One Risky Jump Could Propel Adeliia Petrosian To The Olympic Figure Skating Podium
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 17: Adeliia Petrosian of Team Individual Neutral Athletes competes during the Women’s Single Skating – Short Program on day eleven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images)
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One jump could change the game for Russian figure skater, Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Adellia Petrosian. Petrosian goes for her first Olympic medal on Thursday in the women’s free skate competition.
The skater finished fifth in her Olympic debutshowing confidence in only her second international skate since 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 18-year-old from Moscow currently ranks below a trio of Japanese stars and defending world champion Alyssa Liu of the United States. However, in Thursday’s free skate, Petrosian could climb the standings with a signature skill.
Petrosian is the only skater in the current Olympic field capable of the highly difficult quadruple toe loop jump. Throughout her national skating career in Russia, the skater has landed three quadruple jumps: a quadruple toe loop, a quadruple loop, and a quadruple flip.
After months of struggling with nagging injuries, Petrosian has only trained the quadruple toe in Milan. She is also capable of a triple Axel – a jump landed (and nailed) by current short program leader Ami Nakai (Japan) – but has not attempted the skill since arriving in Italy.
Petrosian described the quadruple toe jump as “unstable, difficult, and uncomfortable” back in October 2025, and the jump looked the same on Wednesday in Milan.
Since Petrosian arrived in Milan this week, she has made many attempts to land the jump successfully. In a single training session on Wednesday, journalist Jackie Wong reported that Petrosian attempted the quadruple toe jump fourteen times.
Of the fourteen attempts, Petrosian landed the jump cleanly only once. That’s a 7% hit rate on the quadruple toe. During thirteen of the fourteen attempts, Petrosian either fell to the ice or under-rotated the jump. While a fall would be costly, the latter could lead to a costly downgrade in competition.
Why Does She Need the Quadruple Toe?
Petrosian’s struggles with the jump leave many questioning: if the jump’s success rate is so low, why push the skater to attempt it?
If landed cleanly, the jump gives Petrosian a massive mathematical advantage. The quadruple toe loop carries a staggering base value of 9.50, far outpacing the 8.00 value of the triple Axels planned by Nakai and American Amber Glenn.
Without it, even a perfect “clean” skate from Petrosian likely won’t be enough to overtake the consistency of American Alysa Liu or the surging Japanese trio. Petrosian’s coaching staff, including the controversial Eteri Tutberidzeappears to agree that the quad is a necessary gamble.
Tutberidze’s presence in Milan remains a point of contention following the 2022 doping scandal involving then-15-year-old skater Kamila Valieva. While Valieva recently completed her four-year ban from the sport, Tutberidze remained unscathed. Instead, the coach turned her focus to Petrosian.
Known for producing skaters capable of multiple quadruple jumps, Tutberidze’s pupil’s struggles represent familiar territory for avid figure skating fans.
Nonetheless, a decade of dominance is on the line this Thursday: a Russian woman has won every Olympic singles title since 2014. Can Petrosian keep the streak alive?
Tune in on Thursday at 1 p.m. EST to find out.
