# Sofja Stepčenko

Sofja Stepčenko (born 21 December 2006) is a Latvian figure skater. She is a two-time Latvian national champion (2022-23) and 2023 Volvo Open Cup champion. She placed eleventh at the 2023 European Championships.

## Career
### Early years

Stepčenko competed in the advanced novice category for two seasons and then moved up to the junior ranks. She made her ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in September 2021.

### 2022–23 season

Stepčenko began her season on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing twenty-first at the 2022 JGP France and twelfth at the 2022 JGP Latvia. In November, making her senior international debut, she placed fourth at the Volvo Open Cup and seventh at the Tallinn Trophy. Her first senior international medal, gold, came in December 2022 at the Latvia Trophy. The second-best Latvian woman at the event was Angelīna Kučvaļska, who finished in fifth place.
Stepčenko was nominated to represent Latvia at the 2023 European Championships, which took place in January in Helsinki, Finland. Ranked fourteenth in the short program, she qualified to the free skate and climbed to eleventh overall. This was the best European result by a Latvian woman since Angelina Kučvaļska's fourth place at the 2016 edition. Stepčenko came twenty-third at the 2023 World Championships.

### 2023–24 season

Stepčenko started the season by competing on the Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixth at the 2023 JGP Turkey. She went on to compete on the senior international level as well, winning the 2023 Jelgava Cup and placing twelfth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.
Appearing again on the Junior Grand Prix, Stepčenko finished tenth at the 2023 JGP Armenia. Her next event was the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy, where she finished eleventh. Going on to compete at two events in Latvia, Stepčenko won silver at the 2023 Volvo Open Cup and gold at the 2023 Latvia Trophy.
Selected to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, Stepčenko placed twenty-first in the short program and thirteenth in the free skate, finishing thirteenth overall. At this event, Stepčenko scored a new personal best free skate score. Soon after, Stepčenko competed on the junior level at the 2024 Volvo Open Cup, winning the gold medal.
Competing at the 2024 Youth Olympics, Stepčenko finished sixteenth.

### 2024–25 season

In July 2024, it was announced that Stepčenko was now being coached by Stéphane Lambiel in Champéry. Competing at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Stepčenko finished twelfth. Debuting on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Stepčenko finished twelfth at 2024 Skate America. She then went on to finish ninth at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy and at the 2024 Santa Claus Cup.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–2025 | Bridges by Alika Milova choreo. by Giulia Isceri | Le Bal des folles by Asaf Avidan choreo. by Stéphane Lambiel | |
| 2023–2024 | All Eyes On Me by Victor McKnight, SquigglyDigg choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | Il est oú le bonheur by Christophe Maé choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | We Are Number One (from LazyTown) by Máni Svavarsson & Stefán Karl Stefánsson |
| 2022–2023 | All Eyes On Me by Victor McKnight, SquigglyDigg choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | Il est oú le bonheur by Christophe Maé choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | |
| 2021–2022 | All Eyes On Me by Victor McKnight, SquigglyDigg choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | Il est oú le bonheur by Christophe Maé choreo. by Ruslan Kuzlovich | |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International :
| Event | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Worlds | | | 23rd | 31st | TBD |
| Europeans | | | 11th | 13th | |
| GP Skate America | | | | | 12th |
| CS Budapest Trophy | | | | 11th | |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | | | | 12th |
| CS Nepela Memorial | | | | 12th | |
| CS Tallinn Trophy | | | 7th | | 9th |
| Jelgava Cup | | | | 1st | |
| Latvia Trophy | | | 1st | 1st | |
| Road to 26 Trophy | | | | | TBD |
| Santa Claus Cup | | | | | 9th |
| Volvo Open Cup | | | 1st | 2nd | |
| Volvo Open Cup | | | 4th | 2nd | |
| Wolmar Spring Cup | | | 1st | | |
| International: Junior ||||||
| JGP Youth Olympics | | | | 16th | |
| JGP Armenia | | | | 10th | |
| JGP Austria | | 26th | | | |
| JGP France | | | 21st | | |
| JGP Latvia | | | 12th | | |
| JGP Poland | | 17th | | | |
| JGP Turkey | | | | 6th | |
| Kurbada Cup | | 2nd | | | |
| Petrenko Cup | | 2nd | | | |
| Volvo Open Cup | 5th | 2nd | | 1st | |
| National ||||||
| Latvian Champ. | | | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
* ↑ 48th Volvo Cup Open
* ↑ 47th Volvo Cup Open

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 159.34 | 2023 European Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 58.87 | 2023 World Championships |
| Short program | TES | 34.84 | 2023 World Championships |
| Short program | PCS | 25.67 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| Free skating | TSS | 105.16 | 2024 European Championships |
| Free skating | TES | 56.06 | 2024 European Championships |
| Free skating | PCS | 52.07 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

### Senior results

2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 27–December 2, 2024 | 2024 Santa Claus Cup | 11 45.88 | 6 93.08 | 9 138.96 |
| November 12–17, 2024 | 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy | 16 42.34 | 8 93.13 | 9 135.47 |
| October 18–20, 2024 | 2024 Skate America | 11 44.56 | 12 93.36 | 12 137.92 |
| September 19–21, 2024 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 11 53.29 | 13 91.98 | 12 145.27 |
| 2023–24 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 18–24, 2024 | 2024 World Championships | 31 46.74 | - | 31 46.74 |
| January 10–14,2024 | 2024 European Chamipnships | 21 52.53 | 13 105.16 | 13 157.69 |
| December 8–10, 2023 | 2023 Latvia Trophy | 1 60.01 | 1 110.75 | 1 170.76 |
| November 2–5, 2023 | 2023 Volvo Open Cup | 2 53.60 | 1 110.77 | 2 164.37 |
| October 13–15, 2023 | 2023 CS Budapest Trophy | 7 56.81 | 18 91.38 | 11 148.19 |
| September 28–30 2023 | 2023 CS Nepela Memorial | 15 47.48 | 11 94.75 | 12 142.23 |
| September 28–30 2023 | 2023 Jelgava Cup | 1 62.05 | 1 109.85 | 1 171.90 |
| 2022–23 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 7–9, 2023 | 2023 Wolmar Spring Cup | 1 60.80 | 2 99.07 | 1 159.87 |
| March 22–26, 2023 | 2023 World Championships | 18 58.87 | 24 99.51 | 23 158.38 |
| January 25–29, 2023 | 2023 European Championships | 14 55.32 | 11 104.02 | 11 159.34 |
| January 19–22, 2023 | 2023 Volvo Open Cup | 3 56.10 | 1 118.56 | 1 174.66 |
| December 16–18, 2022 | 2022 Latvia Trophy | 2 58.64 | 1 119.07 | 1 177.71 |
| November 24–27, 2022 | 2022 Tallinn Trophy | 9 47.80 | 4 97.66 | 7 145.46 |
| November 3–4, 2022 | 2022 Volvo Open Cup | 10 48.65 | 2 111.62 | 4 160.27 |

### Junior results

2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| January 28–30, 2024 | 2024 Winter Youth Olympics | 16 44.77 | 16 76.02 | 16 120.79 |
| January 10–14,2024 | 2024 Volvo Open Cup | 1 56.67 | 2 103.31 | 1 159.98 |
| October 4–7, 2023 | 2023 JGP Armenia | 13 46.23 | 10 93.78 | 10 140.01 |
| September 6–8, 2023 | 2023 JGP Turkey | 15 56.78 | 11 100.63 | 12 157.41 |
| 2022–23 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| September 7–10, 2022 | 2022 JGP Latvia | 18 43.24 | 9 96.75 | 12 139.99 |
| August 24–27, 2022 | 2022 JGP France | 22 34.11 | 20 66.07 | 21 100.18 |
| 2021–22 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 8–10, 2022 | 2022 Kurbada Cup | 3 44.83 | 2 90.73 | 2 135.56 |
| November 3–7, 2021 | 2021 Volvo Open Cup | 2 48.51 | 6 78.36 | 2 126.87 |
| October 20–23, 2021 | 2021 Petrenko Cup | 2 48.55 | 2 97.23 | 2 145.78 |
| October 6–9, 2021 | 2021 JGP Austria | 16 46.16 | 31 60.48 | 26 106.64 |
| September 29–October 2, 2021 | 2021 JGP Poland | 22 35.38 | 14 74.18 | 17 109.56 |
| 2020–21 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 7–8, 2020 | 2020 Volvo Open Cup | 5 41.20 | 5 66.32 | 5 107.52 |