Avonley Nguyen

Avonley Claren Nguyen (born November 22, 2002) is an American ice dancer. With her former partner, Vadym Kolesnik, she is the 2020 World Junior champion, the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, and the 2020 U.S. junior national champion. She has also won four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, including three golds, and qualified to the 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final.

Avonley Nguyen
Nguyen/Kolesnik at the 2019 World Junior Championships
Personal information
Full nameAvonley Claren Nguyen
Country represented United States
Born (2002-11-22) November 22, 2002
Cleveland, Ohio
Home townStone Ridge, Virginia
ResidenceNovi, Michigan
Height1.54 m (5 ft 1⁄2 in)
Former partnerVadym Kolesnik
Maxwell Gart
CoachIgor Shpilband
Pasquale Camerlengo
Adrienne Lenda
Natalia Deller
Former coachGreg Zuerlein[1]
Vitaliy Shalin[2]
ChoreographerIgor Shpilband
Pasquale Camerlengo
Skating clubSC of New York
Former skating clubWashington FSC
Training locationsNovi, Michigan
Former training locationsWashington, D.C.
Began skating2009
ISU personal best scores
Combined total177.18 (JWR)
2020 Junior Worlds
Short dance69.20
2019 JGP Poland
Free dance108.91 (JWR)
2020 Junior Worlds
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Ice dance
World Junior Championships
2020 TallinnIce dance
Junior Grand Prix Final
2019–20 TorinoIce dance

Personal life

Nguyen was born on November 22, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio.[3] She looks up to former training mates Madison Chock / Evan Bates.[4]

Career

Early years

Nguyen began learning to skate in 2009.[3] She began solo ice dance at age 11 and switched from singles to ice dance at the age of 12.[2][4] With her first partner, Maxwell Gart, she won silver in the intermediate category at the 2016 U.S. Championships.[5]

2016–2017 season

In autumn 2016, Nguyen and Ukrainian ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik had a three-week tryout in Novi, Michigan, following which he returned to Ukraine for a few months.[4] They began their partnership in February 2017.[6]

2017–2018 season

Nguyen/Kolesnik received their first ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) assignments in the 2017–2018 season. They placed fifth at JGP Belarus and sixth at JGP Italy. After taking gold in junior ice dancing at Midwestern Sectionals, they qualified to the 2018 U.S. Championships, where they would finish fifth.

2018–2019 season

Nguyen/Kolesnik won the silver medal at 2018 JGP Lithuania, behind Russia's Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov, and the gold at 2018 JGP Slovenia to qualify for their first JGP Final. They placed fifth overall at the 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final after placing fifth in the rhythm dance and fifth in the free dance.

At the 2019 U.S. Championships they won the silver medal behind Caroline Green / Gordon Green after placing second in the rhythm dance and winning the free dance.

At the 2019 World Junior Championships, Nguyen/Kolesnik placed fifth in the rhythm dance, but moved up to fourth overall after placing third in the free dance. They were awarded a small bronze medal for the free, where they had the highest technical base value of any of the competing teams, and the second-highest technical score overall.[7]

2019–2020 season: Junior World title
Nguyen/Kolesnik at the 2019–20 JGP Final

Nguyen/Kolesnik began their Junior Grand Prix season at the 2019 JGP United States, where they placed first in both segments with personal best scores and won the gold medal. At 2019 JGP Poland, they again set personal best scores in both segments to take the title and qualify for the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Competing at the Final, Nguyen/Kolesnik narrowly lost the gold medal by only 0.16 points behind Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya of Georgia at the JGP Final.[8] She commented "we're a little disappointed right now, but we’ll continue to keep on working. All our competitors were really strong. We were only a fourth of a point behind and we felt we could push and get to the next level, but it didn’t work out."[9]

At the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Nguyen/Kolesnik scored 184.38 total points to take the gold medal by more than 22 points. Their free dance, set to Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2," featured all positive grades of execution and eight Level 4 elements, earning 109.89 points.[10]

At the 2020 Bavarian Open, they placed first in both the rhythm dance and free dance to win the gold medal. They concluded the season at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, where they entered as one of the favorites for the title. Nguyen/Kolesnik placed third in the free skate, behind Shanaeva/Naryzhnyy and Kazakova/Reviya, after Nguyen stepped out of her twizzle sequence. She remarked that they had "left a few points on the table, but now we'll focus on the free dance."[11] They won the free dance, setting a new junior world record and taking the Junior World title over Kazakova/Reviya. Nguyen said afterward "I've dreamed about this moment for so long and to know that our work finally paid off, it just feels great!" Kolesnik indicated that they had not decided whether to move up to senior competition or remain at the junior level for another season.[12]

At the end of June, Nguyen announced that the two had split. She said she had "many happy memories" of their partnership, and wished him the best as they "pursued different paths." She said she was going to look for a new partner who shared her "passion, dedication and commitment" to the sport.[13]

Within minutes, Kolesnik's announcement post followed. He thanked Nguyen "for all you have done for our partnership," expressed his admiration for her, and wished her all the best.[14]

Programs

With Kolesnik
Season Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2019–2020
[15]
2018–19
[3]
    Short dance Free dance Exhibition
    2017–2018
    [16]

      Records and achievements

      Junior world record scores

      Nguyen/Kolesnik are the current junior world record holders for the free dance and total scores.

      Junior ice dance combined total records
      Date Score Event Note
      March 7, 2020 177.18 2020 World Junior Championships Current junior world record holder.
      Junior ice dance free dance
      Date Score Event Note
      March 7, 2020 108.91 2020 World Junior Championships Current junior world record holder.

      Competitive highlights

      JGP: Junior Grand Prix

      With Kolesnik
      Nguyen/Kolesnik (left) with Kazakova / Reviya (center) and Shanaeva / Naryzhnyy (right) on the 2019–20 JGP Final podium
      International: Junior[17]
      Event 17–18 18–19 19–20
      Junior Worlds4th1st
      JGP Final5th2nd
      JGP Belarus5th
      JGP Italy6th
      JGP Lithuania2nd
      JGP Poland1st
      JGP Slovenia1st
      JGP U.S.1st
      Bavarian Open1st
      National[17]
      U.S. Champ.5th J2nd J1st J
      Midwestern Sect.1st J
      J = Junior level; TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

      With Gart
      National
      Event 2015–16
      U.S. Championships2nd I
      Midwestern Sectionals3rd I
      I = Intermediate level

      Detailed results

      Small medals awarded only at ISU Championships. ISU personal bests highlighted in bold.

      Junior results
      Nguyen/Kolesnik at the 2019–20 JGP Final
      2019–20 season
      Date Event RD FD Total
      March 2–8, 2020 2020 World Junior Championships 3
      68.27      		 1
      108.91      		 1
      177.18
      February 3–9, 2020 2020 Bavarian Open 1
      64.13      		 1
      101.33      		 1
      165.46
      January 20–26, 2020 2020 U.S. Championships 1
      74.49      		 1
      109.89      		 1
      184.38
      December 5–8, 2019 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final 2
      68.72      		 2
      106.02      		 2
      174.74
      September 18–21, 2019 2019 JGP Poland 1
      69.20      		 1
      105.48      		 1
      174.68
      August 28–31, 2019 2019 JGP United States 1
      66.17      		 1
      104.63      		 1
      170.80
      2018–19 season
      Date Event RD FD Total
      March 4–10, 2019 2019 World Junior Championships 5
      65.18      		 3
      102.72      		 4
      167.90
      January 18–27, 2019 2019 U.S. Championships 2
      65.92      		 1
      105.14      		 2
      171.06
      December 7–12, 2018 2018–19 JGP Final 5
      63.73      		 5
      94.74      		 5
      158.47
      October 3–6, 2018 2018 JGP Slovenia 1
      65.41      		 1
      100.22      		 1
      165.63
      September 5–9, 2018 2018 JGP Lithuania 2
      63.40      		 2
      98.44      		 2
      161.84
      2017–18 season
      Date Event SD FD Total
      Dec. 28, 2017 – Jan. 7, 2018 2018 U.S. Championships 7
      54.02      		 4
      80.29      		 5
      134.31
      October 11–14, 2017 2017 JGP Italy 6
      52.84      		 6
      72.46      		 6
      125.30
      September 20–23, 2017 2017 JGP Belarus 5
      50.37      		 6
      64.52      		 5
      114.89

      Intermediate results
      2015–16 season
      Date Event P1 P2 FD Total
      January 16–24, 2016 2016 U.S. Championships 6
      18.26      		 2
      22.15      		 1
      50.84      		 2
      91.25

      References
      1. Nguyen, Avonley (April 29, 2018). "Thank you @gzuerlein" (Instagram).
      2. "Focus on Solo Dance: Athlete Perspective (Part I)". ice-dance.com. July 28, 2020.
      3. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018.
      4. "Getting to Know Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik". ice-dance.com. July 25, 2017.
      5. "2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Intermediate Dance". U.S. Figure Skating. January 17, 2016.
      6. "Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018.
      7. Slater, Paula (March 9, 2019). "Canada's Lajoie and Lagha take ice dance title at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
      8. Slater, Paula (December 6, 2019). "Georgia's Kazakova and Reviya take lead in Junior Ice Dance in Torino". Golden Skate.
      9. Slater, Paula (December 8, 2019). "Kazakova and Reviya capture first Junior Grand Prix gold for Georgia". Golden Skate.
      10. "First Junior Champions Crowned at U.S. Championships". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. January 22, 2020.
      11. Slater, Paula (March 5, 2020). "Shanaeva and Naryzhnyy take narrow lead at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
      12. Slater, Paula (March 7, 2020). "Nguyen and Kolesnik dance to Junior World title". Golden Skate.
      13. Nguyen, Avonley (2020-06-29). ""It is with many mixed emotions that I announce the end of my partnership with Vadym."" (Instagram). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
      14. Kolesnik, Vadym (2020-06-29). "Avonley and I have an announcement to make. We have achieved quite a lot in just three years but we have decided it's time to go in different direction. …". Instagram.
      15. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019.
      16. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018.
      17. "Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK: Competition Results". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018.
      World Junior Record Holders
      Preceded by
      Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya      		 Junior Free Dance
      March 7, 2020 – present      		 Succeeded by
      Incumbent
      Preceded by
      Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya      		 Junior Total Score
      March 7, 2020 – present      		 Succeeded by
      Incumbent
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