# Mariia Pinchuk

Mariia Pavlivna Pinchuk (Ukrainian: Марія Павлівна Пінчук, born 7 April 2006) is a Ukrainian ice dancer. With her skating partner, Mykyta Pogorielov, she is a three-time ISU Junior Grand Prix medalist (including gold at the 2023 JGP Turkey), a two-time Ukrainian junior national champion (2021, 2022), and competed in the final segment at two World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

## Personal life

Pinchuk was born on 7 April 2006 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Pinchuk and her mother fled Kharkiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have lived in Austria since mid-March 2022. Her father, sister, and grandparents remain in Ukraine.

## Career
### Early years

Pinchuk and Pogorielov made their international junior debut in the 2020–21 season which, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured few events, in particular for junior skaters. Despite this, they won three silver medals at smaller events held in Europe, most notably the Budapest Trophy. They won both the national novice and junior titles.

### 2021–22 season: War refugees

Pinchuk and Pogorielov made their Junior Grand Prix debut, coming ninth at the 2022 JGP Slovakia and sixth at the 2022 JGP Poland. They won their first international gold medal at the Open d'Andorra, and silver medals at both the Santa Claus Cup and the Victor Petrenko Cup, collecting their second Ukrainian junior title as well.
Pinchuk and Pogorielov's plans for the second half of the season were derailed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which made their home city of Kharkiv the site of one of the largest and most protracted early battles. Pinchuk and her mother evacuated to Vienna, accompanied by coach Galina Churilova and Pogorielov, whose family had largely relocated to Spain. Despite these disruptions, the team was able to attend the 2022 World Junior Championships, which had been delayed and moved to Tallinn as a result of the invasion, with all Russian and Belarusian skaters banned from participating. Pinchuk/Pogorielov finished in seventeenth place in their ISU championship debut.

### 2022–23 season: First Junior Grand Prix medal

With their regular choreographer Larisa Fiodorova still in Kharkiv and unable to leave, Pinchuk and Pogorielov received assistance in preparing their new programs from retired Ukrainian senior champions Oleksandra Nazarova and Maksym Nikitin. In their second season on the Junior Grand Prix, they won the bronze medal at the 2022 JGP Latvia. In their second event, the 2022 JGP Poland, they finished fourth.
Opting to make their international senior debut, Pinchuk and Pogorielov won a bronze medal at the Bosphorus Cup and silver at the Pavel Roman Memorial. They were sent to represent Ukraine at the 2023 European Championships, qualifying to the free dance and finishing fifteenth. Pinchuk and Pogorielov then appeared at their second World Junior Championships, finishing in twelfth place.

### 2023–24 season: Junior Grand Prix gold

Starting their season again on the Junior Grand Prix, Pinchuk and Pogorielov finished second in the rhythm dance at the 2023 JGP Turkey, but rose to first place after the free dance despite being second in that segment as well, winning the gold medal. This was the first Junior Grand Prix title for a Ukrainian dance team since Nosulia and Kholoniuk's victory on the 2011 circuit. Pinchuk assessed that "when you set a goal like this you have so many emotions and so many things to say but now I don't know what to say." At their second event, the 2023 JGP Poland, they won the silver medal, including a first-place finish in the free dance. Their results qualified them to the Junior Grand Prix Final.
Pinchuk and Pogorielov then competed at senior level events, winning bronze at the 2023 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and gold at the 2023 Pavel Roman Memorial.
In December, the duo finished fifth at the Junior Grand Prix Final, which they announced would be their last appearance at the junior level.
Selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, Pinchuk and Pogorielov finished in eighteenth place.

### 2024–25 season

Beginning their season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, Pinchuk and Pogorielov finished ninth at the 2024 Nebelhorn Trophy, twelfth at the 2024 Budapest Trophy, and tenth at the 2024 Nepela Memorial. Going on to make their senior Grand Prix debut, the team finished tenth at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy. They subsequently competed at the 2024 Santa Claus Cup, where they finished fourth.

## Programs
### Ice dance with Mykyta Pogorielov

| Season | Rhythm dance | Free dance |
| 2024–25 | Twist and Shout by The Top Notes performed by The Beatles I'm a Believer (from Shrek the Musical) performed by The Shrek the Musical Cast Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison & Joe Melson Le Freak (Dimitri from Paris Remix) by Chic, Bernard Edwards, & Nile Rodgers choreo. by Galina Churilova, Matteo Zanni | Obscura by Power-Haus & Christian Reindl Freya by Christian Reindl & Lucie Paradis Lux by Power-Haus & Christian Reindl choreo. by Galina Churilova, Matteo Zanni |
| 2023–24 | Unchain My Heart performed by Joe Cocker You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova | Vogue Frozen by Madonna choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova |
| 2022–23 | Tango Till They're Sore by Tom Waits performed by Madeleine Peyroux Uccen (DWTS remix) by Taalbi Brothers choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova | Seven Nation Army performed by 2CELLOS You Don't Own Me performed by Saygrace, feat. G-Eazy choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova |
| 2021–22 | Blues: Your Heart is as Black as Night performed by Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa Swing: Brotherswing by Caravan Palace choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova | Beethoven's Last Night by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra choreo. by Larisa Fiodorova |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series

### Ice dance with Mykyta Pogorielov

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| European Championships | 15th | 18th | 20th |
| GP Finland | | | 10th |
| CS Budapest Trophy | | | 12th |
| CS Denis Ten Memorial | | 3rd | |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | | 9th |
| CS Nepela Memorial | | | 10th |
| Bosphorus Cup | 2nd | | |
| Pavel Roman Memorial | 3rd | 1st | |
| Santa Claus Cup | | | 4th |
| Sofia Trophy | | | 5th |
| Winter University Games | | | 4th |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
| World Junior Championships | | 17th | 12th | |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | | | | 5th |
| JGP Latvia | | | 3rd | |
| JGP Poland | | 6th | 4th | 2nd |
| JGP Slovakia | | 9th | | |
| JGP Turkey | | | | 1st |
| Budapest Trophy | 2nd | | | |
| Ice Challenge | | 7th | | |
| LuMi Dance Trophy | 2nd | | | |
| Open d'Andorra | | 1st | | |
| Santa Claus Cup | | 2nd | | |
| Viktor Petrenko Cup | | 2nd | | |
| Winter Star | 2nd | | | |

## Detailed results
### Ice dance with Mykyta Pogorielov

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 167.22 | 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge |
| Rhythm dance | TSS | 65.93 | 2024 CS Nepela Memorial |
| Rhythm dance | TES | 37.33 | 2024 CS Nepela Memorial |
| Rhythm dance | PCS | 28.79 | 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge |
| Free dance | TSS | 105.74 | 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge |
| Free dance | TES | 61.44 | 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge |
| Free dance | PCS | 44.86 | 2023 JGP Poland |

#### Senior level

Results in the 2022-23 season :
| Date | Event | RD | RD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 10–13, 2022 | 2022 Pavel Roman Memorial | 4 | 58.45 | 3 | 97.66 | 3 | 156.11 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 3, 2022 | 2022 Bosphorus Cup | 1 | 69.91 | 3 | 91.79 | 2 | 161.70 |
| Jan 23–29, 2023 | 2023 European Championships | 14 | 59.36 | 15 | 89.01 | 15 | 148.37 |
Results in the 2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | RD | RD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 2–5, 2023 | 2023 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge | 6 | 61.48 | 3 | 105.74 | 3 | 167.22 |
| Nov 10–12, 2023 | 2023 Pavel Roman Memorial | 1 | 64.62 | 1 | 98.02 | 1 | 162.64 |
| Jan 8–14, 2024 | 2024 European Championships | 17 | 61.42 | 18 | 92.16 | 18 | 153.58 |
Results in the 2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | RD | RD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 19–21, 2024 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 8 | 63.04 | 10 | 96.49 | 9 | 159.53 |
| Oct 11–13, 2024 | 2024 CS Budapest Trophy | 11 | 60.62 | 12 | 91.78 | 12 | 152.40 |
| Oct 24-26, 2024 | 2024 CS Nepela Memorial | 9 | 65.93 | 10 | 96.35 | 10 | 162.28 |
| Nov 15–17, 2024 | 2024 Finlandia Trophy | 10 | 54.39 | 10 | 79.95 | 10 | 134.34 |
| Nov 27 – Dec 2, 2024 | 2024 Santa Claus Cup | 3 | 64.86 | 5 | 100.13 | 4 | 164.99 |
| Jan 7–12, 2025 | 2025 Sofia Trophy | 5 | 62.62 | 5 | 105.65 | 5 | 168.27 |
| Jan 16–18, 2025 | 2025 Winter University Games | 4 | 61.39 | 4 | 94.13 | 4 | 155.52 |
| Jan 28 – Feb 2, 2025 | 2025 European Championships | 20 | 60.69 | 20 | 95.29 | 20 | 155.98 |