who competes for the U.S. in pair skating.

Flores graduated with honors from Cheyenne Mountain High School in 2021, where she ran varsity cross-country in addition to her ice dance training. As of 2023, she is a student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs majoring in mathematics.

Career

Early years

Flores began learning how to skate in 2009 in Colorado Springs. She trained as a single skater in 2011, when she became inspired to take up ice dance after attending a seminar on the discipline hosted by her current coach, Elena Dostatni. Early in her ice dance career, Flores skated with a number of different partners, including Davis Ortonward from 2013 to 2014, Mikhail Gumba from 2017 to 2018, and British skater Adam Bouaziz from 2019 to 2020. Flores/Bouaziz finished 13th at the 2020 U.S. Junior Championships before splitting in the spring when Bouaziz returned home to the United Kingdom.

Following the end of her partnership with Bouaziz, Flores teamed up with Dimitry Tsarevski in May 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flores/Tsarevski only competed domestically during the 2020–21 season, placing third in the junior ice dance category at a U.S. Figure Skating virtual invitational event and claiming the pewter medal at the 2021 U.S. Junior Championships. Following their podium finish at nationals, Flores stated, "Dima and I are ecstatic that we were able to make the breakthrough." The then-17-year-old also shared hopes for the season ahead, adding, "Ultimately this [their 4th place finish] allows us to set loftier goals for this season such as qualifying for Junior Worlds."

2021–22 season: International junior debut

Flores/Tsarevski received two ISU Junior Grand Prix series assignments in their international debut season as team. They placed second at both of their events, the 2021 JGP France II and the 2021 JGP Poland, and were named as second alternates for the ultimately cancelled 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final. The duo competed once more ahead of the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, taking the junior ice dance title at another domestic invitational event in November.

Flores/Tsarevski were slated to competed at the U.S. national championships in early January 2022. However, Flores unexpectedly lost contact with Tsarevski in late December 2021, citing Christmas Day as the last time she'd been able to reach him. In a final update on the situation posted to her Instagram account on February 3, 2022, Flores stated that while she still had not heard from Tsarevski, she'd decided to accept the apparent end of their partnership and begin considering other options to continue her ice dance career. While further details regarding Tsarevski's circumstances during late 2021 and early 2022 have never been made public, the skater did return to competition in 2023 with a new partner, Katarina Wolfkostin.

2022–23 season: Debut of Flores/Desyatov

Flores traveled abroad for two months at the beginning of 2022 in search of a new partner, but ultimately, her efforts were unsuccessful. She returned to her home rink in Colorado where she met her now partner Ivan Desyatov, who'd made the decision to relocate to the United States from Belarus in search of a partner of his own during the time she'd been away. The two skaters tried out and skated together for several months before officially committing to a partnership, having both recently gone through major periods of transition. Flores/Desyatov confirmed their partnership for the U.S. in June 2022.

Flores/Desyatov were initially unable to compete internationally for the U.S. as Desyatov was still awaiting release from the Skating Union of Belarus. They qualified to the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships by placing second in the senior ice dance category at the 2023 Eastern Sectional Championships. Flores/Desyatov finished 10th at the U.S. Championships in late January 2023.

Negotiations for Desyatov's release from Belarus began at the end of the 2022–23 season. The process proved more complicated and financially burdensome than the team initially expected, as the Belarusian federation requested US$25,000 in restitution for Desyatov's training expenses incurred during the season prior. Flores and Desyatov were able to crowdfund the majority of the cost requested, and Flores announced their success in securing Desyatov's release on July 16, 2023.

2023–24 season

Flores/Desyatov opened their season late, debuting on the ISU Challenger Series at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb in early December. They placed third in the rhythm dance and climbed to second in the free dance, ultimately finishing third overall behind Lithuanian champions Allison Reed / Saulius Ambrulevičius and American compatriots Emilea Zingas / Vadym Kolesnik. The pair also competed in the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships where they finished seventh and received a standing ovation for their free dance.

Programs

With Desyatov

Season	Short program	Free skating
2023–2024	Pour Some Sugar on Me When Doves Cry	I Feel Pretty Maria Tonight
2022–2023	El Tiburón '03 Bonnie & Clyde	I Love You – Acoustic Solas

With Tsarevski

Season	Short program	Free skating
2021–2022	Oh, What a Night for Dancing Perm	Nuvole Bianche Earth Song
2020–2021	I'd Rather Be Blue Don't Rain on My Parade	Tangomania Oblivion

Competitive highlights

CS: Challenger Series, JGP: Junior Grand Prix, USCS: U.S. Championship Series

With Desyatov

International
Event	22–23	23–24	24–25
align=left			bgcolor=cc9966	3rd
align=left			bgcolor=silver	2nd
align=left	Lake Placid IDI			5th
National
align=left		10th	7th
align=left	U.S. Ice Dance Final	bgcolor=silver	2nd	bgcolor=silver	2nd

With Tsarevski

International: Junior
Event	20–21	21–22
align=left			bgcolor=silver	2nd
align=left			bgcolor=silver	2nd
align=left			bgcolor=gold	1st
National
align=left		bgcolor=d1c571	4th J	WD

With Bouaziz

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National
Event	19–20
align=left		13th J
align=left	U.S. Ice Dance Final	13th J
Levels: J = Junior