Evgenia Medvedeva
A Russian figure skater who redefined artistic expression in her sport, dominating with a record-breaking streak and two world titles before her 20th birthday.
Born 1999 (age 27)·Russian retired figure skater·Birthday: November 19·Generation Z
Biography
Evgenia Medvedeva didn't just win figure skating competitions; she absorbed audiences into her meticulously crafted worlds on ice. Bursting onto the senior scene in 2015, the Moscow-born skater immediately established a new standard, merging balletic grace with intricate step sequences and a palpable emotional intensity. For two years, she was virtually unbeatable, stringing together victory after victory and setting world record scores that seemed to push the sport's technical ceiling. Her performances, like the hauntingly precise 'Memoirs of a Geisha,' became events. The pressure of the 2018 Olympics, held under the intense scrutiny of her nation, culminated in a dramatic silver medal finish behind her training mate, a narrative that captured the sport's brutal competitiveness. After battling a back injury and navigating a high-profile coaching change, she continued to compete with grit, adding a world bronze in 2019 before retiring, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential artists of her skating generation.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Evgenia was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Evgenia Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Evgenia's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won back-to-back World Figure Skating Championships in 2016 and 2017.
- Captured the Olympic silver medal in ladies' singles at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.
- Set nine world record scores during her dominant competitive peak from 2015 to 2017.
- Secured two consecutive European Championship titles in 2016 and 2017.
- Completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Grand Prix Final, European, and World titles.
Did You Know?
She is a self-professed superfan of Japanese anime and manga, often incorporating it into her exhibition programs.
Medvedeva performed her 2018 Olympic short program to a violin version of a Chopin nocturne played by her training mate, Alina Zagitova's father.
She was the first female skater to land a triple flip-triple toe loop combination in the second half of her program under the IJS, a strategy that earned bonus points.
She speaks fluent Japanese and has a large fan base in Japan.
After retiring, she launched a successful YouTube channel where she discusses skating and her interests.
“I don't want to be remembered as just a figure skater. I want to be remembered as an athlete who changed something in this sport.”
