Biography of Evgenia Medvedeva
Young figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva relentlessly conquered the podium, claiming victory after victory. Her achievements include gold and bronze medals, titles as champion of Russia, Europe, and the world in singles skating, and a world record in the team figure skating championship (80.85 points). In 2016, Evgenia ranked ninth in the International Skating Union's ratings, and just a year later, she climbed to first place.
A Figure Skater's Daughter. First Steps to Success
Evgenia Armanovna Medvedeva was born on November 19, 1999, in the capital of the Russian Federation. Her father is Armenian Arman Babasyan, an entrepreneur. The figure skater took her surname from her maternal grandmother.
Fast forward another couple of years, and she became a junior, making a brilliant debut at the Junior Grand Prix in Latvia. Her performance brought her victory with a score of 169.52 points. The girl beat her compatriot Maria Sotskova and American Karen Chen.
Athletic Achievements
Even at a young age, Evgenia Medvedeva had an impressive track record of victories. After her first competition appearance in Latvia, first place awaited her in Poland (179.96 points), but a tough battle at competitions in Japan ended with bronze (163.68), with fellow Russians Maria Sotskova and Serafima Sakhanovich finishing ahead of her.
In late 2015, the skater moved up to the senior division and immediately won the Ondrej Nepela Memorial competition in Bratislava. Without time to rest, she flew to competitions in Milwaukee, where she took first place in the senior Grand Prix. And this was just the beginning – next came stunning success in Barcelona and once again the top step at her home country's championship.
In early 2017, Evgenia became a two-time European champion (in the Czech Republic), breaking personal and world records a couple more times, as well as world champion following the championships in Finland.
On April 20, 2017, the skater set a new world record at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo, performing a short program that judges scored at 80.85 points. Thanks to her victory, the Russian team moved into the lead.
The athlete's fans didn't doubt that at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang (South Korea), she would repeat Adelina Sotnikova's success and bring Russia gold in the ladies' singles event. Due to the anti-doping scandal, besides Evgenia, only 2 skaters made it into the ladies' category of the Russian Olympic team: Alina Zagitova and Maria Sotskova.
At the 2018 Olympics, competing at her first Games, Evgenia Medvedeva set a new world record in the short program (81.06 points). Combined with Alina Zagitova's victory in the free skate, the Russian team took silver. She broke her own record in the free program – the judges awarded her 81.61 points. But her scores were topped by Alina Zagitova, who skated after her – 82.92. In the end, Zagitova won gold, while Medvedeva took silver.
Later, Evgenia admitted in an interview that leaving Eteri was the hardest decision of her life. She moved to Canada, where she began training under Brian Orser, the 1987 world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist. She remained a Russian athlete throughout.
In September 2020, the skater returned to Tutberidze: the coronavirus pandemic had hit, and COVID restrictions meant training with Orser had to happen over video calls, which was problematic. Medvedeva started preparing for stages of the Russian Cup series, but in October she was hospitalized with worsening back problems, and in November she caught COVID. As a result, she couldn't prepare in time for the Russian Championships. And in summer 2021, it became clear that Medvedeva wouldn't compete at the upcoming Olympics.
In reality, Evgenia's competitive career essentially ended after the 2018 Olympics, but not because of the coaching change. In an interview with the YouTube channel "Macarena," Zhenya revealed she had serious back problems that actually started before the trip to Pyeongchang:
My back doesn't turn in one direction, only to the left. The jump I can do painlessly and normally is the salchow. Well, maybe the toe loop too, though not always. I physically can't do the flip and lutz anymore, they're just physically impossible for me now.
Career After Competition
Though Medvedeva officially retired from competitive skating in spring 2023, she'd already stopped competing professionally back in 2021. But she wasn't done with the ice just yet. In late 2021, Evgenia Medvedeva joined the show "Ice Age." Her partner? TikToker Danya Milokhin. Throughout the show, they kept viewers guessing about a potential romance, never confirming or denying anything. But on December 14th, they kissed so passionately during the semifinals that there was no doubt left—sparks were definitely flying. The pair ended up winning the audience favorite award.
MSU, on the other hand, attributed the decision to Evgenia's "heavy media commitments."The press office came down on me for a sensationalist headline in my interview. They decided not to provide me with study materials. Even though I'd been asking for months, and everything had been paid for.
At the Beijing Olympics, which kicked off in February 2022, Medvedeva participated as a reporter for Channel One. She also became an ambassador for the Ozon online store and Nestle's healthy breakfast line.
Like many former figure skaters, Evgenia Medvedeva started performing in Ilya Averbukh's ice shows. During the 2020 New Year holidays, she starred in "The Wizard of Oz," in 2021—in "Champions," and in 2022—in "The Snow Queen." That spring, she joined Tutberidze's skaters for the "Champions on Ice" tour, and in October, she reunited with Danya Milokhin for a new season of "Ice Age."
Evgenia Medvedeva's Personal Life
The skater dated Bulgarian-Kazakh musician Kristian Kostov. He became the youngest participant in Eurovision 2017 and took second place. The young couple met during the filming of a documentary about the music competition and were soon caught by paparazzi walking through Gorky Park. Fans jokingly dubbed their relationship "a romance of silver medalists."
In late 2021, Zhenya was caught up in romance rumors with her "Ice Age" partner Danya Milokhin. Both denied it, insisting they were just friends. Indeed, there was no proof that beyond their passionate kisses on ice, there was anything more than a strong friendship between them.It ended badly. The Olympics were over. And in that difficult moment, right after it ended, that's what he did. Just straight up told me: thanks, I don't need you anymore, my life is great without you, bye! We were together for almost two years, and after that I nearly lost it.
In early 2023, news broke about Evgenia's romance with a young but far less famous figure skater – Dmitry Chigirev. They were first spotted together in February, and in June the skater made their relationship public by posting a video with her boyfriend shot during a vacation in the Maldives.Thank God I didn't take anyone's place. I stayed right where I was.
In July 2025, the name of the figure skater's new boyfriend became public. She started dating Ildar Gaynutdinov, a 24-year-old choreographer who partnered with Evgenia on the project "Star Dances on TNT" in fall 2024. Even then, attentive viewers noticed the chemistry between them. Ildar didn't hold back on compliments about Evgenia, noting that he only agreed to participate in the project because she was supposed to be his partner.
Later that year, Medvedeva performed with Ildar at a show celebrating her 25th birthday.From our first meeting in the rehearsal hall, we instantly clicked. She's an incredibly hardworking and charming person. Also very beautiful, both inside and out. So the work didn't just go smoothly – it flowed. And it was a pleasure
Evgenia herself posted a photo of them together with the caption: "Through dance into life."
Source:
@jmedvedevaj
At home, Evgenia has a French bulldog named Jerry.
Evgenia Medvedeva Now
Since fall 2023, Medvedeva has been hosting the YouTube channel "БеС комментариев" (roughly "Without Commentary"), where she invites Russian sports and entertainment stars for interviews. Her first guests included comedians (Ivan Abramov, Andrey Beburishvili, Zoya Yarovitsyna, Victoria Skladchikova), fellow skaters (Alexandra Trusova, Oksana Domnina), and even Danya Milokhin. A key component of the show is reading hate comments – something Medvedeva admits was actually one of the triggers that inspired her to create the project.In 2024, the figure skater prepared for the role of Carmen in Ilya Averbukh's new large-scale show, and she was genuinely passionate about the character:
Another project Evgenia participated in was the children's ice show "Mama," where she played the role of Soroka the Journalist.For me, this role is a major acting experience. Carmen is an unusual woman – headstrong, but multifaceted. We're very different. I'm a completely different person in real life. Calm, reserved. I think through every decision carefully. It's a fascinating role, but you have to really immerse yourself in it. Carmen is definitely one of my favorite characters to portray on ice right now.
Ildar Gaynutdinov is a soloist with the "Todes" ballet and a guest soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre. In one episode, they performed a newlyweds' number, with Ildar presenting his partner with a ring. The performance turned out to be prophetic: their creative partnership eventually blossomed into a romantic relationship.
On November 15, 2024, Medvedeva staged a spectacular ice show celebrating her 25th birthday at CSKA Arena in Moscow. Throughout the evening, she changed into about ten different costumes, each reflecting different chapters of her life and athletic career.
Source:
@jmedvedevaj
In May 2025, it was announced that Medvedeva had joined Alina Zagitova's ice rock musical "Assol." The two-time world champion played the role of Hina Menners in the production based on Alexander Grin's "Scarlet Sails." The show ran on June 27 and 28, 2025, at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg to sold-out crowds. Every ticket for both performances was snapped up.
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