Viktoria Helgesson
Viktoria Helgesson | |
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Born | Tibro, Sweden | 13 September 1988
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
Figure skating career | |
Country | Sweden |
Skating club | Tibro KK |
Began skating | 1991 |
Retired | April 2015 |
Viktoria Helgesson (born 13 September 1988) is a retired Swedish figure skater. She is the 2011 Skate America bronze medalist, a five-time (2008–11, 2013) Nordic champion, and an eight-time (2007–12, 2014–15) Swedish national champion. She placed fifth at three European Championships. Her bronze medal at 2011 Skate America is the first Grand Prix medal by a Swedish skater.[1]
She and her sister Joshi are the only siblings to finish together in the top 5 of a major championship as single skaters, a feat achieved during the 2015 European Championships.
Personal life
Viktoria Helgesson was born in Tibro, Sweden.[2] Her younger sister, Joshi Helgesson, and their mother, Christina, have also competed in figure skating at the European Championships.[3][4][5] She also has an older brother named Lukas and a father named Lenart.[6]
Career
Helgesson began skating at the age of three, following in the footsteps of her mother.[3] She is coached by her mother and Regina Jensen.[4][5] At the age of 12, she landed her first triple jump, a Salchow.[3]
Helgesson competed at the 2004 World Junior Championships, where she came in 22nd. In 2007, she won the Swedish national title for the first time at the senior level. She again competed at Junior Worlds, finishing 28th.
In 2008, Helgesson made her European Championships and World Championships debut, and came in 18th at both events. She improved upon her result at the 2009 European Championships, but failed to qualify for the free skate at that season's Worlds, and was thus unable to qualify an Olympic berth for Sweden.
In 2010, Helgesson finished 11th at the Europeans. Two months later, she improved her personal best by 19 points to finish tenth at Worlds.[7] She consequently received two Grand Prix assignments in the 2010–11 season, the first of her career; she finished 9th at the 2010 NHK Trophy and 6th at that season's Skate America. She medalled at two international events, the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2010 Merano Cup, and improved to 6th at the European Championships, the best finish by a Swedish figure skater since 1932.[8] She was 17th at the 2011 World Championships.
In addition to Sweden, Helgesson also trained in Colorado and Boston.[9][10] She began the 2011–12 season at the 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, where she finished 5th. In October 2011, Helgesson won the bronze medal at the 2011 Skate America, her first medal at a Grand Prix event, as well as the first by any Swedish skater.[1] She achieved a career-best European placement, 5th, at the 2012 and 2013 European Championships.
Helgesson represented Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.[11] She placed fifth at the 2015 European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. In April 2015, she retired from competition.[12]
Programs
Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
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2014–2015 [2] |
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2013–2014 [13] |
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2012–2013 [14] |
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2011–2012 [15] |
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2010–2011 [16] |
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2009–2010 [17] |
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2008–2009 [18] |
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2007–2008 [3][19] |
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2006–2007 [20] |
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2005–2006 [21] |
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2004–2005 [22] |
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2003–2004 [23] |
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Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series (began in the 2014–15 season); JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International[24] | |||||||||||||
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Event | 02–03 | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 | 06–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 | 09–10 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 |
Olympics | 27th | ||||||||||||
Worlds | 18th | 27th | 10th | 17th | 11th | 14th | |||||||
Europeans | 18th | 14th | 11th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 14th | 5th | |||||
GP Bompard | 5th | 7th | |||||||||||
GP Cup of China | 7th | ||||||||||||
GP NHK Trophy | 9th | ||||||||||||
GP Rostelecom | 8th | ||||||||||||
GP Skate America | 6th | 3rd | 8th | 8th | |||||||||
GP Skate Canada | 11th | ||||||||||||
CS Lombardia | 8th | ||||||||||||
CS Nepela Trophy | 4th | 4th | |||||||||||
Challenge Cup | 5th | 1st | 4th | ||||||||||
Cup of Nice | 3rd | 8th | |||||||||||
Finlandia | 11th | 9th | |||||||||||
Golden Spin | 5th | ||||||||||||
Karl Schäfer | 5th | ||||||||||||
Merano Cup | 5th | 1st | |||||||||||
Nebelhorn | 2nd | 5th | 6th | ||||||||||
Nordics | 2nd J. | 6th J. | 6th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | ||||
NRW Trophy | 10th | 1st | 3rd | ||||||||||
International: Junior[24] | |||||||||||||
Junior Worlds | 22nd | 28th | |||||||||||
JGP Austria | 8th | ||||||||||||
JGP Bulgaria | 4th | ||||||||||||
JGP Czech Rep. | 12th | ||||||||||||
JGP Germany | 17th | ||||||||||||
JGP Hungary | 14th | ||||||||||||
JGP Slovakia | 16th | ||||||||||||
Copenhagen | 1st J. | 5th J. | |||||||||||
Gardena | 4th J. | ||||||||||||
Golden Bear | 4th J. | ||||||||||||
Mladost Trophy | 5th J. | ||||||||||||
National[24] | |||||||||||||
Swedish Champ. | 1st J. | 3rd J. | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | |
J. = Junior level; WD = Withdrew |
References
- ^ a b Rutherford, Lynn (23 October 2011). "Czisny edges Kostner for first Skate America title". IceNetwork. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Mittan, Barry (18 March 2008). "Following in Her Mothers' Footsteps". SkateToday. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ a b Jangbro, Eva Maria (26 April 2011). "The Helgesson sisters Viktoria and Joshi: Alike but Different". Absolute Skating. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ a b Luchianov, Vladislav (6 July 2012). "Sweden's Helgessons keep it all in the family". IceNetwork.
- ^ Jonsson, Jan. "Seg fotskada stör drömmen om EM". Sydsvenskan. Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ Kondakova, Anna (27 March 2010). "Asada recaptures World title". Golden Skate. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ Björn, Thomas (9 February 2011). "Viktoria Helgesson laddar inför the Nordics med nya skridskor" [Viktoria Helgesson gears up for the Nordics with new skates] (in Swedish). Swedish Figure Skating Association. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ Jangbro, Eva Maria (23 October 2011). "Viktoria Helgesson: "Why not try something new"". Absolute Skating. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ Jangbro, Eva Maria (20 January 2012). "Viktoria Helgesson "I know I have a great skating foundation now"". Absolute Skating.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON". Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
- ^ Ek, Elin (8 April 2015). "Viktoria Helgesson lägger skridskorna på hyllan" [Viktoria Helgesson retires from competition]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish).
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 8 March 2005.
- ^ "Viktoria HELGESSON: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004.
- ^ a b c "Competition Results: Viktoria HELGESSON". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015.