As the Winter Games approach Milan, American ice dance hopefuls Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are preparing with one of the most impressive coaching teams in the sport. Their corner includes two-time Olympic champion Scott Moir—half of Canada's legendary "Tessa and Scott" duo—and American two-time Olympic medalist Madison Hubbell. Yet for Ponomarenko, the guidance extends far beyond these ice dancing superstars. He was born into ice dancing royalty, the son of Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, the only pair in history to capture Olympic medals of every color in their discipline.
The story of how this Bay Area native found his way to the ice begins with a touch of irony. "It's funny because they didn't want me to figure skate," Anthony revealed to NBC Bay Area before the 2026 National Championships. His parents, having lived the intense pressures of elite competition, envisioned a different childhood for their sons. "They were like, 'Our sons will be completely normal. They won't see the ice rink.' I was like a wind-up toy just right away. I just fell in love." That instant passion couldn't be contained, and soon young Anthony was following in the blade tracks of his famous mother and father.
Marina Klimova entered the world in 1966 in Yekaterinburg, a Russian city then known as Sverdlovsk. Her journey to greatness required a move to Moscow, where she would eventually be paired with Sergei. Together, they built a partnership that would dominate ice dancing for nearly a decade. Their Olympic odyssey began with bronze at the 1984 Sarajevo Games, followed by silver in Calgary 1988. Their crowning achievement came at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, where they claimed gold for the Unified Team—a historic coalition representing five of the fifteen former Soviet republics: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan. This unique trifecta of Olympic hardware remains unmatched in ice dancing history.
The couple's personal and professional bonds strengthened when they married in September 1984, early in their competitive career. After retiring from the amateur ranks, they eventually made a life-changing decision to relocate to the United States, settling in California's Bay Area. There, they raised their two sons: Tim, born in 1998, and Anthony, born in 2001. The family's contributions to figure skating were formally recognized in 2000 when both Marina and Sergei were inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, cementing their legendary status.
Growing up in a household steeped in skating history, Anthony and his brother were regularly treated to screenings of their parents' iconic performances. Among these, one program stood out as particularly special to Anthony: their 1992 free dance set to Bach, titled "A Man and a Woman: From the Mundane to the Sublime." This masterpiece of choreography and athleticism left an indelible impression on the young skater, shaping his artistic sensibilities.
While Marina and Sergei remain deeply invested in their son's career, they rarely attend his competitions these days. The reason is simple: nerves. Watching Anthony perform from the stands proves too intense for the former champions who once thrived under Olympic pressure themselves. However, their absence from the arena doesn't mean they're absent from his development. The wisdom they impart has become foundational to his partnership with Christina Carreira.
"I think the most important is that my mom tells me that Christina, my partner, is my best friend," Anthony shared with U.S. Figure Skating in 2018. "Nobody else matters except her. We need to have the best friendship." This advice cuts to the heart of what makes ice dancing partnerships succeed or fail—the unbreakable trust and connection between two athletes moving as one across the ice.
Sergei Ponomarenko's path to partnering with Marina began in Kazakhstan, where he was born in 1960. He too made the pilgrimage to Moscow's elite training rinks, but his first successful partnership was with Tatiana Durasova. Together, they captured the World Junior championships in 1978 and 1979 before their split—a common occurrence in ice dancing as athletes search for their perfect match. After their separation, the fateful pairing with Marina was arranged, and the rest is history.
Today, both Marina and Sergei continue to shape the next generation of skaters as coaches at Sharks Ice in San Jose, California. Sergei has also served as an ISU technical specialist for Russia, bringing his deep understanding of the sport's evolving rules and requirements to the international stage. While they were Anthony's primary coaches until he turned twelve, their role has evolved as he's matured into an elite athlete in his own right.
Now, Anthony affectionately refers to his parents as his "background coaches," a term that captures their constant but unobtrusive presence in his career. Sergei continues to provide regular technical feedback, offering insights honed through years of world-class competition. This unique arrangement allows Anthony to benefit from his parents' unparalleled experience while also developing under the guidance of contemporary champions like Moir and Hubbell who understand today's competitive landscape.
The convergence of these coaching generations creates a fascinating dynamic. On one side, you have the technical precision and artistic elegance of the Soviet-era school of ice dancing, represented by Marina and Sergei. On the other, you have the modern, innovative approaches of Moir and Hubbell, who competed under the current judging system and understand its nuances intimately. For Anthony and Christina, this represents the best of both worlds—a bridge between the sport's rich history and its cutting-edge present.
As they prepare for their Olympic moment in Milan, Anthony Ponomarenko carries not just the weight of his own dreams, but a legacy that spans decades and continents. Yet rather than being burdened by his parents' achievements, he seems energized by them. The same ice that witnessed Marina and Sergei's path from Soviet hopefuls to Olympic champions now witnesses their son's journey as an American contender. The story has come full circle, with the Ponomarenko family continuing to leave its mark on figure skating, one generation inspiring the next, one blade stroke at a time.
The ice dancing world will be watching closely as this partnership takes the Olympic stage, not just to see if they can medal, but to witness the latest chapter in one of the sport's most remarkable family sagas. For Anthony, success won't just be measured in scores and placements, but in honoring a tradition of excellence while carving out his own identity in the pantheon of ice dancing greats.