Sofja Stepčenko Explained

Sofja Stepčenko
Birth Date:21 December 2006
Birth Place:Riga, Latvia
Coach:Stéphane Lambiel
Angelo Dolfini
Giulia Isceri
Gerli Liinamäe
Formercoach:Olga Kovalkova
Skating Club:Kristal Ice
Currenttraininglocations:Champery, Switzerland
Formertraininglocations:Riga, Latvia
Beganskating:2010
Combined Total:159.34
Combined Date:2023 Europeans
Sp Score:58.87
Sp Date:2023 Worlds
Fs Score:104.02
Fs Date:2023 Europeans

Sofja Stepčenko (born 21 December 2006) is a Latvian figure skater. She is a two-time Latvian national champion (2022-23) and 2023 Volvo Open Cup champion. She placed eleventh at the 2023 European Championships.

Career

Early years

Stepčenko competed in the advanced novice category for two seasons and then moved up to the junior ranks. She made her ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in September 2021.

2022–23 season

Stepčenko began her season on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing twenty-first at the 2022 JGP France and twelfth at the 2022 JGP Latvia. In November, making her senior international debut, she placed fourth at the Volvo Open Cup and seventh at the Tallinn Trophy. Her first senior international medal, gold, came in December 2022 at the Latvia Trophy. The second-best Latvian woman at the event was Angelīna Kučvaļska, who finished in fifth place.

Stepčenko was nominated to represent Latvia at the 2023 European Championships, which took place in January in Helsinki, Finland. Ranked fourteenth in the short program, she qualified to the free skate and climbed to eleventh overall. This was the best European result by a Latvian woman since Angelina Kučvaļska's fourth place at the 2016 edition. Stepčenko came twenty-third at the 2023 World Championships.

2023–24 season

Stepčenko started the season by competing on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixth at the 2023 JGP Turkey. She went on to compete on the senior international level as well, winning the 2023 Jelgava Cup and placing twelfth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.

Appearing again on the Junior Grand Prix, Stepčenko finished tenth at the 2023 JGP Armenia. Her next event was the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy, where she finished eleventh. Going on to compete at two events in Latvia, Stepčenko won silver at the 2023 Volvo Open Cup and gold at the 2023 Latvia Trophy.

Selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, Stepčenko placed twenty-first in the short program and thirteenth in the free skate, finishing thirteenth overall. At this event, Stepčenko scored a new personal best free skate score. Soon after, Stepčenko competed on the junior level at the 2024 Volvo Open Cup, winning the gold medal.

Competing at the 2024 Youth Olympics, Stepčenko finished sixteenth.

2024–25 season

In July 2024, it was announced that Stepčenko was now being coached by Stéphane Lambiel in Champéry.[1] Competing at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Stepčenko finished twelfth. Debuting on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Stepčenko finished twelfth at 2024 Skate America. She then went on to finish ninth at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy and at the 2024 Santa Claus Cup.

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition
2024–2025
2023–2024
  • All Eyes On Me
  • Il est oú le bonheur
2022–2023
2021–2022

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International
Event17–1818–1919–2020–2121–2222–2323–2424–25
align=left 23rd 31st
align=left 11th 13th
align=left 12th
align=left 11th
align=left 12th
align=left 12th
align=left 7th 9th
align=left Jelgava Cup bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left Latvia Trophy bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 9th
align=left rowspan=2 bgcolor=gold 1st 2nd
4th
align=left Wolmar Spring Cup bgcolor=gold 1st
International: Junior
align=left 16th
align=left 10th
align=left 26th
align=left 21st
align=left 12th
align=left 17th
align=left 6th
align=left Kurbada Cup bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left Petrenko Cup bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 5th bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=gold 1st
International: Advanced novice
align=left 10th 16th 10th
National
align=left 5th N bgcolor=cc9966 3rd N bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

Detailed results

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Senior results

2024–25 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
November 27–December 2, 2024 2024 Santa Claus Cupalign=center 11
45.88
align=center 6
93.08
align=center 9
138.96
November 12–17, 2024 2024 CS Tallinn Trophyalign=center 16
42.34
align=center 8
93.13
align=center 9
135.47
October 18–20, 20242024 Skate America11
44.56
12
93.36
12
137.92
September 19–21, 20242024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy11
53.29
13
91.98
12
145.27
2023–24 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 18–24, 20242024 World Championshipsalign=center 31
46.74
align=center
-
align=center 31
46.74
January 10–14,20242024 European Chamipnshipsalign=center 21
52.53
align=center 13
105.16
align=center 13
157.69
December 8–10, 20232023 Latvia Trophyalign=center 1
60.01
align=center 1
110.75
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
170.76
November 2–5, 20232023 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 2
53.60
align=center 1
110.77
align=center bgcolor=silver 2
164.37
October 13–15, 20232023 CS Budapest Trophyalign=center 7
56.81
align=center 18
91.38
align=center 11
148.19
September 28–30 20232023 CS Nepela Memorialalign=center 15
47.48
align=center 11
94.75
align=center 12
142.23
September 28–30 20232023 Jelgava Cupalign=center 1
62.05
align=center 1
109.85
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
171.90
2022–23 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
April 7–9, 20232023 Wolmar Spring Cupalign=center 1
60.80
align=center 2
99.07
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
159.87
March 22–26, 2023align=center 18
58.87
align=center 24
99.51
align=center 23
158.38
January 25–29, 2023align=center 14
55.32
align=center 11
104.02
align=center 11
159.34
January 19–22, 20232023 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 3
56.10
align=center 1
118.56
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
174.66
December 16–18, 20222022 Latvia Trophyalign=center 2
58.64
align=center 1
119.07
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
177.71
November 24–27, 20222022 Tallinn Trophyalign=center 9
47.80
align=center 4
97.66
align=center 7
145.46
November 3–4, 20222022 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 10
48.65
align=center 2
111.62
align=center 4
160.27

Junior results

2023–24 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
January 28–30, 20242024 Winter Youth Olympicsalign=center 16
44.77
align=center 16
76.02
align=center 16
120.79
January 10–14,20242024 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 1
56.67
align=center 2
103.31
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
159.98
October 4–7, 20232023 JGP Armeniaalign=center 13
46.23
align=center 10
93.78
align=center 10
140.01
September 6–8, 20232023 JGP Turkeyalign=center 15
56.78
align=center 11
100.63
align=center 12
157.41
2022–23 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
September 7–10, 20222022 JGP Latviaalign=center 18
43.24
align=center 9
96.75
align=center 12
139.99
August 24–27, 20222022 JGP Francealign=center 22
34.11
align=center 20
66.07
align=center 21
100.18
2021–22 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
April 8–10, 20222022 Kurbada Cupalign=center 3
44.83
align=center 2
90.73
align=center bgcolor=silver 2
135.56
November 3–7, 20212021 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 2
48.51
align=center 6
78.36
align=center bgcolor=silver 2
126.87
October 20–23, 20212021 Petrenko Cupalign=center 2
48.55
align=center 2
97.23
align=center bgcolor=silver 2
145.78
October 6–9, 20212021 JGP Austriaalign=center 16
46.16
align=center 31
60.48
align=center 26
106.64
September 29–October 2, 20212021 JGP Polandalign=center 22
35.38
align=center 14
74.18
align=center 17
109.56
2020–21 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
November 7–8, 20202020 Volvo Open Cupalign=center 5
41.20
align=center 5
66.32
align=center 5
107.52

Notes and References

  1. 1810830760456212974. AnythingGOEs. Sofja Stepcenko is now being coached by Stéphane Lambiel and the rest of the team in Champéry. Anything GOEs. July 9, 2024.