Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik finish fifth in ice dancing at 2026 Winter Olympics

Cypriot-American figure skater Emilea Zingas and her partner Vadym Kolesnik finished fifth in the ice dancing final at the Milano/Cortina 2026 Winter Games on Wednesday, February 11. The pair achieved a personal best score of 123.19 in the free dance, which, combined with their rhythm dance score of 83.53, resulted in a total of 206.72 points. They were the only first-time Olympians to reach the top five and the youngest athletes in the top ten. Zingas, who holds dual citizenship, previously represented the Cyprus Skating Federation and attempted to qualify for the 2022 Beijing Olympics under the Cypriot flag. Her grandparents emigrated from Paphos to Detroit in the early 1970s. Despite initial pressure from her parents to pursue medical studies, Zingas continued her skating career representing the United States. The 23-year-old athlete was supported at the Milano Ice Skating Arena by her father and several cousins.