Elena Nikitina
November 2, 1992
Skeleton racer
Russian skeleton racer, who joined the national squad in 2009. She rides a Schneider sled. Before starting skeleton, she was an association football player.
Nikitina became the first Russian woman and second Russian overall to win the Large Crystal Globe in the 2018–19 season.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Nikitina began international competition in the 2010–11 season of the Europe Cup and Intercontinental Cup.
- She competed in her first Junior World Championships at Igls in 2012, where she finished in 8th place. Her first podium finish was recorded at the following Junior Worlds (also at Igls)
- Nikitina finished 12th in her first World Cup race, at Königssee in 2013, but went on to win the following week at Igls, 0.27-sec ahead of Noelle Pikus-Pace. Later that month, she came in 15th at her first senior World Championships, at St. Moritz.
- In the Olympic season of 2013–14, Nikitina recorded silver-medal performances at Park City and Calgary, which she followed up with a bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
- Won a bronze at the 2016 World Championships. (She also took home a silver in the combined bobsled-skeleton mixed team race at the same championships).
- Nikitina raced at the 2016–17 season finale and Olympic test event in Pyeongchang in 2017, earning a silver medal and setting a women’s skeleton start record for the newly-constructed track, 4.92 seconds.
- In the 2017–18 World Cup season, she continued to post record start times (at both Lake Placid and Park City) on her way to gold medals at Park City and Igls (the latter also being the European Championship) and a bronze at Winterberg.
- Won the Large Crystal Globe in the 2018–19 season.
- She won three races in the 2019/2020 season, securing third place in the overall ranking.
- In the 2020/2021 season, although winning thrice and finishing in second place once, she was placed 6th at the end of the season after deciding to skip two stages.
- In the 2021/2022 season won 2 races and became bronze medalist at the end of the season.
