Milan — Emilea Zingas doubted just months ago if she and partner Vadym Kolesnik would have the opportunity to skate at the Winter Olympics.
Not only did the Novi-trained couple qualify for the Olympic ice dancing event, they nearly medaled after season-best scores of 83.53 points in their rhythm program on Monday and 123.19 points in their free dancing program on Wednesday. A surprise fifth-place finish in Milan capped a meteoric rise for Zingas, a Grosse Pointe Farms native, and Kolesnik, an immigrant from Ukraine who moved to Detroit in 2015. The duo were relative unknowns in the figure skating world at the beginning of last year, but are now the American ice dancing heir apparents to the throne of likely retiring pair Madison Chock of Novi and Evan Bates of Ann Arbor.
Zingas, 23, spoke with The Detroit News about her Olympic debut and what’s next for her after Milan:
Question: How do you feel about your performance?
Answer: It was absolutely insane. If you told me a year ago that we’d finish top five at the Olympics, I would’ve said that’s a straight-up lie. I’m so happy to be here and to have the result we did. It maybe wasn’t the cleanest or most technically-proficient performance we’re capable of, but we put our hearts into it. It was the most emotion I’ve given on the ice this season. It felt magical.
Q: What was the atmosphere like from down on the ice?
A: Indescribable. Every time we finished an element, the crowd roared. I felt it and it pushed me to go even more. I’ve never experienced anything like that.
Q: What was your reaction when you saw the judges’ score for your free dance program?
A: It still hasn’t hit me. It feels unfathomable right now. We absolutely exceeded our expectations.
Q: That score put you in first place at the time with only five pairs left to go. When the next pair, from Great Britain (Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson), placed below you guys, did you think you might have a shot at a medal?
A: Not really. But I thought maybe we could hang on for fourth. The top teams deserved their results and it’s definitely motivating to us. Maybe a little disappointing that we were so close, but mostly motivating.
Q: How do you incorporate your personality into your programs?
A: My personality probably shows more in the rhythm dance. It’s sharp, sassy, in-your-face. I’m not like that off the ice, but it becomes my persona on the ice. I feel that one deeply.
For the free dance, it’s different. It’s not really my personality at all. We chose it because our choreographer believed in it. It’s a totally different genre. We want to explore different styles in the coming years and not repeat the same type of music.
Q: What did you learn from this Olympic experience?
A: That we’re made for the moment and we deserved what we earned. We had never experienced the pressure of being near the top at an event this big. We’d never even been to a world championship before. After the rhythm dance, when we placed so high (sixth), I was honestly shocked. Our success in the rhythm dance added pressure for the free dance because we wanted to maintain our ranking. I was stressed before we skated, but I’m proud of how we handled it. We learned that we can hang with the best teams.
Q: Chock and Bates have said this is likely their last Olympics. What are your thoughts about possibly becoming the next top U.S. ice dance team and carrying on that legacy?
A: They’ve given us big shoes to fill. They’ve demonstrated technical proficiency and artistic excellence for years and I’m really in awe of them. They’ve had an amazing career, especially the last four years, and we want to have that same kind of success. If they’re ready to pass the torch, we’re ready to grab it. We’re going to work hard every day to try to fill their shoes.
They’ve been great mentors to us. Even their parents have talked to our parents and given advice. I’ll always support them and hope to keep learning from them.
Q: What’s been the best part of the Olympic experience for you?
A: Being able to share it with our family and friends. It’s supposedly not a typical Olympics with all of the sites and athletes so spread out across northern Italy, but I’m still planning to watch some other sports here in Milan. It has all been amazing to me, honestly.
Q: What has it meant to represent the United States after starting your international skating career representing Cyprus? (Zingas competed for Cyprus in figure skating during the 2021 world championships and was an alternate at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before switching to ice dancing for the United States.)
A: It’s everything because the United States is home. I switched countries and disciplines for the chance to represent my home country and have the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m excited to get the full Olympic experience. I’m staying until the end and walking in the closing ceremony. Once we get home, I’m excited to return to normal training and gear up for worlds (world championships March 24-29 in Prague). With some teams not competing there, we have a special opportunity. The season isn’t over for us yet.
Chris Kudialis is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Q&A: Grosse Pointe ice dancer Emilea Zingas ready to take USA’s ice dancing torch
Reporting by Chris Kudialis, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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