Champion figure ice skaters chase the Olympic dream
Champion ice figure skaters Isabella Gamez and Alexander Korinov make an unlikely pair. She’s 4’11”; he’s six feet tall. She’s Filipina, he’s Russian.
But they’re a sight to behold on ice. She pirouettes, leaps high, and lands on her skates. He turns her around, spins, lifts her up in the air, and catches her even before you can close your wide-open mouth.
No wonder Isabella and Alexander has been winning championships for the Philippines as a team. After pairing up in 2021, the duo earned the title “Philippine National Champions for Senior Pairs” twice.
The duo is the first Philippine team to win silver in Nice, France, thus qualifying for the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan —the first Southeast Asian pairs team to do so in the competition’s history.
After representing the Philippines again at the Four Continents Championships in Shanghai early this year, the pair qualified for the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in the US. On March 18 to 24, the two will again skate for the Philippines in the prestigious World Championships of Figure Skating in Montreal.
These victories don’t come easy. They require big sacrifices. Alexander represents the Philippines instead of Russia, his home country. And Isabella is grateful. That’s because he and Isabella make a great team, he chose their partnership over the others (the sport allows athletes to represent their partner’s country of origin).
“A skating pair is like an old married couple,” explains Isabella. “You have to be on the same page. Both of you must understand what you’re doing. Even if he’s lifting me over his head, his job is to be stable. It’s very dangerous if we miss one timing, if we don’t understand each other.”
Of course, the two have arguments, which is normal in any partnership. Isabella is the first to give way.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Isabella Gamez & Alexander Korovin (@isabellaandalexander)
“There always has to be communication, agreement,” she says.
Alexander has his share of adjustments. The biggest is seeking Filipino citizenship by naturalization, something which he’s looking forward to. The House Committee on Justice and Human Rights recently approved Rep. Aniela Tolentino’s bill granting Alexander Filipino citizenship after public hearings were held. Up next is the second and third reading at the House.
This sign of government support to the duo’s bid to win more honors for the country is a big step forward .
Just as important is the support the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Skating Union and SM Corporation are giving. But bigger battles await. Isabella and Alexander are eyeing the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Thus, they are knocking on more doors.
“Additional private sponsorship will help bridge the financial gap for our training expenses with world-level and Olympic-level figure skating coaching teams in the most competitive training centers in the world. This way, we can aim to be competitive among the best pairs in the world,” the duo declares.
What Isabella and Alexander are saying is that the future of Philippine figure ice skating not only depends on them. It depends on the support they get from their kababayans.