Danylo Siianytsia[a] (born September 9, 2000) is a Ukrainian-born pair skater who represents the United States. With his former skating partner, Anastasiia Smirnova, he is the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb champion. They are also the 2021 U.S. junior national champions and finished in the top ten at two World Junior Championships.
| Danylo Siianytsia | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Данило Сіяниця |
| Born | September 9, 2000 Dnipro, Ukraine |
| Hometown | Shakopee, Minnesota |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  United States |
| Partner | Meghan Fredette |
| Coach | Trudy Oltmanns |
| Skating club | All Year FSC |
| Began skating | 2003 |
Personal life
editSiianytsia was born on September 9, 2000, in Dnipro, Ukraine in the ukrainian family. He took a gap year between finishing high school and starting college to improve his English via lessons. Siianytsia came to the United States on the invitation of his coach, Trudy Oltmanns, in 2016 on a P-1 visa and hopes to gain U.S. citizenship.[1]
Siianytsia enjoys weightlifting and baking pecan pie.[2]
Career
editEarly career
editSiianytsia began skating in 2003 in Dnipro. He competed at the national level in Ukraine but never received an international assignment. After moving to the United States to learn pairs with Oltmanns, he continued in men's singles for several seasons before expressing an interest in competing only in pairs.[3][1] On switching nationalities, Siianytsia said: "I love representing the United States. I never got a chance to compete for Ukraine. But going out under Team USA has been pretty awesome."[1]
Siianytsia's first pairs partner was Jasmine Wong, with whom he won the 2017 U.S. juvenile national bronze medalist.[4] He skated in 2017–18 with Ariana LoPinto on the intermediate level but did not qualify to the 2018 U.S. Championships.[5]
Siianytsia teamed up with Anastasiia Smirnova in mid-2018 after he found her profile on IcePartnerSearch and asked Oltmanns to arrange a tryout.[1] She moved from Ukraine to train with Siianytsia under Oltmanns in Shakopee, Minnesota. They won the novice bronze medal in their first season together at the 2019 U.S. Championships.
2019–20 season
editSmirnova/Siianytsia made their junior international debut at 2019 JGP Russia, where they finished seventh overall. They then competed at the 2019–20 U.S. Pairs Final and won the bronze medal, qualifying them to the 2020 U.S. Championships. At the 2019 Golden Spin of Zagreb in December, Smirnova/Siianytsia earned their first international medal, silver behind Georgia's Butaeva/Berulava.[6]
At the 2020 U.S. Championships, Smirnova/Siianytsia were third in the short program but won the free skate to earn the silver medal behind Finster/Nagy. As a result, they were named to the 2020 World Junior Championships team.[7] Smirnova/Siianytsia finished tenth at the World Junior Championships.[6]
2020–21 season
editAfter the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota caused their training rink to close, Smirnova/Siianytsia temporarily relocated with their coach to her old rink in Sioux Center, Iowa.[8] The Junior Grand Prix, where they would have competed, was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and canceled.
In January, Smirnova/Siianytsia won the junior title at the 2021 U.S. Championships by over 20 points ahead of silver medalists Martins/Bedard, despite Smirnova suffering a high ankle sprain on her right leg in practice the day before competition began.[9] Siianytsia reflected that they were "pretty excited" about the win and "hopefully, it won't be our last one."[9]
2021–22 season
editSmirnova/Siianytsia returned to international competition on the Junior Grand Prix. They were fourth overall in Poland despite placing third in each segment and finished sixth in Austria. They also competed on the senior level for the first time, placing ninth at the Skating Club of Boston's Cranberry Cup.[6] Both skaters contracted COVID-19 in December and withdrew from the 2022 U.S. Junior Championships.[10]
Despite their absence from the national championships, Smirnova/Siianytsia were named to the American team for the 2022 World Junior Championships, which had been originally scheduled to be held in Sofia, but due to the pandemic were moved to Tallinn in mid-April.[11] Due to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the International Skating Union banned all Russian athletes from competing at the event.[12] This had a significant impact on the pairs field, long dominated by Russia.[13] The invasion of their native country was a difficult experience for both, with both having family members still living there, some of whom evacuated to Poland. Siianytsia called it "terrifying for our family."[14] Smirnova/Siianytsia placed third in the short program, winning a bronze small medal, their only error being Smirnova underrotating and stepping out of her double Axel.[15] However, the free program proved to be difficult, with Siianytsia falling on both jumps, Smirnova falling on their second throw jump, and then their second lift aborted. They dropped to fourth place overall.[16]
2022–23 season
editMoving to the international senior level full-time, Smirnova/Siianytsia made their Challenger debut at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy, where they finished in seventh place.[17] Given two Grand Prix assignments, they were scheduled to make their debut at the 2022 Skate America but had to withdraw after Siianytsia suffered a groin injury. Despite this, they were able to attend their second event, the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, five weeks later. They finished second in the short program.[18] However, they dropped to fourth place after the free skate.[19]
Prior to the 2023 U.S. Championships, Smirmova sustained an injury that forced the pair to withdraw from the competition.[20]
Programs
edit| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2024 [21] |
|
||
| 2022–2023 [22] |
|
|
|
| 2021–2022 [23] |
|
||
| 2020–2021 [2] |
|
|
|
| 2019–2020 [24] |
|
|
Competitive highlights
editGP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix. Pewter medals (4th place) awarded only at U.S. national, sectional, and regional events.
For the United States
editPairs with Fredette
edit| International[6] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 24-25 | |||
| CS John Nicks | TBD | |||
| TBD = Assigned | ||||
Pairs with Smirnova
edit| International[6] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 |
| GP Finland | 4th | |||
| CS Finlandia | 7th | |||
| CS Golden Spin | 1st | |||
| Cranberry Cup | 9th | |||
| International: Junior[6] | ||||
| Junior Worlds | 10th | 4th | ||
| JGP Austria | 6th | |||
| JGP Poland | 4th | |||
| JGP Russia | 7th | |||
| Golden Spin | 2nd | |||
| National[6] | ||||
| U.S. Champ. | 2nd J | 1st J | WD | WD |
| U.S. Pairs Final | 3rd J | |||
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew J = Junior | ||||
For Ukraine
editMen's singles
edit| National | |
|---|---|
| Event | 2014–15 |
| Ukrainian Junior Championships | 10th |
Detailed results
editISU Personal Best highlighted in bold.
- With Smirnova
Senior results
edit| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 7–10, 2022 | 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 2 62.44 |
1 116.82 |
1 179.26 |
| November 25–27, 2022 | 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo | 2 63.01 |
4 102.11 |
4 165.12 |
| October 4–9, 2022 | 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy | 7 54.50 |
7 98.38 |
7 152.88 |
Junior results
edit| 2021–22 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 13–17, 2022 | 2022 World Junior Championships | 3 60.38 |
5 88.15 |
4 148.53 |
| October 6–9, 2021 | 2021 JGP Austria | 7 51.55 |
6 104.85 |
6 156.40 |
| Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2021 | 2021 JGP Poland | 3 55.07 |
3 98.56 |
4 153.63 |
| 2020–21 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| January 11–21, 2021 | 2021 U.S. Championships | 1 59.07 |
1 110.78 |
1 169.85 |
| 2019–20 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 2–8, 2020 | 2020 World Junior Championships | 11 51.19 |
10 93.86 |
10 145.05 |
| January 20–26, 2020 | 2020 U.S. Championships | 3 54.56 |
1 108.48 |
2 163.04 |
| December 4–7, 2019 | 2019 Golden Spin of Zagreb | 1 52.17 |
3 80.53 |
2 132.70 |
| November 12–16, 2019 | 2019–20 U.S. Pairs Final | 3 47.81 |
3 87.79 |
3 135.60 |
| September 11–14, 2019 | 2019 JGP Russia | 7 45.69 |
7 81.20 |
7 126.89 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Cloutier, Claire (January 17, 2020). "Smirnova and Siianytsia's Skating Journey: From Ukraine to the United States". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. U.S. Figure Skating.
- ^ a b "Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia". U.S. Figure Skating.
- ^ "Danil Siianytsia". Stats on Ice.
- ^ "Jasmine Wong & Danylo Siianytsia". Stats on Ice.
- ^ "Ariana LoPinto & Danylo Siianytsia". Stats on Ice.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Competition Results: Anastasiia SMIRNOVA / Danylo SIIANYTSIA". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Skating to Worlds". City of Shakopee. March 16, 2020.
- ^ Sandbulte, Eric (December 10, 2020). "All Seasons Center hosts champions". Sioux Center News.
- ^ a b Penny, Brandon (January 21, 2020). "Junior Champions Crowned as the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Conclude". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. U.S. Figure Skating.
- ^ Smirnova, Anastasiia; Siianytsia, Danil [@smirnovasiianytsia] (January 1, 2022). "With the 2022 US Championships set to begin in just three days, we are so excited to watch the hopes and dreams of all the skaters who worked so hard this season while trying to balance the health and safety of themselves and others during these crazy times" – via Instagram.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 allotted to Tallinn (EST)". International Skating Union. March 4, 2022.
- ^ "ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis – Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus". International Skating Union. March 1, 2022.
- ^ "2022 World Junior Championships". International Figure Skating. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ Cloutier, Claire (April 7, 2022). "Smirnova and Siianytsia Confront a Season of Adversity". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. U.S. Figure Skating.
- ^ Slater, Paula (April 14, 2022). "Safina and Berulava stand out in Tallinn". Golden Skate.
- ^ Slater, Paula (April 15, 2022). "Safina and Berulava take first Junior World gold for Georgian Pairs". Golden Skate.
- ^ "Hawayek and Baker Secure Ice Dance Silver in Finland". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. U.S. Figure Skating. October 9, 2020.
- ^ "Ghilardi/Ambrosini (ITA) seize lead in Pairs Short Program at ISU Grand Prix Espoo". International Skating Union. November 25, 2022.
- ^ "Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini take first Grand Prix Pairs gold in nine years for Italy". International Skating Union. November 26, 2022.
- ^ "Announcement". Instagram. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "2023/24 Programs". Instagram. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Anastasiia SMIRNOVA / Danylo SIIANYTSIA: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Anastasiia SMIRNOVA / Danylo SIIANYTSIA: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022.
- ^ "Anastasiia SMIRNOVA / Danylo SIIANYTSIA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020.