“Success doesn’t come overnight, so make sure you enjoy the journey”
Leah Neset is an American ice dancer. With skating partner Artem Markelov, she is the 2024 Junior World Champion, 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix gold medalist, and three-time US Junior National Champion (2022, 2023, 2024)
Neset was born on December 7, 2005 in Minot, North Dakota to mother Cheri, a dental hygienist and skating coach, and father Kris, a civil engineer. He has a younger sister, Kylie.
Knesset became interested in skating at the age of three, as her mother was involved in the sport and her father was a college hockey player. Cheri’s mother was her first coach. Knesset, along with her mother and younger sister, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2018 in order for Knesset and then-skating partner Dimitri Tsarevsky to begin training under the two-time World Junior silver medalist , Elena Dostatny. The young team won the silver medal in the intermediate ice dance category at the 2019 US Figure Skating Championships before finally splitting up in May 2019.
Neset eventually connected with her current partner, Artem Markelov, through a Russian ice dance matchmaking website. Originally from Volgograd, Markelov chose to settle in the United States to work with Neset in March 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed international travel.
Women’s Gymnastics President Ms. Namita Nayyar meets Leah Neset, an extremely talented American ice dancer here, who talks about her fitness routine, diet and success story.
Namita Nayar:
You were born in Minot, North Dakota, USA and moved in 2018 to Colorado Springs, Colorado. You started skating at the age of three and then at the age of 14 won the silver medal in the Intermediate ice dance category at the 2019 US Figure Skating Championships. This later propelled your career to the height where you topped the dance world at ice in the junior category. Tell us more about your professional journey of extraordinary hard work, perseverance and endurance?
Leah Nesset:
I started my skating journey at a young age in Minot, North Dakota. My mom was a figure skater and continues to coach and my dad was a hockey player and continues to play and manage hockey, it was meant to be! While skating in North Dakota, I competed and tested freestyle, skating skills and pattern dances, with my mom as my main coach. When I was about ten years old, we took a trip to Colorado Springs for the first time to skate at the World Arena Ice Hall.
I found it very inspiring to see the high intensity training of so many great skaters and I wanted to be like them. After that first trip, we made several more visits to Colorado Springs, during one of which I had the opportunity to try ice dancing with a partner. Eventually, I moved to Colorado Springs with my family in 2018 to pursue competitive ice dancing. I skated with this partner for a year and then continued to train my personal skills until I formed a partnership with my current partner, Artem Markelov, in 2020. From the first day we skated together, we knew we were a good match.
Since then, we’ve skated four seasons together so far. During our first season together, most competitions were canceled due to the pandemic. Fortunately, the US Figure Skating Championships were still held and we were able to take 6th place there. In our second season, we competed in our first internationals and won our first Junior National title. In our third season, we won our first international medal and competed in our first World Junior Championships. In our most recent season, we were able to have an undefeated season and become World Junior Champions. Through it all, we’ve grown a lot as skaters and as people, and we can’t wait for what the future holds!
Namita Nayar:
You won the Gold Medal at the 2024 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. Tell us more about this spectacular achievement of yours?
Leah Nesset:
Winning the gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan was very special. It represented all the hard work we had put in and also gave us further ambition for the future. It was a special honor to stand on the podium and realize that we represent more than ourselves when we skate. We represent our country, the United States of America, as well as our coaching staff and our families who have invested so much in us. While we were in Taipei City, we also had fun cheering on our teammates and visiting some of the cool sights there!
Namita Nayar:
In 2021, you teamed up with Russian ice dancer Artem Markelov and it’s been no-holds-barred since then. Both of you have won many ice dancing competitions. Tell us more about your Ice dance arenas, the perfect chemistry between the two and timing in perfect harmony when performing in a competition.
Leah Nesset:
I am very grateful to skate with Artem. It is so special to be able to share this journey together! Working in a team isn’t always easy, but it’s the challenges that make the journey all the more meaningful. Especially when we started skating together, it was hard to overcome the cultural and personality differences.
However, I believe our differences make us an even better match. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, which allow us to push each other to become better. We have so much fun performing, traveling and chasing our dreams together. I think because we have such a strong connection, we can show that on the ice. When it comes to timing, this is all the result of many hours of practice.
The full interview continues on the next page
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