Only three and a half years after teaming up, Spanish ice dancers Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov celebrated their Olympic debut. Fueled by an unforgettable experience at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games, the dancers are heading into next season ready to continue building on their journey.

Olympic memories in Milano

Val and Kazimov helped Spain make history by securing Spain’s second Olympic Ice Dance berth at last fall’s qualifying competition. They advanced to the Ice Dance final in Milan and finished 19th overall.

“The season absolutely exceeded all my expectations, in every way possible,” Val, 21, said. “It was the most challenging season we have had until now, with incredibly hard moments. But it was also the happiest one we lived in our careers. Qualifying for the Olympics was super meaningful for us. Not only for the fact that that it was our ticket to Milan, but also because only we know how much we worked and what we had to go through to get us there.

Val added that after competing at the Olympic qualification event Skate to Milano earlier this season, they felt different. She said they were “immune” to any kind of challenge ahead of them.

“After that, the rest of the season felt like we were able to breathe a little and take it all in until Milan,” she said. “It was one of the best experiences we’ve ever lived.”

Kazimov, 26, agreed: “The Olympic Games were definitely a life-shaping experience for both of us. Until we arrived in Milan, I was not able to realize that we are going to be the part of it and can call ourselves Olympians. Everything starting from the Olympic Village to the amount of media and celebrities at the ice rink seemed so surreal. We both enjoyed the Opening Ceremony at the San Siro Stadium a lot. I remember, just before entering the stadium, Sofia told me: ‘We are Olympians now. We have made it together and nobody can take it away from us’.”

Making the Olympic final

The couple skated first in the Rhythm Dance in Milan and knew advancing to the Free Dance would not be easy. But they achieved it.

“The amount of energy flowing throughout the ice rink was absolutely magnificent and just before we were announced,” Kazimov recalled. “I remember trying to take all this energy in and be able to enjoy the moment to the fullest.”

The families of both ice dancers came to support them.

“It was amazing to know that they were out there in the crowd supporting us from the first rows,” said Kazimov. “Finally, after the Rhythm Dance, we went to our families and watched the rest of the teams. So I remember realizing that when we made the Free Dance, my whole family and I were jumping in the stands. People sitting around only then realized it as well and congratulated us.”

“Skating the Free Dance was similarly special to us,” he added. “We truly wanted this program to shine at the Olympics, and we were very grateful to be able to show it to millions of people watching around the world.”

Olympic momentum for the future

Their Olympic experience gave the ice dancers plenty of motivation for the future, and they were eager to return to work.

“It made me realize how much we can achieve together if we keep working like we have these past three and a half years,” Val noted. “It made me understand what I want to improve as an athlete.”

“I always try to compare myself to the rest of the very talented skaters we compete against to see what I want to learn and take from others to become better,” she explained. “I’m a big visual learner. There’s nothing higher than the Olympics. It’s the biggest competition an athlete can compete in. So, seeing yourself there can teach you a lot and help you understand the kind of skater you want to become.”

The ice dancers believe they have only just begun tapping into their potential and have realized how far hard work can take them.

“A lot of people say, ‘you must be so talented to be in the Olympics,’ but it’s pure work and sacrifice,” Val acknowledged. “Asaf and I have gone through a lot the past years together, but we’ve always stuck together and worked through the toughest moments as a team. I think that’s the hardest part of our sport: just continuing. It’s a long run, not a sprint. You just got to keep going.”

“For myself, I also learned how to deal with huge pressure and expectations, especially my own, which can be the worst,” she added. “Also understanding you don’t owe anything to anyone and trying to ‘protect’ yourself from all the external noise by simply finding the love and joy in skating, in what you do every day. That’s something my coach Kirill [Khaliavin] told me a few days before leaving for Beijing [for the qualifier] and it really, really helped me. I still remind myself this when I start to feel a bit lost or overwhelmed.”

Spain’s changing landscape for ice dance

While Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov are building on their Olympic momentum, coach Sara Hurtado believes the environment around Spanish skating has changed dramatically compared with previous generations.

She pointed out that training opportunities have improved not only on mainland Spain, but also on the islands. Young athletes can now remain at home rather than leaving the country at an early age.

“The new generation is able to train at home because the conditions have improved so much,” Hurtado explained. “We have more help from the government and the federation is more involved.”

Hurtado noted that Val and Kazimov benefit from Spain’s high-performance sports structure, including access to a residential program shared with athletes from other sports.

“They have everything covered and have access to the medical team,” she said. “It gives you peace of mind knowing that you are well taken care of. There is a structure around you supporting your development.”

Hurtado contrasted that with her own competitive career with Kirill Khaliavin, when the team trained abroad in Russia and dealt with additional challenges.

“We had to train outside the country,” she said. “Just having to get a visa every three months in order to train creates an additional challenge.”

Hurtado believes the support now available represents one of the biggest changes Spain has experienced in the sport and says the difference compared with her own competitive years is difficult to overstate.

“For them to be able to use all that help is the biggest improvement that we ever could dream of,” she said.

An unexpected setback before Worlds

The team was eager to get back on the ice at the World Championships in Prague, which were held a month later. However, shortly before the event, Kazimov developed appendicitis and had to undergo emergency surgery.

“I started feeling a sharp pain in my stomach on March 10th, and after the first practice, it was getting worse,” he shared. “So, I decided to go straight to the hospital.”

The doctors immediately kept him there.

“The surgery went well,” said Kazimov. “I stayed at the hospital for two nights so I could start my recovery immediately afterwards.”

His recovery took approximately four weeks, and the dancers were forced to miss the World Championships. He returned to the ice at the beginning of April.

“The recovery was as difficult as any other injury,” said Hurtado. “We were lucky to get great follow-up care through from the medical team. The doctor was very open and very clear with the steps to follow. We just had to be patient and listen very well to Asaf’s body. We took it step by step. Asaf is not yet fully, fully there yet although the surgery was very well done and was minimally invasive. It was just not the best finish that we were hoping for this season.”

Season preparation is underway

Following that unexpected break, the team began preparing for next season.

“We’re choreographing our new programs here in Madrid with Kirill [Khaliavin], and we’re very excited about them,” Val said.

The team recently traveled to Warsaw, Poland, for a week of training. They will take a much-needed vacation in June before heading to Kaunas, Lithuania, in July for six weeks. Their training group has previously trained there during the summer.

“We have great conditions there and lots of ice time,” Val shared. “We also get to work with other couples, which is nice.”

Hurtado relayed that they were focusing on their maturity and confidence.

“This concerns mostly the major competitions, although I think the Olympic experience gave them a big push in that area,” she said. “They were seeing themselves on the big field with the bigger teams, were training with them, spending such a long time with them.”

Val and Kazimov did indeed absorb that experience.

“We hope to follow through with that this season,” said Hurtado. “They were achieving step by step more stability in their levels and GOEs. We just want to keep up with the good work they’ve been doing. We let them surprise us because they keep surprising us every season.”

Hurtado also believes the team’s day-to-day presence in Spain can have an impact beyond their own development.

“Sofia and Asaf have direct contact with the next generation of Spanish skaters,” she said. “Little kids are coming onto the ice after our teams and can see what they can achieve and what ice dance is about.”

She added that seeing senior athletes training in person can become a powerful source of motivation for younger skaters.

Taking on the Golden Waltz

This summer, the skaters are focusing on improving their “skating in hold” as rules and requirements continue to evolve.

“I feel like we are going back to the years 2008–2015 in ice dance, where it [skating in hold] was more valued,” Kazimov pointed out.

In ice dance, “skating in hold” means partners skate together while maintaining contact and a defined frame.

“In my opinion it showed the real skills of the couples and beauty of ice dance,” said Kazimov. “So, it will be very interesting this year to see an improvement in this direction again.”

The Spanish ice dancers welcome the return of a more traditional Rhythm Dance theme for the 2026–27 season. The theme features the Golden Waltz, widely considered the most difficult pattern dance.

“I think it’s nice that we are finally having a proper pattern dance after a full Olympic cycle missing out on it,” Kazimov commented. “Like I said earlier, it’s going to be interesting also for the public to see the differences of the couples in the level of skating in hold. The Golden Waltz is quite a challenging dance, especially speed-wise. But we are advancing little by little, trying to get all the corrections into our muscle memory.”

New programs in the making

Val and Kazimov are creating their new programs with Kirill Khaliavin, though they are not yet ready to reveal the music.

“We are super excited about them,” Val said. “For the Rhythm Dance, I’ve been wanting to skate to this artist for as long as I can remember. So, I’m particularly excited for that. I think it’s going to be a great fit for us and something everyone will enjoy.”

For the Free Dance, they have chosen a soundtrack from a movie with a style they’ve been wanting to try for the past few seasons.

“But we wanted to feel strong enough as skaters to do it well,” said Val. “It’s going to be quite challenging as we’ve never done anything similar. But we think we are now prepared and experienced enough to make it as good as we want it to be.”

“We want to make the programs as competitive as possible,” she continued. “Try different things and bring new things to the table while still keeping our style. With Kirill, we make a great team all together and share the vision in how we want to present ourselves as a couple.”

Setting new goals

Val and Kazimov are hoping for their first ISU Grand Prix assignments in the 2026–27 season. They are also aiming to improve on their results after finishing 14th at the 2026 European Championships.

“We want to start pushing for higher places and keep improving in the world ranking,” Val noted. “But the most important thing for us is to keep building our team. To keep going with the work and qualities we have been working on. To make our skating bigger and stronger while we keep developing our chemistry as a couple. We want the audience to really feel something with our programs. Something they can remember even after watching 30 couples.”

Kazimov is already excited to show their new programs to audiences and show a different side of themselves.

“We are still very young and after this Olympic experience we have had together,” he said. “I would say we are even more motivated and excited for developing ourselves further and enjoying every competition together. It is also always great to come back to known competitions and discover new places we haven’t been yet. And also meet our skating friends from all around the world.”

Related info:

• ISU Bio
• GS Fan Fest
• Wikipedia: Sofia Val | Asaf Kazimov