Alina Butaeva

Alina Butaeva (Georgian: ალინა ბუთაევა, born 9 December 2005) is a Georgian pair skater. With her former partner, Luka Berulava, she won two medals at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics − bronze in pairs and gold in the team event.

Alina Butaeva
Butaeva receives her bronze medal at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
Full name	Alina Dmitrievna Butaeva
Native name	ალინა ბუთაევა (Georgian) Алина Дмитриевна Бутаева (Russian)
Born	(2005-12-09) 9 December 2005 (age 18) Kazan, Russia
Hometown	Perm, Russia
Height	1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Georgia
Coach	Pavel Sliusarenko, Alexei Menshikov
Skating club	Perm Krai Sports Center
Began skating	2008
Medal record Representing  Georgia Figure skating: Pairs Winter Youth Olympics 2020 Lausanne Pairs Representing Mixed-NOCs Winter Youth Olympics 2020 Lausanne Team

Personal life

Butaeva was born on 9 December 2005 in Kazan, Russia.^[1][2] She resides in Perm.^[1]

Career

Early years

Butaeva began learning how to skate as a three-year-old, in 2008.^[1] She originally competed as a single skater, coached by Ksenia Ivanova in Kazan.^[3] Butaeva teamed up with Luka Berulava prior to the 2019–20 season to compete in pair skating for Georgia. The pair decided to train in Perm, coached by Pavel Sliusarenko and Alexei Menshikov.^[1]

2019–20 season: International junior debut

Butaeva/Berulava made their debut for Georgia in September 2019, placing eighth at an ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event in Poland^[4] and then sixth at JGP Croatia.^[5] Their results earned a spot for Georgia in the pairs' event at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.^[6] In November, they took bronze in the junior pairs' category at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia.^[7] In December, they won the junior event at the Golden Spin of Zagreb.^[8]

In January 2020, Butaeva/Berulava competed at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. Ranked third in both segments, they won the bronze medal behind two pairs from Russia, Apollinariia Panfilova / Dmitry Rylov and Diana Mukhametzianova / Ilya Mironov.^[9][10] This was Georgia's first medal in the Winter Youth Olympic Games, and their tenth medal in the Youth Olympic Games overall.^[11] The pair also received a gold medal for their participation in the team event as part of Team Courage, composed also of Arlet Levandi from Estonia, Ksenia Sinitsyna from Russia, and ice dancers Utana Yoshida / Shingo Nishiyama from Japan.^[12] Butaeva/Berulava finished the season at the 2020 World Junior Championships, where they placed seventh.^[13]

End of Partnership

Butaeva / Berulava did not compete during the 2020 - 21 season and in the 2021 - 2022 season, Berulava was competing with a new partner, indicating the two had split.^[14]

Programs

(with Berulava)

Season	Short program	Free skating
2019–2020 [1]	O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) by Carl Orff	D'Artagnan by Maxime Rodriguez

Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Pair skating with Luka Berulava

Competition placements at junior level ^[15]

Season	2019–20
Winter Youth Olympics	3rd
Winter Youth Olympics (Team event)	1st
World Junior Championships	7th
JGP Croatia	6th
JGP Poland	8th
Golden Spin of Zagreb	1st
Volvo Open Cup	3rd

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

With Berulava

Junior results

2019–2020 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
2–8 March 2020	2020 World Junior Championships	7 55.96	8 97.21	7 153.17
10–15 January 2020	2020 Winter Youth Olympics – Team	-	3 100.70	1T/3P
10–15 January 2020	2020 Winter Youth Olympics	3 59.14	3 98.15	3 157.29
4–7 December 2019	2019 Golden Spin	3 51.32	1 91.22	1 142.54
5–10 November 2019	2019 Volvo Open Cup	3 55.92	3 100.62	3 156.54
25–28 September 2019	2019 JGP Croatia	6 51.27	5 90.78	6 142.05
18–21 September 2019	2019 JGP Poland	8 45.29	9 80.73	8 126.02

References

1. "Alina BUTAEVA / Luka BERULAVA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020.
2. "BUTAEVA Alina". lausanne2020.sport. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020.
3. "Алина Дмитриевна Бутаева". fskate.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 11 November 2019.
4. "Junior Pairs". International Skating Union. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
5. "Junior Pairs". International Skating Union. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
6. "ალინა ბუტაევამ და ლუკა ბერულავამ 2020 წლის ზამთრის ახალგაზრდული ოლიმპიური თამაშების ლიცენზია მოიპოვეს" [Alina Butaeva and Luka Berulava Obtained License for Youth 2020 Winter Olympics] (in Georgian). The Recorder. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
7. "Volvo Open Cup 40 th". www.kristalice.lv. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
8. "Competition Results: Alina BUTAEVA / Luka BERULAVA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020.
9. "Georgian figure skating couple wins bronze at Winter Youth Olympics". agenda.ge. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
10. Bilikhodze, Elene (10 January 2020). "ალინა ბუტაევასა და ლუკა ბერულავას წყვილმა მოკლე პროგრამა მესამე ადგილზე დაასრულა" [A Pair of Alina Butaeva and Luka Berulava Finished Third in the Short Program]. 1tv.ge (in Georgian). First Channel. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
11. "ისტორიაში პირველად, საქართველომ ზამთრის ახალგაზრდულ ოლიმპიურ თამაშებზე მედალი მოიპოვა" [For the first time in its history, Georgia has won a medal at the Winter Youth Olympic Games]. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
12. "ოლიმპიური ოქრო ლოზანიდან" [Olympic gold from Lausanne]. lelo.ge (in Georgian). 16 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
13. Slater, Paula (March 5, 2020). "Panfilova and Rylov claim Pairs' title at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
14. "ISU JGP Kosice - Junior Pairs Entries". ISU. August 3, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-01.
15. "GEO-Alina Butaeva / Luka Berulava". SkatingScores.com. Retrieved August 4, 2024.

External links

Media related to Alina Butaeva at Wikimedia Commons

• Alina Butaeva & Luka Berulava at the International Skating Union
• Alina Butaeva & Luka Berulava at SkatingScores.com