Ekaterina Ryabova (figure skater)

Ryabova began learning to skate in 2006 as a three-year-old.[1] As a child, she trained under her father, Alexei Ryabov, at the Dynamo Moscow sports club. In 2015, she moved to Sambo 70 to be coached by Sergei Davydov. She changed coaches after a year, joining Alexander Volkov and Evgeni Plushenko at the Angels of Plushenko rink.[2]

Ryabova made no junior international appearances for Russia.[3]

Ryabova made her international debut for Azerbaijan in September 2018, at the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Kaunas, Lithuania. She finished 6th overall after placing 7th in both segments. She had the same final result at her second assignment, 2018 JGP Slovenia.

Making her senior international debut, Ryabova won gold in October at the 2018 Minsk Arena Ice Star, outscoring the silver medalist, France's Léa Serna, by about nine points. She placed 8th at the 2018 CS Tallinn Trophy and 6th at the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

In January 2019, Ryabova was named to Azerbaijan's team for the 2019 European Championships in Minsk, Belarus. Ranked 7th in the short program, she qualified to the free skate. She placed 13th in the free skate and finished 12th overall.

In March 2019, at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships, Ryabova placed 17th in the short program and qualified to the free skate. She placed 13th in the free skate, and 13th overall.

Ryabova at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics

Ryabova opened her first full senior season in September 2019 at the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial where she placed fifth overall. She was fifth as well at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, before winning the bronze medal at the 2019 CS Ice Star and silver at the Volvo Open Cup. Making her Grand Prix debut at the 2019 Rostelecom Cup, she placed fifth there.[4]

Competing as a junior, Ryabova placed eighth at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in January 2020. She then finished sixth at the 2020 European Championships later in the month.

Ryabova finished the season with a tenth-place finish at the 2020 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.[5] She was also assigned to compete at the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships, but these were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

With the pandemic continuing to limit international events, Ryabova competed at the 2020 Rostelecom Cup, placing ninth.[7] In December, she chose to leave coaches Evgeni Plushenko and Alexander Volkov citing being "no longer satisfied with the training conditions". She returned to her previous coach, her father, Alexei Ryabov. [8][9]