Maria Pavlova (figure skater)

Maria Evgenievna Pavlova (Мария Евгеньевна Павлова; born 2 August 2004) is a Russian-Hungarian pair skater who currently competes for Hungary. With her current skating partner, Alexei Sviatchenko, she is a two-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, two-time Hungarian national champion (2023-24), and finished fifth at the 2023 European Championships.

With her former partner, Balázs Nagy, Pavlova is the 2022 Hungarian national silver medalist and finished 11th at the 2022 European Championships.

Personal life
Pavlova was born on 2 August 2004 in Moscow, Russia. She became a Hungarian citizen in February 2022.

Career
Pavlova began figure skating in 2009. Her family lived in Canada for two years during her childhood, during which time she trained at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club under Brian Orser. Her first pair partner was Ilia Spiridonov, though they never competed together internationally.

2021–2022 season
In September 2021, it was announced announced that Pavlova had teamed up with Hungarian pair skater, Balázs Nagy and that they would represent Hungary together, coached by Dmitri Savin and Fedor Klimov.

Making their debut at the Budapest Trophy, where they were seventh, they then competed twice on the Challenger series, finishing fifth at the 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and thirteenth at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

After winning the silver medal at the 2022 Four National Championshipss and the Hungarian Championships, Pavlova/Nagy made their debut at the European Championships, finishing eleventh.

2022–23 season
In November 2022, it was announced that Pavlova's partnership with Nagy had dissolved and that she would continue to represent Hungary with Russian-born pair skater, Alexei Sviatchenko. They would be coached by Dmitri Savin and Fedor Klimov.

Pavlova dealt with injuries that caused them to miss the early part of their first season together. The pair made their debut at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, finishing ninth. Pavlova/Sviatchenko went on to win gold at the 2023 Four National Championships and the 2023 Hungarian Championships.

At the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, Pavlova/Sviatchenko skated two clean programs, placing sixth in the short program and fourth in the free skate, finishing in fifth place overall. They then competed at the 2023 Bavarian Open and the 2023 International Challenge Cup, taking gold and silver, respectively.

At the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Pavlova/Sviatchenko delivered two strong performances, placing eighth in the short program and seventh in the free skate, finishing in seventh-place overall. Their results were the best for a team representing Hungary in decades.

2023–24 season
Pavlova/Sviatchenko competed twice on the Challenger circuit to begin the season, coming fifth at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy before winning the bronze medal at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy. They were then invited to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2023 Skate Canada International, where they finished fourth in the short program after a spin error. They then moved up to second after the free skate, taking the silver medal. This was the first ever Grand Prix medal for a pair representing Hungary, and the first in any discipline since Júlia Sebestyén's bronze medal at the 2009 Skate America. They were again fourth in the short program at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo, but another second-place free skate won them the bronze medal.

The team's results on the Grand Prix initially had them finishing as first alternates to the Grand Prix Final. They were called up to compete at the Beijing event following the withdrawal of German team Hocke/Kunkel, and came in fourth at the event.

Pavlova/Sviatchenko competed next at the 2024 European Championships, finishing fourth in the short program, less than two points back of third place. They came third in the free skate, winning a bronze small medal, but remained fourth overall, 1.66 points behind bronze medalists Ghilardi/Ambrosini of Italy. They expressed dissatisfaction with the judging of their performances, with Pavlova saying "our motivation goes down every time we keep getting these scores."

Finishing the season at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Pavlova/Sviatchenko came sixth in the short program. They moved up to fourth after the free skate, which she called "very motivating for next season."

Competitive highlights
''CS: Challenger Series

Detailed results
Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.