Diasporan Skater Finds His Armenian Roots on Ice While Building International Career

A 19-year-old Diasporan figure skater representing Armenia is building his international career while reconnecting with his roots and contributing to the gradual growth of winter sports in the country.

Semen Daniliants has been skating since the age of three and has represented the Armenian national team since 2020.

His decision to represent Armenia is closely tied to his family history. He explained that his relatives on his father’s side are Armenian and that his family left Armenia many years ago during difficult times, with only a small number surviving. As a result, later generations in his family grew up with limited knowledge of the Armenian language.

“My father was born in Russia… he spoke only Russian and English. When I began competing for Armenia, he became more interested in his roots… we started learning Armenian together,” he told The Armenian Report in an interview.

Daniliants said he is still learning the language and can understand the general meaning when spoken to him, even if not every word.

Before joining the Armenian national team, he trained in Russia in a highly competitive environment, working with Alexey Volkov in the group of Olympic champion Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko.

“I trained… in the group of Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko… later officially joined his group.”

He described the level of competition in Russia as extremely high, with many strong skaters in each age group, making it difficult to secure a top position at national events.

“I placed 10th or 11th at the Russian championships… and was a reserve member of the Russian national team.”

A turning point came when he was encouraged to switch national teams.

“It seemed like a very good opportunity… Representing Armenia is about my roots… we felt pride.”

Daniliants said he continues to compete for Armenia and sees positive changes in the country’s winter sports scene. While winter disciplines remain less developed compared to sports like weightlifting, he noted that participation has increased in recent years, with more children training and more people taking up skating.

As part of his preparation for international competitions, Daniliants trained this summer with Rafael Arutyunyan, with support from Ari Zakaryan.

“I trained at a camp with Rafael Arutyunyan… Ari Zakaryan helped… and introduced me.”

He spent a month at the training camp before competing in events that were ultimately held in Boston, followed by an Olympic qualification event.

“There was a small mistake in the short program… but overall all elements were clean… without falls.”

Despite a strong performance, Daniliants narrowly missed qualification.

“I placed fifth in technical score… but did not make the top five overall.”

His journey reflects both personal determination and a growing connection to Armenia, as he continues to compete internationally while contributing to the development of the sport in the country.

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