# Makar Suntsev

Makar Suntsev (born 4 October 2004) is a Finnish figure skater. Born in Russia, he is the 2024 Finnish Champion, a two-time Finnish national silver medalist (2022, 2023), and a two-time bronze medalist at the Nordic Championship bronze medalist (2023 and 2024).

## Personal life

Suntsev was born on October 4, 2004 in Perm, Russia. He also has an older sister. At the age of five, Suntsev moved with his family to Kotka, Finland. He graduated from Karhula High School before enrolling at the Aalto University in 2024 to study business.

## Career
### Early career

When he was a young child, Suntsev's mother, Tatiana Lebedeva, worked as a figure skating coach in Perm, Russia. After Suntsev turned three, Lebedeva would begin bringing him to the rink so he could sit at the sidelines while she coached. He eventually began skating in 2008 at the age of four under his mother's tutelage. After relocating to Kotka, Finland, Lebedeva would get a job as a coach at the Kotkan Taitoluistelu, where Suntsev would continue to train.
He first debuted as a competitor on the novice level at the 2018 Nordic Championships, where he finished fifth.

### 2018–19 season

Moving up to the junior level, Suntsev competed at the 2019 Finnish Junior Championships and finished fourth. He subsequently finished fourth at the 2019 Nordic Championships and won the bronze medal at the 2019 Tallink Hotels Cup.

### 2019–20 season

Suntsev started the season by debuting on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing twenty-fourth at 2019 JGP Poland. He would subsequently compete on the junior level at the 2019 Halloween Cup, where he placed eighth.
In December, he won the silver medal at the 2020 Finnish Junior Championships. He then continued competing on the junior international level, placing sixth at the 2020 Mentor Toruń Cup and fifth at the 2020 Nordic Championships.

### 2020–21 season

During this season, Suntsev only appeared at one competition, the 2021 Tallink Hotels Cup. He finished the event in sixth place.

### 2021–22 season

Suntsev began the season by competing on the 2021–22 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixth at the 2021 JGP France and fourteenth at the 2021 JGP Slovakia. He then made his senior international debut by competing on the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, placing twenty-second at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, twenty-first at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria, and twentieth at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. Between the latter two events, Suntsev finished sixth at the 2021 Tallinn Trophy.
In December, Suntsev would win his first senior national medal, a silver at the 2021 Finnish Championships. He subsequently finished sixth at the 2022 Sofia Trophy, eighth at the 2022 Bellu Memorial, and sixth at the 2022 Tallink Hotels Cup.
Selected to represent Finland at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Suntsev finished in twenty-sixth place.

### 2022–23 season

Suntsev started the season by competing on the 2022–23 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing eleventh at 2022 JGP France and fifth at 2022 JGP Latvia. He then went on to compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, finishing thirteenth at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, sixteenth at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy, and twenty-first at the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup. One week following the latter event, Suntsev placed fifth at the 2022 Tallinn Trophy.
In mid-December, Suntsev won his second consecutive national silver medal at the 2023 Finnish Championships. He subsequently placed twenty-sixth at the 2023 Winter World University Games, won bronze at the 2023 Nordic Championships, and finished ninth at the 2023 Tallink Hotels Cup.
Suntsev closed the season by competing at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he placed twenty-ninth.

### 2023–24 season

Suntsev began the season by the season by competing at the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series, finishing thirteenth at the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy and tenth at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy. Following a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Tirnavia Ice Cup, Suntsev was selected as a host representative to compete at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. He finished in twelfth at the event. Going on to compete at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, Suntsev placed seventh.
In mid-December, Suntsev won the senior national title at the 2024 Finnish Championships and as a result, was selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. He finished in twentieth place overall.
One month later, Suntsev would win the bronze medal at the 2024 Nordic Championships and sixth at the 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup.
Finnish national silver medalist, Valtter Virtanen, was ultimately selected as the men's singles skating representative to compete at the 2024 World Championships due to Suntsev failing to score minimum technical scores to compete at the World Championships.

### 2024–25 season

During the summer off-season, Suntsev moved from his hometown of Kotka to Espoo to attend university in the latter city. While he continued being coached by his mother, Liana Ocheretna and Aleksei Saks also began coaching him in Vantaa, a city closer to his school.
He would start the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, finishing sixteenth at the 2024 CS Lombardia Trophy and fifth at the 2024 CS Budapest Trophy. Assigned to the 2024 GP Finlandia Trophy, Suntsev came in tenth place.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skate | Exhibition |
| 2021–22 | Angelica (from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) by Hans Zimmer choreo. by Monica Lindfors & Leonid Sviridenko | I Love You (Acoustic - Quinted Version) by Woodkid choreo. by Anastasia Bunina | — |
| 2022–23 | Angelica (from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) by Hans Zimmer choreo. by Monica Lindfors & Leonid Sviridenko | Knee 5 by Philip Glass Ensemble Naqoyqatsi (from Naqoyqatsi) by Philip Glass Ensemble, Yo-Yo Ma, & Michael Riesman Dawn of Faith by Eternal Eclipse choreo. by Benoît Richaud | — |
| 2023–24 | Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven choreo. by Adam Solya | Ghosts of Japan by Derek Fiechter Taki Burossamu Taki by That's It The Geisha and the Samurai by Stefan Johansson The Way of the Samurai by Ilan Eshkeri choreo. by Adam Solya | Real Gone by Sheryl Crow Life Is a Highway performed by Rascal Flatts |
| 2024–25 | Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven choreo. by Adam Solya | Ghosts of Japan by Derek Fiechter Taki Burossamu Taki by That's It The Geisha and the Samurai by Stefan Johansson The Way of the Samurai by Ilan Eshkeri choreo. by Adam Solya | |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| European Championships | | | | 20th | |
| Finnish Championships | | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | |
| GP Finland | | | | 12th | 10th |
| CS Budapest Trophy | | | | | 5th |
| CS Cup of Austria | | 21st | | | |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | 22nd | 16th | 10th | |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | | 20th | | 7th | 17th |
| CS Lombardia Trophy | | | | 13th | 16th |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | | 13th | | |
| CS Warsaw Cup | | | 21st | | |
| Bellu Memorial | | 8th | | | |
| Nordic Championships | | | 3rd | 3rd | |
| Road to 26 Trophy | | | | | 11th |
| Sofia Trophy | | 6th | | | |
| Tallink Hotels Cup | 6th | 6th | 9th | 6th | |
| Tallinn Trophy | | 6th | 5th | | |
| Tirnavia Ice Cup | | | | 4th | |
| Winter University Games | | | 26th | | 16th |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 |
| World Junior Championships | | | 26th | 29th |
| Finnish Championships | 4th | 2nd | | |
| JGP France | | | 6th | 11th |
| JGP Latvia | | | | 5th |
| JGP Poland | | 24th | | |
| JGP Slovakia | | | 14th | |
| Halloween Cup | | 8th | | |
| Mentor Toruń Cup | | 6th | | |
| Nordic Championships | 4th | 5th | | |
| Tallink Hotels Cup | 3rd | | | |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 200.55 | 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy |
| Short program | TSS | 70.40 | 2024 European Championships |
| Short program | TES | 35.20 | 2024 European Championships |
| Short program | PCS | 37.24 | 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Free skating | TSS | 132.59 | 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy |
| Free skating | TES | 60.32 | 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy |
| Free skating | PCS | 72.27 | 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy |

### Senior level

Results in the 2020–21 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Feb 18–21, 2021 | 2021 Tallink Hotels Cup | 4 | 65.69 | 6 | 106.31 | 6 | 172.00 |
Results in the 2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 7–10, 2021 | 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy | 26 | 50.73 | 21 | 108.09 | 22 | 158.82 |
| Nov 11–14, 2021 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria | 22 | 58.40 | 22 | 110.95 | 21 | 169.35 |
| Nov 16–21, 2021 | 2021 Tallinn Trophy | 7 | 57.44 | 4 | 118.95 | 6 | 176.39 |
| Dec 8–11, 2021 | 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 21 | 60.97 | 20 | 124.87 | 20 | 185.84 |
| Dec 17–19, 2021 | 2022 Finnish Championships | 2 | 57.90 | 1 | 127.19 | 2 | 185.09 |
| Feb 1–6, 2022 | 2022 Sofia Trophy | 6 | 59.40 | 6 | 117.79 | 6 | 177.19 |
| Feb 24–27, 2022 | 2022 Bellu Memorial | 10 | 61.09 | 8 | 122.32 | 8 | 183.41 |
| Mar 4–6, 2022 | 2022 Tallink Hotels Cup | 6 | 56.35 | 4 | 118.35 | 6 | 174.70 |
Results in the 2022–23 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 21–24, 2022 | 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 13 | 60.43 | 12 | 115.66 | 13 | 176.09 |
| Oct 5–9, 2022 | 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy | 17 | 62.04 | 16 | 115.13 | 16 | 177.17 |
| Nov 17–20, 2022 | 2022 CS Warsaw Cup | 21 | 59.35 | 21 | 107.96 | 21 | 167.31 |
| Nov 24–27, 2022 | 2022 Tallinn Trophy | 5 | 54.26 | 5 | 107.89 | 5 | 162.15 |
| Dec 16–18, 2022 | 2023 Finnish Championships | 2 | 63.47 | 3 | 112.31 | 2 | 175.78 |
| Jan 12–16, 2023 | 2023 Winter World University Games | 26 | 56.70 | — | — | 26 | 56.70 |
| Feb 1–5, 2023 | 2023 Nordic Championships | 4 | 59.15 | 3 | 122.43 | 3 | 181.58 |
| Feb 16–19, 2023 | 2023 Tallink Hotels Cup | 10 | 56.99 | 9 | 120.72 | 9 | 177.71 |
Results in the 2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 8–10, 2023 | 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy | 13 | 43.42 | 12 | 107.97 | 13 | 151.39 |
| Oct 4–8, 2023 | 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy | 11 | 67.96 | 10 | 132.59 | 10 | 200.55 |
| Oct 27–29, 2023 | 2023 Tirnavia Ice Cup | 3 | 69.93 | 4 | 124.94 | 4 | 194.87 |
| Nov 17–19, 2023 | 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo | 12 | 54.44 | 12 | 107.56 | 12 | 162.00 |
| Dec 6–9, 2023 | 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 6 | 67.67 | 7 | 130.63 | 7 | 198.30 |
| Dec 15–17, 2023 | 2024 Finnish Championships | 1 | 74.09 | 2 | 130.03 | 1 | 204.12 |
| Jan 8–14, 2024 | 2024 European Championships | 18 | 70.40 | 20 | 122.35 | 20 | 192.75 |
| Feb 1–4, 2024 | 2024 Nordic Championships | 3 | 59.65 | 2 | 126.98 | 3 | 186.63 |
| Feb 15–18, 2024 | 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup | 6 | 66.21 | 5 | 138.10 | 6 | 204.31 |
Results in the 2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 12–15, 2024 | 2024 CS Lombardia Trophy | 14 | 60.12 | 17 | 106.38 | 16 | 166.50 |
| Oct 11–13, 2024 | 2024 CS Budapest Trophy | 5 | 64.79 | 4 | 129.83 | 5 | 194.62 |
| Nov 15–17, 2024 | 2024 Finlandia Trophy | 11 | 59.58 | 10 | 120.90 | 10 | 180.48 |
| Dec 4–7, 2024 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 14 | 61.24 | 18 | 93.91 | 17 | 155.15 |
| Jan 16–18, 2025 | 2025 Winter World University Games | 19 | 61.20 | 16 | 117.52 | 16 | 178.72 |
| Feb 18–20, 2025 | Road to 26 Trophy | 11 | 60.79 | 11 | 121.16 | 11 | 181.95 |

### Junior level

Results in the 2018–19 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 14–16, 2018 | 2019 Finnish Championships (Junior) | 4 | 38.42 | 3 | 75.76 | 4 | 114.18 |
| Feb 7–10, 2019 | 2019 Nordic Championships (Junior) | 3 | 40.30 | 4 | 72.15 | 4 | 112.45 |
| Feb 22–24, 2019 | 2019 Tallink Hotels Cup | 3 | 44.14 | 2 | 83.40 | 3 | 127.54 |
Results in the 2019–20 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 18–21, 2019 | 2019 JGP Poland | 24 | 41.26 | 22 | 72.90 | 24 | 114.16 |
| Oct 17–20, 2019 | 2019 Halloween Cup | 9 | 37.71 | 8 | 74.54 | 8 | 112.25 |
| Dec 13–15, 2019 | 2020 Finnish Championships (Junior) | 1 | 48.86 | 3 | 77.18 | 2 | 126.04 |
| Jan 7–12, 2020 | 2020 Mentor Toruń Cup | 5 | 51.04 | 5 | 91.99 | 6 | 143.03 |
| Feb 5–9, 2020 | 2020 Nordic Championships (Junior) | 4 | 50.43 | 5 | 82.83 | 5 | 133.26 |
Results in the 2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Aug 18–21, 2021 | 2021 JGP France I | 7 | 54.85 | 5 | 107.73 | 6 | 162.58 |
| Sep 1–4, 2021 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | 10 | 58.17 | 13 | 102.79 | 14 | 160.96 |
| Apr 13–17, 2022 | 2022 World Junior Championships | 26 | 56.26 | — | — | 26 | 56.26 |
Results in the 2022–23 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Aug 24–27, 2022 | 2022 JGP France | 10 | 52.93 | 11 | 94.37 | 11 | 147.30 |
| Sep 7–10, 2022 | 2022 JGP Latvia | 5 | 67.11 | 5 | 121.92 | 5 | 189.03 |
| Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2023 | 2023 World Junior Championships | 29 | 56.49 | — | — | 29 | 56.49 |