Artem Markelov (figure skater)

Markelov was inspired to take up skating at age nine after attending a friend's skating birthday party.[2] He learned up to a double Axel and a triple loop as a single skater before relocating to Moscow on his own, at first to pursue pair skating, but ultimately ice dance. Markelov and his first partner, Kristina Makeeva, teamed up in 2019 and competed internationally as advanced novices at the 2019 Santa Claus Cup.[3] They chose to part ways in 2020.

Markelov connected with his current partner, Leah Neset, when he was contacted by the American skater and her coach via a Russian ice dance partner search website. A native of Volgograd, Markelov chose to relocate to the United States to partner with Neset in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed international travel.[3][1]

Neset/Markelov competed at the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships where they finished sixth in the junior ice dance category.[4]

Neset/Markelov made their international junior debut in August at the 2021 Lake Placid Ice Dance International, where they placed third behind compatriots Flores/Tsarevski and Ling/Wein.[4]

The following month, the team debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit at the 2021 JGP Russia where they placed eighth. They would later describe the local audience as "supportive," in light of it being Markelov's home country.[5] They improved upon their first placement at their second assignment, the 2021 JGP Poland, coming fifth.[6]

Neset/Markelov wrapped their season in January at the 2022 U.S. Championships. They placed second in the rhythm dance and first in the free dance to claim their first junior national title by a narrow two-point margin over Ling/Wein. She said afterward that they were "very happy with how it went. We feel like we gave it our all."[7] Despite their gold medal, they were not selected for one of the three American berths at the 2022 World Junior Championships, being passed over in favour of teams with stronger prior international results. They were instead named the first alternates.[8]

Neset and Markelov were initially scheduled to begin the international season at the Armenian stop on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. However, following the onset of a Azerbaijan/Armenia border conflict in September, the event was cancelled. Markelov expressed disappointment, as his Russian-based family had been planning to attend.[5] While the International Skating Union subsequently scheduled a second Polish event as a replacement, Neset/Markelov were not reassigned there.[9] They were therefore unable to vie for a place in the Junior Grand Prix Final, having as their lone assignment the 2022 JGP Italy. They placed second in the rhythm dance and third in the free dance, setting new personal bests in both segments of competition, as well as overall, to claim the bronze medal behind Czech siblings Mrázková/Mrázek and the South Korean team Lim/Quan.[10]

The team secured their place at the 2023 U.S. Championships with a first-place finish in the junior dance category at the 2022 Eastern Sectional Championships before another international outing at the 2022 Santa Claus Cup, where they placed second behind Israeli team Tkachenko/Kiliakov.[4]

In January, Neset/Markelov successfully defended their junior national title at the U.S. Championships, despite a rocky rhythm dance which left them initially in seventh place. The team rallied to win the free skate and thus, the title overall, just narrowly edging out Carhart/Horovyi. Neset remarked afterward that it "definitely took a lot of focus to come back. We are really happy with how it turned out in the end."[11] Due to their placement, Neset/Markelov were named to the U.S. team for the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary.[12]

In preparation for their first World Junior Championships, Neset/Markelov competed at the 2022 Bavarian Open ten days after their win at the national championships. They placed third in the rhythm dance and first in the free dance, but ultimately placed second behind reigning German junior national champions Grimm/Savitskiy.[4] Going on to Calgary, Neset/Markelov delivered their highest-scoring performances of the season, first placing seventh in the rhythm dance .[13] They were fifth in the free dance, and rose to fifth overall with a total score of 162.59. Neset said afterward that "this season had some up and downs, but we are overall pleased."[14]

Neset/Markelov began their third international junior season as they did their first at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International. They won the junior dance title handily with an almost ten-point margin over silver medalists Peal/Peal.[4] On the Junior Grand Prix, they won gold at the 2023 JGP Thailand, the first event on the circuit, by a margin of almost 17 points. Markelov assessed that the team's new programs "have a lot of potential and a lot of room for improvement" as the season progressed.[15] At their second assignment, the 2023 JGP Japan, they again won, albeit by a much narrower two-point margin over Israelis Tkachenko/Kiliakov. Their two wins in hand, Neset/Markelov became the first ice dance team to qualify to the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix Final.[16]