24
Kharkiv
Vadym Kolesnik began skating at age 3 after his grandmother introduced him to the sport. He developed his skills in Ukraine before moving to the United States in 2017 at age 16 to pursue elite-level training. His first major international partnership was with Avonley Nguyen, a collaboration that achieved remarkable success in junior competition. Together, they won the 2020 World Junior Championships, the 2020 U.S. junior national title, and silver at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final, establishing Kolesnik as a world-class talent with exceptional partnering skills and artistic vision.
In 2021, he was introduced to Emilea Zingas, a singles skater competing for Cyprus. Despite Zingas having no ice dance experience, Kolesnik immediately recognized her potential and felt an instant connection. The duo officially announced their partnership in 2022, and made their international debut at the 2022 Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they earned bronze. They also won gold at the U.S. Ice Dance Final to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they stunned the ice dance community by placing fourth in their first season together.
Kolesnik's artistic sensibility and technical expertise have been crucial to the partnership's success. His background in sports psychology, having completed his bachelor's degree from Kharkiv University while training in the United States, has helped guide Zingas through the mental and physical challenges of transitioning to ice dance.
After nine years in the United States, Kolesnik achieved a long-held dream when he received U.S. citizenship in 2025. He has expressed that representing the United States at the Olympic Games has been his goal since moving to the country at age 15, and earning his spot on the 2026 Olympic team alongside Zingas represents the fulfillment of that ambition.
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