Top 10 Most Beautiful Figure Skaters in the World

Grace Elizabeth Gold born on August 17, 1995, known as Gracie Gold, is an American figure skater. She is the silver medalist in the 2014 Olympic team event, the champion of the 2014 NHK Trophy, the champion of the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2014, 2016). She is also a two-time World Team Trophy champion (2013, 2015). At the junior level, she was the 2012 World Junior silver medalist, the 2011 JGP Estonia champion, and the 2012 U.S. junior national champion. Gold is the first and only American woman to win the NHK Trophy. She also holds the record for the highest short program score ever achieved by an American woman: 76.43, set at the 2016 World Championships.

Gold began skating at the age of 8 after attending a birthday party at her local rink in Springfield, Missouri. She then started training with Amy Vorhaben and Max Liu before moving on to work with Alexia Griffin. She later joined Susan Liss and then moved to Toni Hickey in Springfield, Illinois. Her next coach was Alex Ouriashev, who worked with her at two rinks in the Chicago area. Gold competed in pairs with Sean Hickey. They placed eighth in the juvenile pairs at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Gold placed fourth in the novice level at the 2010 U.S. Championships. The following season, she competed at the junior level but placed sixth at the Midwestern Sectionals and did not qualify for the national championships. After this event, she began preparing for the next season by working to increase her technical content.

Li Zijun, born on December 14, 1996, is a former competitive figure skater from China. She won the silver medal at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics and the silver medal at the 2014 Four Continents Championships. Li also earned the silver medal at the 2017 Asian Winter Games, the bronze medal at the 2010 JGP Final, and was a four-time national champion of China (2011 - 2014). Li Zijun made her debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in the 2010 - 2011 season. She secured a silver medal in Austria and placed 4th in the Czech Republic to qualify for the Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, she tied with Risa Shoji for the third position. She won the silver medal in the tie-breaker. Li continued to claim her first senior national title. She finished 9th at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

After the 2013 - 2014 season, Li Zijun's head coach Li Mingzhu's contract regarding coaching China's junior figure skating team for the 2014 Olympics ended, and she moved to the United States while Li remained in China. In October, Gao Haijun became Li's new coach. Li Zijun finished 6th at the 2014 Cup of China, placing 5th in the short program and 6th in the free skate. At the 2014 NHK Trophy, she placed 5th overall, 8th in the free skate, and 7th overall. She continued to secure her fourth national title at the Chinese Championships, with over 25 points to spare. At the 2015 Four Continents Championships, Li placed 5th after finishing 5th in the short program and 4th in the free skate, missing the third spot by 1.52 points. At the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, where she ranked 6th in the short program and 11th in the free skate to finish 9th overall. At the 2015 World Team Trophy, she placed 7th in the ladies' event and Team China finished 5th overall.

Kim Yuna, born on September 5, 1990, in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, is a renowned figure skater from South Korea. She is the Olympic ladies' singles champion at the 2010 Winter Olympics, a two-time World champion (2009, 2013), Four Continents champion (2009), three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2006, 2007, 2009), world junior champion (2006), junior Grand Prix Final champion (2005), and four-time national champion of South Korea (2002 - 2005). Kim is the first South Korean figure skater to win medals at the ISU Grand Prix senior or junior level, ISU Championship, and the Olympics. She is one of the most highly regarded athletes and media personalities in South Korea. As of March 2010, Kim was ranked first in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU). She also holds records for the highest scores in the short program, free skate, and total score under the ISU Judging System and is the first female figure skater to surpass 200 points.

In 2009 and 2010, she was named the most influential celebrity in South Korea by Forbes magazine. In 2011 and 2012, she ranked in the top 5, and in 2013, she made the top 10. Kim Yuna is considered the greatest figure skater in South Korean history and one of the top female figure skaters in the world. Kim began skating at the age of 7. Her coach at the time, Ryu Jong-Hyeon, was impressed by Kim's talent and recommended that her mother continue her training, predicting that Kim would become an internationally renowned figure skater in the future. In 2002, she first competed internationally at the Triglav Trophy, where she won gold in the novice category. A year later, at the age of 12, she won the senior national championship of South Korea, becoming the youngest skater to achieve this title. She won for the second time competing internationally at the Golden Bear of Zagreb, a competition also for novices. She continued to be the South Korean champion in 2004.

Ashley Elisabeth Wagner, born on May 16, 1991, is a former American figure skater. She won the silver medal at the 2016 World Championships, a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympics in the team event, the 2012 Four Continents Championships, three Grand Prix Final titles, and five Grand Prix events (2012 and 2016 Skate America, 2012 and 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard, 2015 Skate Canada), and she's a three-time U.S. national champion (2012, 2013, and 2015). Wagner began skating at age 5 in Eagle River, Alaska. She stated her mother gave her the choice between ballet and figure skating, but she 'wouldn't be caught dead in pink shoes.' According to her mother, Wagner showed promise early on and won a gold medal in her first competition. In 1998, Wagner watched Tara Lipinski win gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, on television. From that point on, she decided she, too, wanted to compete in the Olympics.

Wagner later trained in Kansas City and Tacoma, Washington, until her family moved to Portland, Oregon, where she was coached by Tonya Harding's former coach, Dody Teachman. In January 2002, Wagner began training with Shirley Hughes in Alexandria, Virginia. Jill Shipstad-Thomas choreographed her competitive programs. In the 2002-2003 season, Wagner qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the national championship for U.S. figure skaters at the juvenile and intermediate levels. Wagner placed 17th at the intermediate level. The following season, she tested up a level. She won the silver medal at her regional competition, the first step towards qualifying for nationals, but placed 10th at her sectional competition and didn't qualify for the 2004 U.S. Championships. Wagner qualified for her first U.S. Championship in the 2004-2005 season after winning both the Northwest Pacific Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional competitions. Competing at the senior level, she placed seventh at Nationals.

Anna Alexeyevna Pogorilaya was born on April 10, 1998, in Russia. She is a former Russian figure skater who won the silver medal at the 2016 World Championships, three European Championship medals (silver in 2017, bronze in 2015 and 2016), and the silver medal at the 2016 Russian Nationals. Pogorilaya also claimed gold medals at three Grand Prix events - Cup of China 2013, Rostelecom Cup 2016, and NHK Trophy 2016. Earlier in her career, she won silver at the 2013 World Junior Championships and at the 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final. Pogorilaya started figure skating at the age of four under the guidance of Anna Tsareva around 2004. She missed the 2009-2010 season due to Osgood-Schlatter affecting both her legs, as well as a concussion. She placed 15th at the Russian Junior Championships in 2011 and 13th in 2012.

In the 2012-2013 season, Pogorilaya made her debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. After winning a silver medal in Croatia, her first event, she then captured gold at the JGP event in Germany. She qualified for the JGP Final in Sochi, where she won a silver medal. At the Russian Nationals, Pogorilaya placed fifth in the senior debut event and sixth at the junior level. She won a silver medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Milan, with teammates Elena Radionova and Yulia Lipnitskaya winning gold and silver respectively. Debuting on the senior Grand Prix circuit, Pogorilaya placed third in the short program and first in the free skate at the 2013 Cup of China. She surpassed teammates Adelina Sotnikova and Carolina Kostner of Italy to claim the gold medal. After winning silver at the 2013 Trophee Eric Bompard, behind Sotnikova, she qualified for her first senior Grand Prix Final. In early December 2013, Pogorilaya announced she was training on the ice twice as much as before. In Fukuoka, Japan, she placed sixth in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and sixth overall.

Yulia Lipnitskaya is a Russian figure skater, born in 1998. She has previously won the European Championships in 2014, the World Junior Championships in 2012, and the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in the team figure skating event. Yulia left a lasting impression on audiences with her talent and youthful, beautiful face at just 18 years old. At the 2014 Winter Olympics held in her hometown of Sochi, Lipnitskaya remarkably secured the gold medal in the team figure skating event. Her victory alongside her teammates made her the youngest female athlete (at 15 years old) to win a gold medal in the history of figure skating at the Winter Olympics.

She began training as a figure skater when she was only four years old. She competed in the Russian Junior Championships in 2010 and 2011. She spent the first ten years of her life in the city of Yekaterinburg, Russia. She was raised by her mother, Daniela Lipnitskaya. The early retirement of the 'ice angel' was a sad news for the Russian figure skating community. It was previously known that Evgeni Plushenko - the coach of Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova - also confirmed that the 21-year-old athlete would not be able to defend her title at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea due to injury. Speaking to R-Sport news agency, Plushenko confirmed that Sotnikova's absence was purely due to injury, not retirement as rumored.

Kiira Linda Katriina Korpi, born on September 26, 1988, is a Finnish figure skater. She has won three medals at the European Figure Skating Championships (silver in 2007, and gold in 2011; silver in 2012), the Trophée Eric Bompard in 2010, and the Rostelecom Cup in 2012. She has also claimed victory twice at the Cup of China and five times at the Finnish Figure Skating Championships (2009, 2011-2013, 2015).

Korpi was born in Tampere, Finland. Her father, Rauno Korpi, is a former ice hockey coach who won a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. In Finland, she is nicknamed Jääprinsessa (Ice Princess) due to her resemblance to Grace Kelly, the former Princess of Monaco. Described as 'widely recognized as the most elegant skater' by Barry Mittan in a 2008 article for GoldenSkate.com. In addition to her native Finnish, Korpi also speaks Swedish, English, and German. She also practices pilates and Ashtanga yoga in her spare time.

Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin White was born on July 11, 1984, she is an American-Canadian ice dancer and an Olympic commentator for NBC Sports. Despite being born in Canada, she holds dual citizenship and has competed for the United States since she began skating with Benjamin Agosto in 1998. With Agosto, Belbin won the Olympic silver medal in 2006, four World medals, three Four Continents titles (2004-2006), and five U.S. titles (2004-2008). Tanith Belbin was born in Kingston, Ontario, and raised in Kirkland, Quebec. In 1998, she moved to the Detroit area of the United States and received her green card for permanent residence in 2000. Due to immigration regulations at the time, she was not eligible to receive U.S. citizenship until July 2002 and would not be eligible for U.S. citizenship until 2007. An amendment was passed allowing Belbin to take her oath of U.S. citizenship on December 31, 2005. The amendment, authored by Senator Carl Levin, stated, 'This amendment corrects an anomaly in the law that unfairly disadvantaged some individuals who began the naturalization process before 2002.'

Tanith Belbin began the naturalization process in 2000, but due to changes in the law in 2002, this process took significantly longer than if she had filed her paperwork two years later. Tanith Belbin started skating when she was nearly three years old and began ice dancing at eight or nine years old. She competed as a pair skater and ice dancer in Canada before deciding to focus solely on ice dancing. She was introduced to ice dancing by Paul Wirtz and competed with partner Liam Dougherty. Her pair partner was Ben Barruco, whom she placed 2nd with at the novice level at the 1997 Canadian Championships. She did not compete internationally with any partner. Belbin has served as a commentator for figure skating competitions on the Universal Sports Network, ABC's Skating with the Stars, and for icenetwork.com. She has also been a commentator for four seasons of Curling Night in America, an NBCSN program showcasing a curling competition exclusively for television. In October 2011, Belbin competed professionally in season 3 of Battle of the Blades paired with Boyd Devereaux, placing 3rd in the competition. Belbin is also a choreographer.

Evgenia Armanovna Medvedeva born on November 19, 1999, is a Russian figure skater. She has twice won Olympic silver medals (ladies' singles in 2018, team event in 2018), two-time world champion (2016, 2017), two-time European champion (2016, 2017), two-time Grand Prix Final champion (2015, 2016), two-time Russian national champion (2016, 2017), silver medalist at the European Figure Skating Championships 2018, and bronze medalist at the World Figure Skating Championships 2019. Earlier in her career, she won the World Junior Championships in 2015, the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2014, and the Russian Junior Championships in 2015. Medvedeva is the first female skater to win a senior World title the year after winning the World Junior title and the first female skater to win two consecutive senior World titles the year after winning the World Junior title.

At the 2017 World Championships, she became the first female skater to win back-to-back world titles since Michelle Kwan did so in 2000 and 2001 and the first Russian woman to successfully defend her world title. She became one of only four women to achieve the Grand Slam (winning all major competitions in the same season) and the first skater (across all disciplines) to complete two consecutive Grand Slams (2015-2016; 2016-2017). Medvedeva is currently the 13th ranked ladies' singles skater in the world by the International Skating Union after the 2019-2020 figure skating season. Medvedeva is coached by Canada's Brian Orser and receives training via video three times a week due to being abroad. This led her back to her former coach Eteri Tutberidze. Previously, she served as a mentor for young figure skaters at the Toronto Cricket Club and plans to coach young figure skaters after retiring.

Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue CM born on May 17, 1989, is a retired Canadian ice dancer. With her ice dance partner Scott Moir, she is the Olympic champion in 2010 and 2011, silver medalist in 2014, three-time World champion (2010, 2012, 2017), three-time Four Continents champion (2008, 2012, 2017), 2016-2017 Grand Prix Final champion, eight-time Canadian national champion, 2006 World Junior champion, and 2006 Junior Grand Prix gold medalist. Virtue and Moir are also Olympic gold medalists in the team event in 2018 and silver medalists in 2014. They are Canada's most decorated ice dance team of all time and the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. They are also the only ice dancers in history to achieve the Super Grand Slam in their career by winning all three major titles for seniors, two major titles for juniors, and the Olympics throughout their careers.

Virtue and Moir teamed up in 1997, at ages 7 and 9. They became Canada's top-ranked ice dance team in 2004 and were crowned the champions of Canada in 2007. They were silver medalists at the 2008 World Championships and bronze medalists in 2009, becoming the first ice dance team to receive a 10.0 for a program component score under the new ISU Judging System. In 2010, they became the first North American ice dance team to win Olympic gold, ending a 34-year streak of European dominance. They are the youngest ice dance team ever to win Olympic gold. They are the first ice dance team to win gold in their Olympic debut and the first ice dance team to win Olympic gold on home ice. Virtue and Moir remained among the world's top ice dance teams following their initial Olympic victory in 2010. They were world champions in 2010 and 2012, silver medalists in 2011 and 2013, while also winning silver in the team event and ice dance at the 2014 Olympic Games. After taking a two-season sports break, they returned to competition in the fall of 2016 and became the World Champions in 2017. As of 2018, they had won Olympic medals five times. Virtue and Moir hold the world record scores for the original dance that no longer exists.