Polina Edmunds (born May 18, 1998) is a retired American
figure skater. She is the
2015 Four Continents champion, the
2014 CS U.S. Classic champion, and a two-time U.S. national silver medalist (
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
). She represented the United States at the
2014 Winter Olympics in
Sochi, finishing 9th.
Earlier in her career, Edmunds won two
ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
events and the
2013 U.S. National Junior title. Edmunds was in skates by two, in lessons by four.
Personal life
Polina Edmunds was born on May 18, 1998, in
Santa Clara,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
[ Her mother, Nina, is a figure skating coach and former figure skater originally from ]Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
, Russia, who learned how to coach under Alexei Mishin
Alexei Nikolayevich Mishin (russian: link=no, Алексей Николаевич Мишин; born 8 March 1941) is a Russian figure skating coach and former pair skater. With partner Tamara Moskvina, he is the 1969 World silver medalist and ...
.[ Her father, John Edmunds, is CFO of a computer software company.][ She has two brothers—James, who is two years older, and Daniel, four years younger][—both of whom play hockey. Olympic ice dance champions, ]Marina Klimova
Marina Vladimirovna Klimova (russian: Марина Владимировна Климова; born 28 July 1966) is a former competitive ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union and the Unified Team. With skating partner and husband Se ...
and Sergei Ponomarenko
Sergei Vladilenovich Ponomarenko (russian: Серге́й Владиленович Пономаренко; born October 6, 1960) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union and the Unified team. With ska ...
, are the godparent
In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...
s of her brother, Daniel.[ In 2007, Edmunds began taking ballet and jazz lessons at Dance Theatre International in Evergreen, San Jose when she was eight.][ She was a student at ]Archbishop Mitty High School
Archbishop Mitty High School (commonly known as Mitty) is a private, Roman Catholic high school located in San Jose, California, United States. The school is named for the late John Joseph Mitty, the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco. It was the ...
[ and graduated in May 2016.][ She began studying communication at Santa Clara University in September 2016.][ She was a member of Santa Clara's chapter of ]Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a women's fraternity in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members. It has 150 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's executive office is in Columbus ...
.
Career
Edmunds first stepped onto the ice at twenty months old and was taking lessons in both skating and ballet by age four.[ She cites ]Carolina Kostner
Carolina Kostner (born 8 February 1987) is an Italian figure skater. She is the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2012 World champion, a five-time European champion (2007–2008, 2010, 2012–2013), and the 2011 Grand Prix Final champion. She ...
, Sasha Cohen
Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen (born October 26, 1984) is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion. S ...
, and Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...
as her figure skating role models.[ She trained at the Sharks Ice Rink in San Jose with longtime coaches David Glynn and Nina Edmunds, her mother, who have both coached her since she was four.][
]
Early career
Edmunds placed seventh on the junior level at the 2011 U.S. Championships and then sixth in 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
. In the 2012–2013 season, she won the U.S. national junior title at the 2013 U.S. Championships.[ Having received no ]ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
assignments, Edmunds' only remaining opportunity to get on the ISU's Season's Best or World Standing lists—and thus, have a chance of a senior Grand Prix assignment in the following season—was the 2013 World Junior Championships. U.S. Figure Skating decided not to give her one of the three ladies' spots to World Juniors and instead sent her to the 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy
The Egna Spring Trophy, formerly the Gardena Spring Trophy (through 2016), is an annual international figure skating competition. It is held every spring in Val Gardena in Italy. Medals are awarded in men's and ladies' singles and sometimes in o ...
, where she won the junior gold medal. It did not count for either list.[
]
2013–2014 season: Sochi Olympics
In mid-2013, Edmunds began receiving coaching from Frank Carroll in addition to David Glynn and Nina Edmunds.[ She received her first ]ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
(JGP) assignments in the 2013–14 season; she placed first in both segments on her way to the gold medal in Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
, her debut. Edmunds received another gold medal at the JGP in Belarus, after placing second in the short and first in the free. At the Junior Grand Prix Final in Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
, Japan, she had trouble in the short program, placing fifth, but was second in the free skate and finished fourth overall.
Edmunds competed on the senior level for the first time at the 2014 U.S. Championships. She won the silver medal behind Gracie Gold
Grace Elizabeth Gold (born August 17, 1995), known as Gracie Gold, is an American figure skater. She is a 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2014 NHK Trophy champion, the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard champion, and a two-time U.S. nati ...
after placing second in both segments of the competition. On January 12, Edmunds was named to the U.S. team for the Olympics and Worlds.[ Making her senior international debut, she finished ninth with a total score of 183.25 at the ]Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
in Sochi, Russia after placing seventh in the short program and ninth in the free skate.[ A month later, Edmunds competed at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. She placed twelfth in the short program but moved up after placing fifth in the free skate, finishing eighth overall with a score of 187.50.
]
2014–2015 season: Four Continents title
Edmunds began her season with gold at the 2014 U.S. International Classic, an ISU Challenger Series event. She was assigned to two Grand Prix events, the 2014 Cup of China and 2014 NHK Trophy
The 2014 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Namihaya Dome in Osaka on November 28–30. Medals were awarded in t ...
. At her senior Grand Prix debut, Edmunds finished fourth in China and eighth in Japan.
At the 2015 U.S. Championships, Edmunds placed third in the short program but fourth in the free skate, finishing fourth overall. She won the pewter medal behind bronze medalist Karen Chen
Karen Chen (born August 16, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event silver medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. nat ...
. However, Chen was not age-eligible to go to the World Championships, so Edmunds was named to both Four Continents and World teams.
Edmunds won gold at the 2015 Four Continents after placing fourth in the short program and first in the free skate.
At the 2015 World Championships, Edmunds placed seventh in both segments of the competition, finishing eighth overall.
2015–2016 season
Edmunds was assigned to compete at the 2015 Skate Canada International and 2015 Rostelecom Cup. She finished sixth in Canada and fourth in Russia. She won the silver medal behind Gracie Gold
Grace Elizabeth Gold (born August 17, 1995), known as Gracie Gold, is an American figure skater. She is a 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2014 NHK Trophy champion, the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard champion, and a two-time U.S. nati ...
at the 2016 U.S. Championships, after placing first in the short program [ and second in the free. She withdrew from the 2016 Four Continents Championships because she lacked time to break in new skates.][ The old pair of skates, which she had worn for two years, were too soft to be used.][
In February 2016, an MRI showed that Edmunds had a bone bruise on the navicular bone in her right foot, an injury which arose after she "started jumping too early in the new skates".][ As a result, she withdrew from the 2016 World Championships in ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.[ After a break, she resumed skating but the problem resurfaced in June; she decided to limit herself to off-ice training for a month and then returned to the ice.][
]
2016-2020: Injuries
Edmunds resumed skating in August 2016 but paused her training in November after the bone bruise returned; she was concerned about the possibility of a career-ending fracture in the navicular bone.[ She withdrew from her two Grand Prix competitions, the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and 2016 NHK Trophy.][ In January 2017, she withdrew from the U.S. Championships.][ Edmunds returned to the ice in March 2017.][
Edmunds qualified to the ]2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from December 29, 2017 – January 8, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice ...
in her hometown of San Jose. She skated a strong short program, though with reduced technical difficulty, and finished 7th. During the practice session before the free program, Edmunds felt a shooting pain in her foot and withdrew from the free program, fearing her previous navicular bone injury had returned.
Edmunds did not compete during the 2018–2019 season due to a bone bruise on her right foot. She told Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports: "The bone bruise that I had was very deep and very serious for such a small bone in my foot. It required a lot of time off the ice, off really physical activity impact on my foot to really heal it properly." Edmunds missed out on qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 2020 TOYOTA U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from January 20–26, 2020 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, a ...
after placing fifth at the Pacific Coast Sectionals.
Retirement
On July 15, 2020, Edmunds stated in an interview that she left competitive skating and was looking forward to other opportunities in skating and her career. She mentioned that she was proud of her accomplishments and if it had not been for the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, she would have been in a full training mode for the season.
Programs
Competitive highlights
''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''
2012–13 to present
2007–08 to 2011–12
Detailed results
''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Pewter medals for fourth-place finishes awarded only at U.S. national and regional events.''
References
External links
Official site
*
Polina Edmunds
at IceNetwork.com
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act a ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmunds, Polina
1998 births
American female single skaters
Living people
Sportspeople from Santa Clara, California
American people of Russian descent
Figure skaters from San Jose, California
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters of the United States
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists
Santa Clara University alumni
21st-century American women