Michel Tsiba (born 21 December 1997) is a Dutch pair skater. With his skating partner, Daria Danilova, he is the 2020 Dutch national champion and the 2020 NRW Trophy bronze medalist. They competed in the final segment at the 2020 European Championships and are the first Dutch pair to qualify for the World Championships.
| Michel Tsiba | |
|---|---|
 Danilova/Tsiba at the 2020 European Championships | |
| Born | 21 December 1997 Groningen, Netherlands |
| Hometown | Zandvoort, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Netherlands |
| Partner | Daria Danilova (since 2018) |
| Coach | Dmitri Savin Fedor Klimov Pavel Kitashev Knut Schubert |
| Skating club | Ekijsa Amsterdam |
| Began skating | 2006 |
Personal life
editTsiba was born on 21 December 1997 in Groningen to a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother. He has an older sister.[1] Tsiba is fluent in Russian.[2]
Career
editEarly career
editTsiba started competing at the age of seven. He originally wanted to compete in ice hockey, but was advised to learn to skate in the figure skating club first.[1] As a child, Tsiba experienced bullying from his peers about being a figure skater, who referred to him as "a ballerina in a tutu" and often called him "gay" or other homophobic remarks.[1] Due to the relative obscurity of figure skating in the Netherlands, he admitted to being jealous of popular speed skaters like Sven Kramer when he was young.[3]
As a singles skater, Tsiba was coached by Viola Striegler and Susan Mason and is the 2014 Dutch junior national and 2018 Dutch national champion. He switched disciplines from men's singles to pair skating because he felt that he was too tall to succeed in learning quadruple jumps.[3] Tsiba had a tryout in summer 2017 that ultimately did not work out. He officially retired from singles skating after winning his first senior national title in 2018.[4]
Tsiba teamed up with Russian skater Daria Danilova for the Netherlands in May 2018. Earlier in the season, he had met one of her coaches at a seminar in Berlin and they arranged a tryout.[3] At the start of their partnership, Danilova/Tsiba alternated training in Berlin and Moscow every three months due to the differences in their respective citizenships' visa requirements.[2] The pair fund over half of their training costs out of pocket via Tsiba's student finances.[1]
2018–2019 season
editDanilova/Tsiba won their debut international competition, the 2018 Golden Spin of Zagreb on the junior level. They then placed tenth at the 2019 Bavarian Open. In February, Danilova/Tsiba won the 2019 Dutch junior national title unopposed. However, they missed achieving the minimum TES requirements for the 2019 World Junior Championships.[4]
2019–2020 season
editDanilova/Tsiba competed at three Challenger Series events to open the season, finishing tenth at 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy, 17th at 2019 CS Warsaw Cup, and 15th at 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
At the 2020 European Championships in January, Danilova/Tsiba became the first Dutch pair in 24 years to compete at a European Championships since Jeltje Schulten / Alcuin Schulten last represented the country at the event in 1996.[2] They qualified to the final segment and finished 16th overall. In February, they finished eighth at the Bavarian Open and tenth at the Challenge Cup; the latter event doubled as the Dutch Championships where, as the only Dutch pair, Danilova/Tsiba won their first senior national title.
At the Challenge Cup, Danilova/Tsiba earned the necessary TES minimums for the 2020 World Championships.[5] They are the first Dutch pair in history to qualify for the World Championships.[6] The event was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
2020–2021 season
editDuring the offseason, Tsiba underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus. However, the pair did not start training together again until the end of August due to issues with Danilova's Dutch visa.[8] Danilova/Tsiba made their season debut at the 2020 NRW Autumn Trophy in November and won their first senior international medal, bronze behind Germans Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel and Minerva Fabienne Hase / Nolan Seegert. Making their debut at the World Championships in Stockholm, they placed twenty-second.[9]
2021–2022 season
editBeginning the season at the 2021 Lombardia Trophy, Danilova/Tsiba placed eighth.[10] They competed at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, placing ninth and failing to qualify a place at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Their third Challenger event, the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup, Danilova/Tsiba were fifteenth. They finished twenty-first at the 2022 European Championships, missing the free skate.[11]
Danilova/Tsiba concluded the season at the 2022 World Championships, where they finished a career-best ninth in a field depleted due to Russia being banned as a result of their invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese Skating Association opted not to send athletes to compete in Montpellier.[12][11]
2022–2023 season
editDanilova/Tsiba decided that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would not affect their training in Russia, opting to spend about half their time in Sochi, Russia, and half in Heerenveen, Netherlands.[13] On training in Russia, they commented: "We don't notice the war here. It's shockingly quiet."[14] They were unable to compete at the 2022 Skate America because Danilova's visa application was declined.[14]
Danilova/Tsiba began their season with a sixth-place finish at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy. They finished sixth as well at the 2022 NHK Trophy, their Grand Prix debut, and then fifth at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo.[11] Nika Osipova / Dmitry Epstein won the Netherlands' only pair skating berth at the 2023 European Championships.[13] Domestic rivals Osipova/Epstein won the Netherlands' only pair skating berth at the 2023 European Championships.[13] However, due to Danilova/Tsiba's ninth-place finish at the prior year's World Championships, both teams were able to attend the 2023 edition in Saitama. Both Dutch teams qualified for the free skate segment, a first in the history of the event, with Danilova/Tsiba finishing thirteenth, the higher-ranked of the two.[15]
2023–2024 season
edit
Beginning the season at the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy, Danilova/Tsiba came sixth.[11] On the Grand Prix, they were seventh at the 2023 Skate Canada International.[16] At the 2023 NHK Trophy they placed fifth, equaling their prior best placement, both praising the reception from the Japanese audience.[17]
Danilova/Tsiba came eighth at the 2024 European Championships.[18] Finishing the season at the 2024 World Championships, they came fourteenth.[19]
2024–25 season
editDanilova/Tsiba started the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Tayside Trophy. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, the pair finished seventh at 2024 Skate Canada International and fifth at the 2024 NHK Trophy.[20][21]
Programs
editWith Danilova
edit| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–2025 [22] |
|
|
| 2023–2024 [23] |
| |
| 2022–2023 [24] |
| |
| 2020–2022 [25][26] |
|
|
| 2019–2020 [27] |
|
|
| 2018–2019 [28] |
|
Men's singles
edit| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 [29] |
|
|
| 2015–2016 [30] |
|
|
Competitive highlights
editGP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
Pairs with Danilova
edit| International[11] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Worlds | C | 22nd | 9th | 13th | 14th | ||
| Europeans | 16th | 21st | 8th | ||||
| GP Finland | 5th | ||||||
| GP NHK Trophy | 6th | 5th | 5th | ||||
| GP Skate Canada | 7th | 7th | |||||
| CS Finlandia Trophy | 10th | 6th | |||||
| CS Golden Spin | 15th | WD | 8th | ||||
| CS Lombardia Trophy | 6th | ||||||
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 9th | ||||||
| CS Warsaw Cup | 17th | 15th | TBD | ||||
| Bavarian Open | 8th | 2nd | 1st | ||||
| Budapest Trophy | 3rd | ||||||
| Challenge Cup | 10th | 7th | 2nd | 5th | |||
| Lombardia Trophy | 8th | ||||||
| NRW Trophy | 3rd | 1st | |||||
| Tayside Trophy | 4th | ||||||
| International: Junior[11] | |||||||
| Bavarian Open | 10th | ||||||
| Golden Spin | 1st | ||||||
| National[11] | |||||||
| Dutch Champ. | 1st J | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | ||
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled Levels: J = Junior | |||||||
Men's singles
edit| International[31] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 |
| CS Tallinn Trophy | 23rd | ||||||
| Challenge Cup | 13th | ||||||
| Cup of Nice | 18th | ||||||
| Universiade | 32nd | ||||||
| International: Junior[31] | |||||||
| JGP Austria | 21st | ||||||
| JGP France | 21st | ||||||
| JGP Germany | 27th | ||||||
| JGP Latvia | 22nd | ||||||
| Bavarian Open | 27th | 10th | 17th | ||||
| Challenge Cup | 8th | 8th | 8th | ||||
| Crystal Skate | 6th | ||||||
| Lombardia Trophy | 12th | 10th | 8th | ||||
| Merano Cup | 15th | ||||||
| NRW Trophy | 17th | 8th | 14th | 13th | |||
| Printemps | 14th | 9th | |||||
| Skate Helena | 4th | ||||||
| Tallinn Trophy | 7th | ||||||
| Toruń Cup | 9th | ||||||
| Volvo Open Cup | 14th | 10th | |||||
| World Development | 6th | ||||||
| International: Adv. novice[32] | |||||||
| Challenge Cup | 11th | 4th | |||||
| NRW Trophy | 14th | ||||||
| Volvo Open Cup | 4th | ||||||
| National[31] | |||||||
| Dutch Champ. | 1st N | 3rd J | 1st J | 2nd | 2nd | 1st J | 1st |
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled Levels: J = Junior; N = Novice | |||||||
Detailed results
edit| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 178.37 | 2024 NHK Trophy |
| Short program | TSS | 61.24 | 2023 World Championships |
| TES | 35.21 | 2023 World Championships | |
| PCS | 27.36 | 2023 NHK Trophy | |
| Free skating | TSS | 119.47 | 2024 NHK Trophy |
| TES | 64.71 | 2023 NHK Trophy | |
| PCS | 57.11 | 2024 NHK Trophy |
Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
With Danilova
edit| 2024–2025 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 8–10, 2024 | 2024 NHK Trophy | 6 58.90 |
5 119.47 |
5 178.37 |
| October 25–27, 2024 | 2024 Skate Canada International | 7 58.78 |
7 112.24 |
7 171.02 |
| October 12–13, 2024 | 2024 Tayside Trophy | 4 52.69 |
5 94.55 |
4 147.24 |
| 2023–24 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 18–24, 2024 | 2024 World Championships | 17 59.07 |
12 113.17 |
14 172.24 |
| January 8–14, 2024 | 2024 European Championships | 10 53.95 |
8 113.37 |
8 167.32 |
| November 24–26, 2023 | 2023 NHK Trophy | 6 58.61 |
5 118.93 |
5 177.54 |
| October 27–29, 2023 | 2023 Skate Canada International | 6 57.17 |
6 107.84 |
7 165.01 |
| October 13–15, 2023 | 2023 Budapest Trophy | 3 61.66 |
4 107.73 |
3 169.39 |
| September 8–10, 2023 | 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy | 8 53.58 |
6 106.89 |
6 160.47 |
| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 20–26, 2023 | 2023 World Championships | 12 61.24 |
12 112.61 |
13 173.85 |
| February 23–26, 2023 | 2023 International Challenge Cup | 5 57.28 |
5 100.50 |
5 157.78 |
| Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, 2023 | 2023 Bavarian Open | 1 66.00 |
2 101.49 |
2 167.49 |
| November 25–27, 2022 | 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo | 5 56.41 |
6 89.74 |
5 146.15 |
| November 17–20, 2022 | 2022 NHK Trophy | 6 54.46 |
6 101.38 |
6 155.84 |
| October 4–9, 2022 | 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy | 6 56.27 |
5 102.65 |
6 158.92 |
| 2021–22 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 21–27, 2022 | 2022 World Championships | 11 49.52 |
9 99.03 |
9 148.55 |
| February 24–27, 2022 | 2022 International Challenge Cup | 2 53.57 |
2 95.83 |
2 149.40 |
| January 10–16, 2022 | 2022 European Championships | 21 36.86 |
– | 21 36.86 |
| November 17–20, 2021 | 2021 CS Warsaw Cup | 14 55.45 |
15 89.28 |
15 144.73 |
| November 4–7, 2021 | 2021 NRW Trophy | 1 50.61 |
1 101.85 |
1 152.46 |
| September 22–25, 2021 | 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 8 55.39 |
9 89.87 |
9 145.26 |
| September 10–12, 2021 | 2021 Lombardia Trophy | 7 45.14 |
8 88.73 |
8 133.87 |
| 2020–21 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 22–28, 2021 | 2021 World Championships | 22 43.12 |
– | 22 43.12 |
| February 26–28, 2021 | 2021 International Challenge Cup | 8 48.87 |
6 88.23 |
7 137.10 |
| November 26–29, 2020 | 2020 NRW Trophy | 3 43.86 |
4 70.88 |
3 114.74 |
| 2019–20 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 20–23, 2020 | 2020 International Challenge Cup | 5 51.81 |
10 85.92 |
10 137.73 |
| February 3–9, 2020 | 2020 Bavarian Open | 8 46.92 |
9 83.91 |
8 130.83 |
| January 20–26, 2020 | 2020 European Championships | 16 46.10 |
16 70.20 |
16 116.30 |
| December 4–7, 2019 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 13 47.86 |
16 87.85 |
15 135.71 |
| November 14–17, 2019 | 2019 CS Warsaw Cup | 18 38.90 |
18 80.54 |
17 119.44 |
| October 11–13, 2019 | 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy | 9 43.56 |
10 75.34 |
10 118.90 |
Junior results
edit| 2018–19 season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 21–24, 2019 | 2019 Dutch Junior Championships | Junior | 1 43.33 |
1 74.44 |
1 117.77 |
| February 5–10, 2019 | 2019 Bavarian Open | Junior | 12 36.74 |
10 73.18 |
10 109.92 |
| December 5–8, 2018 | 2018 Golden Spin of Zagreb | Junior | 1 37.67 |
1 76.33 |
1 114.00 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Aalbers, Dave (27 February 2019). "Welkom in het leven van een Nederlands kunstschaatstalent" [Welcome to the life of a Dutch figure skating talent] (in Dutch). Vice.
- ^ a b c "Na 24 jaar weer een Nederlands paar bij EK kunstrijden: 'We praten Russisch'" [After 24 years, a Dutch couple again at the European Figure Skating Championships: 'We speak Russian'] (in Dutch). NOS. 21 January 2020.
- ^ a b c van Lakerveld, Erik (21 January 2020). "De schoonheid van rondvliegen boven het ijs" [The beauty of flying around above the ice] (in Dutch). de Volkskrant.
- ^ a b Veltman, Anjuli (6 November 2018). "Nieuw avontuur voor Tsiba: 'Kan het niet zonder haar'" [New adventure for Tsiba: 'Can't do it without her']. Schaatsen.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "Na Wories ook duo Danilova/Tsiba zeker van WK kunstrijden" [After Wories duo Danilova / Tsiba also sure of World Figure Skating Championships] (in Dutch). AD. 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Daria Danilova/Michel Tsiba en Niki Wories naar WK Kunstrijden in Montréal (15 – 22 maart)" [Daria Danilova / Michel Tsiba and Niki Wories to World Figure Skating Championships in Montréal (15 – 22 March)]. KNSB. 24 February 2020.
- ^ "WK kunstrijden in Montreal geschrapt vanwege coronavirus" [World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal canceled due to coronavirus] (in Dutch). Dagblad van het Noorden. 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Nederlandse kunstschaatsers over afgelasting EK: 'Dit zat eraan te komen'" [Dutch figure skaters about the cancellation of the European Championship: 'this was coming']. Schaatsen.nl (in Dutch). 11 December 2020.
- ^ "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 Results – Pairs". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Lombardia Trophy 2021". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
- ^ Campigotto, Jesse (March 22, 2022). "Get ready for a bizarre figure skating world championships". CBC Sports.
- ^ a b c de Schutter, Margriet (22 February 2023). "Challenge Cup & NK goede generale voor kunstrijparen". schaatsen.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 March 2023.
- ^ a b van der Eijk, Lisanne (1 December 2022). "Voor Michel Tsiba staat liefde voor kunstrijden los van oorlog". schaatsen.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Nederlandse duo's worden dertiende en twintigste in finale vrije" [Dutch duos finish thirteenth and twentieth in the free skate final]. Eurosport (in Dutch). March 23, 2023.
- ^ Slater, Paula (October 29, 2023). "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps dominate pairs at Skate Canada". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Slater, Paula (November 25, 2023). "Hase and Volodin dominate pairs at NHK Trophy in debut season". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Slater, Paula (January 11, 2024). "Beccari and Guarise clinch unexpected gold at 2024 Europeans". Golden Skate. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Zandvoorters Daria Danilova en Michel Tsiba veertiende op WK, veertigjarige oudste wereldkampioen" [Zandvoort players Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba fourteenth at the World Championships, forty-year-old oldest world champion]. Haarlems Dagblad (in Dutch). March 22, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Slater, Paula (October 27, 2024). "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b "NED-Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA". Skating Scores.
- ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021.
- ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Daria DANILOVA / Michel TSIBA: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019.
- ^ "Michel TSIBA: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Michel TSIBA: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016.
- ^ a b c "Michel TSIBA: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Michel Tsiba". Stats on Ice.