Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin: “Figure skating is very expensive, especially when you’re no longer supported by Russia’s federation. To afford our dream, we spent half a year coaching and performing in ice shows.”
Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin: Transitioning to the Armenian Team and Chasing Olympic Dreams
original source: Sports dd. September 18th 2025 by Maya Bagriantseva
Karina Akopova and her partner Nikita Rakhmanin transitioned from the Russian national figure skating team to representing Armenia, marking their comeback to international competitions after a two-year hiatus. In an interview, they reflected on challenges, sacrifices, and their path towards earning an Olympic berth in Beijing. Here’s a translation of their comments.
“Q: You kicked off the season with a performance in the U.S. in early September. Was it a good warm-up for Beijing?”
Nikita Rakhmanin: Yes, it was. After such a long break from competing abroad, the last time was in Holland back in February 2022, it felt good to be back in the international atmosphere.
Karina Akopova: And simply competing again was a relief. Our last domestic event was the Grand Prix in Kazan in the fall of 2023. I was incredibly nervous about returning to competition after such a long pause – and to start in New York, surrounded by celebrated pairs.
When I first saw Deanna in person during practice, I treated her like a goddess, just staring in awe. She smiled back, and later, we had a delightful little chat.
It’s a pity we got too nervous and made mistakes in the free program (we ended up in fifth place), but overall, it was a positive experience – especially after the long break. As a bonus, we got to explore New York since it was our first time in America. Everything is expensive there, but we walked a lot – ha-ha.
Q: Did you walk to the rink too?
Karina Akopova: Yes, it was just a 15-minute walk. Everything felt very different from the way events are organized in Russia. There, you’re picked up from the hotel, everything is arranged for you, even meals, whereas here, you’re responsible for planning everything yourself. For example, the day before the competition, we had practice in New Jersey, and we considered taking a taxi, but the fare was $200 one way! Thankfully, our friends lent us a car.
Q: You waited two seasons to resolve your release from the Russian team. How hard was it?
Karina Akopova: It was tough. Especially since our training group (coached by Dmitry Savin and Fedor Klimov, where pairs from Hungary, Holland, and Poland also practice) constantly sent their skaters to competitions: World Championships, Grand Prix Series – you name it. And then there we were, stuck in one spot, feeling as if we were wasting time.
Q: How did you find the motivation to keep training during those years?
Karina Akopova: Honestly, I don’t know. We just sat there waiting. In the last six months, we felt so defeated that we started coaching others to distract ourselves. Nikita has a group of amateur skaters he trains, and I began helping with choreography and skating techniques.
Nikita Rakhmanin: I’ve been coaching for about a year and a half now. My group includes kids and even a 63-year-old figure skater – I’m genuinely proud of her. I’m glad Karina joined me in coaching; it kept her focused during such a tough time.
Q: Did you ever consider quitting figure skating altogether?
Karina Akopova: Of course. Especially last winter, when we were denied release again. Thankfully, we were invited to perform in ice shows – so I immersed myself in rehearsals and touring from city to city. That’s what kept me afloat.
But when the shows ended, the realization set in: we might have to wait again. And whether we’d ever get released remained uncertain. That was a particularly dark period.
Nikita Rakhmanin: We even considered moving to Europe to join shows while we waited for the quarantine to end.
Karina Akopova: But we hesitated. What if something happened, and we couldn’t return in time to properly prepare for the season? Show contracts can be lengthy, and we didn’t want to risk it.
Q: Do you remember the moment you were told you weren’t being released?
Nikita Rakhmanin: Yes, it was late December. We were rehearsing for a show when I got a text message from someone who had found out early: “You weren’t released.”
Karina Akopova: It took us a couple of days to confirm with the coaches. We were completely drained emotionally. We even wondered if it was fate telling us to quit and move on.
Q: Were you given any explanation?
Nikita Rakhmanin: None at all. Just “quarantine extension.” We never received any official paperwork detailing the reason.
Q: In May this year, you were finally released. What was that moment like?
Nikita Rakhmanin: I got another text from the same person, but this time with good news. I was alone shopping at the store, so I told Karina only when I got home. We had just returned from vacation and decided that if we weren’t released again, we’d go back on another holiday. When I walked into the house, I said, “Vacation is canceled!”
Karina Akopova: This time, we were prepared for both good and bad outcomes. We’d learned from past disappointments.
Nikita Rakhmanin: Last fall, we were so confident we’d be released that we planned out the entire next season, ignoring worst-case scenarios. This time, we did the opposite and prepared for everything.
Q: Switching from competing for Russia also meant financial changes. How has that affected you?
Karina Akopova: Figure skating is very expensive, especially when you’re no longer supported by Russia’s federation. We’ve had to pay for many things ourselves. To afford our dream, we spent half a year coaching and performing in ice shows. Now, we carefully budget every expense – some training camps are off-limits, and we have to cut costs wherever we can.
Q: Why did you choose Armenia?
Karina Akopova: My entire family is Armenian – on both my father’s and mother’s sides. I received my Armenian passport because my parents’ nationality was listed on my birth certificate. So, it felt like the natural choice for us.
Q: When did you receive your passport?
Karina Akopova: Two years ago. Before that, my mom and I traveled to Armenia and explored the country. Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to be so beautiful. There are so many sights to see, and we wanted to visit everything.
Q: When did the idea of switching flags first come up?
Karina Akopova: Conversations like that occurred when I was very young. Back then, I skated in a pair with Luka Berulava under Stas Morozov’s coaching. He used to joke that I should skate for either Georgia or Armenia, saying we’d form a pair dubbed “Giorgio Armani.”
Years ago, Dmitry Nikolaevich (Savin) even nicknamed me “Grandma Siranush.” I was learning triple throw jumps, and to cushion the falls, they stuffed car-washing sponges into my shorts. I was skinny, but thanks to the padding, my hips looked enormous!
Later, when Nikita and I teamed up, we began taking small steps toward changing federations, but then COVID-19 put everything on pause, and we couldn’t secure sponsors. We let the idea go for a while and revisited it only a couple of years later, after I had an injury. We had missed many competitions, and I spent a long time recovering. We had fallen behind pairs we were once competitive with.
Friends started asking us why we didn’t explore switching federations. During that long break from competing, I seriously started considering it for the first time.
Initially, though, I had no support.
Q: Not even from Nikita?
Karina Akopova: No, he agreed fairly quickly, but it was harder with the coaches.
We started slowly – slipping Armenian words into conversations during practice, wishing our coaches happy birthday in Armenian. But that didn’t help much.
Fedor Klimov was strongly against it. He believed we were capable of competing with other Russian pairs, considering how far we had come, and insisted we shouldn’t throw that away. He repeatedly told us that there was no point in switching federations.
Q: What about Dmitry Savin?
Karina Akopova: His reaction – if I phrase it politely – was something like, “Are you crazy?” (laughs). He tried convincing us to stay and compete for Russia. Our coaches firmly believe in competing against the best in the world, and Russia has set the bar extremely high.
Nikita Rakhmanin: But as time passed, it became obvious that making a quick return to the top would be very difficult for us. And gradually, people started to listen.
Karina Akopova: We wore everyone down with this idea to the point that they just gave in. They realized there was no use arguing with us – we wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise. At the same time, we continued preparing documents, reached out to the Armenian Skating Federation, and handled everything ourselves. Well, my mom deserves a lot of credit – she basically became our manager and handled everything like a pro.
Q: Your free program with an Indian theme has remained unchanged for three years now. Are you tired of it?
Karina Akopova: Not at all! It’s still special to me. I’d long dreamed of skating to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, and I love the costumes and choreography. It’s unique compared to the more common choices like Carmen.
Q: But your new short program is quite different – ‘Artsakh’ by Armenian composer Gevorgyan.
Karina Akopova: Yes, that was my idea, though initially no one liked it – ha-ha. Even Nikita wasn’t enthusiastic at first.
Nikita Rakhmanin: I really loved our previous short program, Carmen. It felt like the perfect Olympic choice.
Karina Akopova: But I wanted to skate to music by an Armenian composer for our first season under the Armenian flag. It felt meaningful – not just for us, but for Armenia. It’s a small gesture, but it’s important.”
Related topics: Karina Akopova, Nikita Rakhmanin
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