Adelina Sotnikova

Russian figure skater who became the first Russian woman to win Olympic gold in ladies' singles, in a controversial home-soil victory at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Adelina Sotnikova was born on 1 July 1996 in Moscow, and began skating at age four, training at CSKA Moscow. She rose through the junior ranks quickly, winning the 2011 World Junior Championship, and went on to win two European Championship silver medals as a senior, in 2012 and 2013, and four Russian national titles. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Sotnikova was initially expected to skate only in the team event alongside 15-year-old teammate Yulia Lipnitskaya, but Russian officials made a late decision to have Lipnitskaya skate both team segments instead, keeping Sotnikova fresh for the individual event. Skating in front of a supportive home crowd, Sotnikova delivered a technically dense free skate with four triple-triple combinations to overtake reigning Olympic champion Yuna Kim and win gold with a score of 224.59, becoming the first Russian woman ever to win Olympic gold in ladies' singles. The result proved highly contentious, drawing widespread media scrutiny of the judging panel and a petition signed by over a million people calling for an investigation, though the result ultimately stood. Sotnikova was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship by President Vladimir Putin, but injuries increasingly limited her in subsequent seasons, and she formally retired from competitive skating in 2020, going on to perform in ice shows and open a figure skating school and beauty salon in Moscow.

Technically dense skater known for multiple triple-triple jump combinations packed into her free skate programs

A historic figure in Russian skating whose Olympic win, despite ongoing debate over the judging, is credited with inspiring a new generation of Russian ladies' singles skaters

• 2014 Olympic Gold Medal
• 2x European Championship Silver Medal (2012, 2013)
• 2011 World Junior Champion
• 4x Russian National Champion