Deniss Vasiļjevs

Vasiļjevs was born on 9 August 1999 in Daugavpils, Latvia to parents, Regina and Sergejs.^[2][3] Regina is a former dancer and Sergejs is an electrical engineer.^[4][3] In 2016, Vasiļjevs began living in Champery, Switzerland, but remained a student at Daugavpils Russian Secondary School – Lyceum.^[5] He enjoys drawing^[6] and speaks four languages – Latvian, Russian, French and English.^[7]

Vasiļjevs also helps coach young skaters at the Skating School of Switzerland.^[8] After earning a bachelor's degree in Sports and Social Sciences Teacher program at the University of Daugavpils, he went on to earn a master's degree in Leadership and Management. Vasiļjevs wrote his thesis on the topic of "Effective Leadership in Latvian Skating."^[9][3]

His figure skating role models include Stéphane Lambiel, Daisuke Takahashi, Patrick Chan, and Javier Fernández.^[10]

Vasiļjevs began skating in 2002.^[2] As he was often sick, his parents decided to involve him in a sport, first considering swimming and then skating.^[11] In addition, he also began taking ballet classes around that time. Due to there being no permanent figure skating coaches in his hometown of Daugavpils, Vasiļjevs would primarily work with specialists that would make the trip to his skating rink from Riga as well as attend training camps outside of Latvia when possible.^[3] Around 2010, Vasiļjevs' parents arranged for him to live with and train under the guidance of Lithuanian coach Ingrida Snieškienė in Paris, France.^[4][3] Due to his schooling, he spent part of the year training in Daugavpils.^[4]

Vasiļjevs debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in 2013, placing seventh in Riga, Latvia and 10th in Gdańsk, Poland.^[12] He was named in Latvia's team to the World Junior Championships, held in March 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ranked eleventh in the short program, he qualified for the free skate, where he placed seventh, pulling him up to eighth overall.^[13]

During the 2014–15 figure skating season, Vasiļjevs placed fourth at both of his Junior Grand Prix assignments, in Courchevel, France and Tallinn, Estonia. He won the silver medal at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, held in January 2015 in Dornbirn, Austria.^[14] He began working with Alexei Urmanov before the 2015 World Junior Championships,^[10] which took place in March in Tallinn, Estonia. He placed 8th in both segments and 7th overall.^[15]

Vasiļjevs began the 2015–16 season by winning silver at both of his JGP events in Riga, Latvia and Toruń, Poland. He is the first Latvian skater to step on a JGP podium.^[16][17] Making his senior international debut, he placed 5th at the 2015 Mordovian Ornament before taking the bronze medal at the 2015 Tallinn Trophy.^[16]

In January 2016, Vasiļjevs was sent to his first senior ISU Championship – the 2016 Europeans in Bratislava, Slovakia. He finished 12th after placing 14th in the short program and 10th in the free skate.^[18] In February, he competed in Hamar, Norway at the 2016 Youth Olympics. Ranked third in the short program and first in the free skate, he finished second overall with a total score 1.09 less than gold medalist Sōta Yamamoto of Japan.^[19] His silver is Latvia's first Youth Olympic medal in figure skating.^{[citation needed]} Vasiļjevs was assigned to compete in the mixed NOC team event as a member of Team Discovery. Placing first in his segment,^[20] he lifted his team to the bronze medal.^[19]

By 2016, Vasiļjevs was training almost full-time with Urmanov in Sochi, Russia.^[10] In March, at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, he won a small bronze medal for the short program and finished 8th overall.^[21] Later that month, he competed at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. He qualified for the free skate by placing tenth in the short program and finishing 14th overall.^[22]

In spring 2016, Vasiļjevs had new programs choreographed by Stéphane Lambiel in Champéry, Switzerland.^[17] He was diagnosed with a tear in his left adductor muscle during the off-season and visited Toronto in late July 2016 for physiotherapy.^[23][24] On 25 August 2016, he announced that Lambiel had agreed to coach him in Champéry.^[25][26] He started practicing double jumps in early September.^[27] He also worked on developing his program details, steps, and spins.^[28]

In November, Vasiljevs made his Grand Prix debut. He placed 11th at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and then 6th at the 2016 NHK Trophy. He ranked 6th in both segments and 7th overall at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In March, he won his first international senior gold medal^[29] at the 2017 Cup of Tyrol. He finished 14th at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Due to his result, Latvia qualified a spot in the men's event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Vasiļjevs began his season in September, finishing 4th at Lombardia Trophy.^[30] He finished in 8th place at Rostelecom Cup.^[31] In November, he was ninth in the short program^[32] at NHK Trophy but placed fifth in the free skate and climbed to 6th overall.^[33] He went on to win gold at Cup of Tyrol for the second time.^[34]

In December, Vasiļjevs won his third national title,^[35] and along with Diāna Ņikitina, was subsequently selected to represent Latvia in figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics.^[36] At the 2018 European Championships in January, he placed third in the short program and earned a small bronze medal.^[37][38] He was fifth in the free skating after falling on a downgraded quad toe loop and finished fourth,^[39] matching the record finishes of Angelīna Kučvaļska^[40] and Konstantīns Kostins at previous European Championships.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Vasiļjevs was twenty-first after the short program after falling on a triple Axel.^[41] In the free skating, he fell again on a triple Axel and another element,^[42] but was able to move up to nineteenth place. In March, Vasiļjevs competed at the World Championships, where he skated a clean short program and placed ninth.^[43] In the free skate, he set a new personal best and national record to finish sixth overall.^[44][45] His sixth-place finish is the highest ever placement by any skater representing Latvia in any discipline at Worlds.^[46]

In October, Vasiljevs competed at Japan Open, placing fifth in his segment but winning silver as part of team Europe. He placed eighth at NHK Trophy and seventh at the Internationaux de France. He was scheduled to compete at Golden Spin in December but withdrew due to illness.^[47]

Vasiljevs placed eleventh at the 2019 European Championships and twenty-first at the 2019 World Championships.

To begin the season, Vasiljevs won the bronze medal at the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial, the second Challenger medal of his career. He began on the Grand Prix at the 2019 Skate Canada International, placing fourth in the short program after putting a foot down on his triple Lutz.^[48] He came seventh in the free skate, dropping to fifth place overall.^[49] He was sixth at the 2019 Rostelecom Cup.^[50]

Next competing at the 2020 European Championships, Vasiljevs placed fifth in the short program despite still having a twisted ankle.^[51] He was seventh in the free skate with a few underrotated jumps and slipped to sixth place overall.^[52] He then won a gold medal at the Nordic Championships, which proved to be his final competition of the season, as the 2020 World Championships were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.^[53]

Vasiljevs began the season at the 2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, which, due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, was attended only by skaters from and training in Europe; Vasiljevs was considered one of the pre-event favourites.^[54] Only fifth in the short program, he won the free skate and the gold medal, in the process landing a quad Salchow for the first time.^[55] Vasiljevs was also assigned to compete at the 2020 Internationaux de France, but this event was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.^[56]

Vasiljevs placed eighteenth at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm.^[57] This result qualified one men's berth for Latvia at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.^[58]

Vasiljevs began the season at the Olympic test event, the 2021 Asian Open, where he placed fourth.^[59] His first Grand Prix event was scheduled to be the 2021 Cup of China, but following its cancellation, he was reassigned to the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia in Turin.^[60] He was fourth at that event as well with new person bests in the free skate and total score, and praised the "overwhelming feeling" of competing for an audience again.^[61] At his second event, the 2021 Internationaux de France, Vasiljevs was second in the short program with a new personal best score. Seventh in the free skate after errors on both his quad Salchow attempt and one of his triple Axels, he again finished fourth overall while still setting new personal bests again.^[62] 

At the 2022 European Championships, Vasiljevs placed sixth after the short program, skating cleanly. In the free skate, Vasiljevs landed a quad Salchow and skated the rest of his program cleanly to rise to bronze medal position in the free skate and overall, making the podium for the first time at Europeans. He improved his personal best scores in all segments at the event, and his medal marked the first medal for Latvia at the European Championships in any discipline. He called it "a milestone in my journey that I don’t know where it leads."^[63]

Named to his second Latvian team for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Vasiljevs placed sixteenth in the short program of the men's event.^[64] Twelfth in the free skate, despite a fall on his quad attempt, Vasiljevs rose to thirteenth place overall.^[65] He was thirteenth as well at the 2022 World Championships.^[59]

Vasiljevs worked extensively with choreographer Salome Brunner on his short program to Sting's "Englishman in New York", saying, "I never before put that much of myself into a program."^[66] He won the bronze medal at the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial to start the season before finishing tenth at the 2022 Skate Canada International.^[59] Vasiljevs rallied from this disappointing result and won the silver medal at his second Grand Prix, the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy. This was the first Grand Prix medal of his career and the first for a Latvian skater. Speaking on the subject, he said he was "very happy today that I had the first Latvian Grand Prix medal, but that's not the focus that I feel the most satisfied. It's a feeling, the standing ovation, the people cheering, the clapping...this energy is something way above, something way beyond what you get just by achieving something."^[67]

Seeking to defend his podium place at the 2023 European Championships, Vasiljevs finished third in the short program despite underrotating part of his jump combination, winning a small bronze medal. He said that in his own mind "I wasn't defending anything. I was skating for my own joy."^[68][69] The free skate proved more difficult, making an error on his quad attempt and underrotating two other triple jumps, dropping him to fifth overall.^[70][71] Vasiljevs came thirteenth at the World Championships for a second consecutive year.^[59]

After feeling somewhat disappointed by his results in the prior season, Vasiljevs set a goal to focus on the upcoming European Championships.^[72] He came seventh at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial in his first competition of the season.^[59] On the Grand Prix, he was ninth at the 2023 Skate America.^[73] He went on to finish seventh at the 2023 NHK Trophy, and said he was continuing to struggle with the balance between technical development and "keeping my passion for artistry."^[74]

Vasiljevs came sixth at the 2024 European Championships.^[75] Following these championships, Vasiljevs decided to change his long program from "Blues Deluxe" to the "Lion King," a program that he had previously performed in exhibitions.^[76]

Finishing the season at the 2024 World Championships, he was seventh overall, having come eighth in each segment and receiving standing ovations for his performances.. Vasiljevs said that it had been a "rough season" that he was glad to be done with, but that it was "great to end it like this."^[77][76]

Vasiljevs started the season by winning bronze at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, before taking silver at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy.^[59][78]

Competing on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Vasiljevs finished fifth at 2024 Skate America.^[79] “This season I am aiming for consistent performances throughout the season,” Vasiljevs said. “That is my main goal. I think my new consistency comes from me believing and trusting more in myself and my own decisions. It’s still a learning process, I will never stop learning.”^[79] He went on to place seventh at the 2024 Cup of China.^[59][80]

In February, Vasiljevs competed at the 2025 European Championships. He was twelfth after the short program but rose to sixth place overall after having the third best score in the free skate.^[81][82] “I feel great!” said Vasiljevs after the free skate. “These are the moments—all the training, all the pain, everything we go through—it’s worth it. These are the moments I’m doing this for, and I’m so grateful. I love this arena. I love this ice rink. I would love to do something like this here one day without the competition pressure, just a performance on the ice, like an exhibition. I think I would feel exactly the same, but right now I’m feeling incredible.”^[82]

In March, at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Vasiljevs finished the short program in sixteenth place after falling on his triple Axel attempt.^[83][84] He performed better in the free skate, which began with a successful quad Salchow. He skated cleanly for the rest of the program as well and was given a standing ovation by the crowd.^[85] His score of 252.26 points was his best result of the season, and he climbed to finish in eleventh place. Vasiljev's placement, along with that of fellow Latvian, Fedir Kulish, earned two quotas for Latvia in the men's event at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.^[86] In an interview following the free skate, he shared, "I feel fantastic. This is a moment I will keep in my heart forever and for my entire life. I felt raw and elegant during that performance, just how my character should be. Everything connected. These are the moments I strive for. I’m really feeling satisfied right now, and that is really rare. I’m so proud of myself. I overcame myself and delivered a good performance."^[87]

In early September, Vasiļjevs shared via his Ko-fi account that undisclosed issues with the Latvian Skating Association had resulted in financial troubles, forcing him to withdraw from the 2025 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where he had originally intended to start his season.^[88] Later in the month, it was reported that Vasiļjevs had been owed competition-related expenses dating back to January 2024, and that the Latvian Skating Association had only paid the all expenses he was owed in September 2025. The Latvian Skating Association said that the delay was because he and his manager had sent the request for funding late, while Vasiljevs's manager said they had been in repeated contact with the Association about the funding.^[89][90]