Gleb Smolkin

Gleb Smolkin
Davis/Smolkin at the 2019–20 JGP Final
Full name	Gleb Borisovich Smolkin
Native name	Глеб Борисович Смолкин
Born	(1999-08-27) August 27, 1999 St. Petersburg, Russia
Hometown	St. Petersburg, Russia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Russia
Partner	Diana Davis
Coach	Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo, Adrienne Lenda, Denis Samokhin
Skating club	Sambo-70
Began skating	2004

Gleb Borisovich Smolkin (Russian: Глеб Борисович Смолкин, born 27 August 1999) is a Russian ice dancer. With his partner, Diana Davis, he is the 2020 Russian junior national bronze medalist, finished in the top five at the 2020 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and competed at the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final.

Personal life

Smolkin was born on 27 August 1999 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He is the son of Russian actor Boris Smolkin and his wife Svetlana. He has one brother, Vladimir.

During a hiatus from figure skating in 2014, Smolkin briefly played professional beach soccer as a member of the BSC Lokomotiv Moscow team.

Career

Early years

Smolkin began learning how to skate in 2004. He competed as a single skater until the 2014–15 season when he took a year-long hiatus from the sport. He returned to figure skating in November 2015 to compete as an ice dancer with his first partner, Ekaterina Mironova. The team competed together until spring of 2016 before parting ways. During the 2016–17 season Smolkin teamed up with Svetlana Lizunova, but the partnership was short-lived and lasted only a season before Smolkin began competing with his current partner, Diana Davis, coached by Svetlana Alexeeva and her team in Moscow.

2018–19 season: International junior debut

Davis/Smolkin made their junior international debut in September 2018 at the 2018 JGP Croatia. The team finished third overall at the event behind Russian teammates Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva / Nikita Nazarov in first and Georgian competitors Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya in second, but despite their podium placement did not receive a second JGP assignment.

The team competed three more times internationally during the season, finishing third in the junior event at the 2018 Volvo Open Cup and second at both the 2018 Tallinn Trophy (junior) and the 2018 Russian-Chinese Youth Winter Games. At the 2019 Russian Junior Figure Skating Championships in February, they finished ninth.

2019–20 season

In the summer before the start of the season, Davis and Smolkin relocated their training base from Moscow to Novi, Michigan to work with Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo. The team opened their season in August at the 2019 JGP United States where they won the silver medal behind American training-mates Avonley Nguyen / Vadym Kolesnik. At their second assignment, 2019 JGP Russia, the team again finished second overall, this time behind fellow Russian competitors Elizaveta Shanaeva / Devid Naryzhnyy, and with 26 qualifying points they advanced to the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final. The team competed just once more before the Junior Grand Prix Final, taking the junior title at the 2019 Volvo Open Cup.

At the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final, Davis/Smolkin entered the competition as the bottom seeded team and had a disappointing outing, finishing sixth in both segments of competition and sixth overall. However, they regrouped in the interim between the Final and the 2020 Russian Junior Figure Skating Championships and managed to earn the bronze medal at junior nationals, earning a spot on Russian team for the 2020 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

At Junior Worlds in March, Davis/Smolkin scored personal bests in both segments of competition as well as overall, and finished a respectable fifth.

Programs

With Davis

Season	Rhythm dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2019–2020	Ev'rybody Want to Be a Cat (from The Aristocats) by Phil Harris choreo. by Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo	Always Watching You Love Is Gone by Peter Cincotti choreo. by Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo
2018–2019	Tango: Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla Tango: Por una Cabeza performed by Il Divo choreo. by Mikhail Kolegov	Los Muertos Vivos Estan by Tambuco Writing's on the Wall (from Spectre) by Sam Smith choreo. by Mikhail Kolegov	Diamonds by Rihanna

Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Davis

International
Event	18–19	19–20
Junior Worlds		5th
JGP Final		6th
JGP Czech Republic	3rd
JGP Russia		2nd
JGP U.S.		2nd
Tallinn Trophy	2nd J
Volvo Open Cup	3rd J	1st J
National
Russian Junior Champ.	9th	3rd
Levels: J = Junior TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

With Davis

2019–2020 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
2–8 March 2020	2020 World Junior Championships	5 66.53	5 98.69	5 165.22
4–8 February 2020	2020 Russian Junior Championships	3 70.91	3 110.06	3 180.97
5–8 December 2019	2019 Junior Grand Prix Final	6 59.89	6 92.32	6 152.21
5–10 November 2019	2019 Volvo Open Cup	1 68.00	1 99.17	1 167.17
11–14 September 2019	2019 JGP Russia	2 64.79	3 93.45	2 158.24
28–31 August 2019	2019 JGP United States	2 62.12	2 98.05	2 160.17
2018–2019 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
31 Jan. – 4 Feb. 2019	2019 Russian Junior Championships	9 60.31	9 93.78	9 154.09
20–23 February 2019	2018 Russian-Chinese Youth Winter Games	1 61.15	2 94.05	2 155.20
25 Nov. – 2 Dec. 2018	2019 Tallinn Trophy	2 62.16	2 89.00	2 151.16
6–11 November 2018	2018 Volvo Open Cup	3 61.78	3 92.65	3 154.43
26–29 September 2018	2018 JGP Czech Republic	3 56.55	3 92.07	3 148.62