No skater, team or pair has won three titles in a row at the junior level at the U.S. Championships. But ice dancers Leah Neset and Artem Markelov are on the precipice of history as they enter the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio as favorites for their third consecutive U.S. title.
"We are definitely grateful for the opportunity that we're given," Markelov said in response to learning that fact in a recent interview. "I think our main focus will be to do our job and see if it holds. That's the primary goal, to show what we can do and keep improving."
Neset and Markelov are undefeated so far this season after winning the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023 in Beijing in December, as well as the fall's Lake Placid Ice Dance International and their Junior Grand Prix assignments in Thailand and Japan.
The victory at the Grand Prix Final is the most significant in the team's career. They notched a new free dance international personal best as well as a personal best for overall score – topping their previous best by more than eight points.
Furthermore, the win marked the first U.S. junior ice dance gold since 2016 (Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons). It was also the first time that the U.S. swept the ice dance gold medals in the history of the Grand Prix Final, as Madison Chock and Evan Bates were victorious at the senior level.
Markelov was quick to shout out the fans who supported from afar while they competed overnight at the Grand Prix Final.
"We heard there were people from the rink who got up at 3 a.m. at night to watch us," he said. "We really appreciate that! It means a lot to us that people woke up in the middle of the night to watch us and cheer for us."
Now in their fourth season competing together, it seems that Neset and Markelov are hitting their stride with some key upgrades for this year.
"I think it's the development throughout our career that's brought us here, where we are right now," said Markelov, a Volgograd, Russia to Colorado Springs transplant. "There's always a lot more room to improve, so we need to keep working hard and see where it will lead us in the future."
But when they partnered up in March of 2020, they were virtual strangers.
"When we first started skating together, there was a little bit of a language and cultural barrier," Neset explained. "We've been skating together a while now, so we know each other a lot better and know how to work together."
"For the first season, we still were getting to know each other," Markelov added. "I was getting to know Elena's [coach Elena Dostatni] system of working. Now we're both familiar with each other. We're familiar with how the work is done, what needs to be done. I think that's the biggest difference."
The first few weeks of their burgeoning partnership were spent off the ice, due to COVID-19 restrictions, which they said helped them to learn the way they worked. That time also allowed them to get comfortable being around each other and learn what makes each other tick.
And now, decisions about the team's practices, workouts and training schedules are made together as a "family," Markelov added.
Another big difference this season has been the introduction of Kaitlyn Weaver as a choreographer for their '80s rhythm dance, which sampled "Still Loving You" by Scorpions and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
During her career, Weaver, along with partner Andrew Poje, won three World medals, three Canadian national titles and two Grand Prix Final titles.
"It was something new for us since it was a new experience," said Markelov of having Weaver as a choreographer. "We really loved to work with her. Hopefully she enjoyed working with us, too. It was very fun to just experiment with new style."
Despite not living through the 1980s – Neset is 18 and Markelov is 20 – Markelov said it was "fun to learn more about the culture" of the era.
In a year-end Instagram post, Weaver wrote: "So proud of my team as we close out 2023! Thank you for all of your hard work and trust. It is a privilege to be your choreographer. Onwards and upwards!" In the post, she tagged several American skaters as well as international skaters that she choreographed programs for, including Neset and Markelov.
Markelov said the team spent extra time focused on the rhythm dance during the creative process.
"We worked a lot off the ice this season trying to polish every movement, especially the rhythm dance because it's a lot of dancing," he said. "It took some practice and refinement."
The free dance did, too, Neset said, but that's because they are two very different programs, choreographed in very different styles. Nikolai Morozov choreographed "Anytime Anywhere" by Sarah Brightman and "Cry" by Thomas Bergerson for the team.
"We were trying to skate 'out there,'" Neset explained. "It was difficult at the beginning of the season because it felt like we could barely breathe in half the program. After a lot of work, it got easier. I feel like it's in a good spot now."
The team said they did not plan to make any major changes ahead of the U.S. Championships but vowed to keep improving all the way through the end of the season, specifically their performance and power on the ice.
From there, all they can do, like Neset said, is "see where it takes us."
Leah and Artem go for the three-peat at the U.S. Championships, which begin Monday, Jan. 22 in Columbus, Ohio. To purchase tickets, click here.
