Daniel Martynov Regains Triple Axel Post-Injury and Pandemic Rink Closure

Things are finally looking up for junior skater Daniel Martynov. Last year, he experienced tendonitis in his left knee that sidelined him for three months, and then COVID-19 hit and the Chicago-area rink he trains at closed for a period of time.
 
When he returned to the ice, it was difficult for him to re-acquire his triple Axel. "It took quite a bit of doing Axels in repetition and working on the harness before I could finally get it back," he said.
 
A healthy and injury-free Martynov is confident that his triple Axel is now consistent once again and he can execute it in combination with other jumps. This has been his primary focus during the pandemic—to have it ready to go for the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas. He'll be performing to Phantom of the Opera for his free program to try a different rhythm of music than he's skated to in previous seasons.
 
Martynov is ecstatic about competing in front of judges in-person again. He thrives off of that pressure. "I find it weird not having to compete for judges in front of you," he said. "I think that skating in front of judges involves more nerves and it just feels completely different being the only one on the ice competing, whereas [most of the time during] virtual competitions, you're not fortunate enough to be the only one on the ice."
 
He'll be returning to the competition in the junior men's division for the second season in a row. Last year, his injury occurred right before the U.S. Championships and he came in 12th place. Martynov said his goal is "to skate clean and whatever place I come in, is whatever place I come in." 
 
Because so many of last season's junior men have advanced to the senior level, Martynov will be facing a predominantly new field of competitors. This may be his final season competing as a junior because he has his sights set on taking his senior test at some point this year.
 
Once he does move up, there is a good chance he'll compete alongside one of his skating idols, Nathan Chen, who won his fifth straight U.S. title during the Championship-level event last week. "I thoroughly enjoy his skating—his ability to jump so smoothly," Martynov praised.
 
Looking at the big picture, Martynov has it on his vision board to compete at two Olympic Winter Games, beginning with the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy. To accomplish this and hold his own when up against the best in the world, he'll undoubtedly need to add several quadruple jumps to his arsenal. He is beginning with the [quad] toe loop by spending extra time doing off-ice conditioning to build strength. He's tried the jump multiple times on the harness, but hasn't attempted it unassisted yet.
 
His elite competitive skating career has already begun to take him all across the country, as well as Europe. "So far I have to gone to the Netherlands, which was my first-ever international competition, and I [went] to a Junior Grand Prix last year in Croatia," he said. "My favorite place was probably Amsterdam."
 
If you follow Martynov on Instagram, you'll discover how much he loves camel spins, which he admits is one of his strongest and favorite elements. In training, he enjoys doing consecutive camel spins in a row, trying to break his own personal record each time.
 
Family Matters
Martynov comes from a tight-knit family. He has an older sister and a cat, Lola. His parents, Marina Gromova and Yevgeny Martynov, double as his coaches. His mom is an accomplished ballet dancer turned choreographer and his dad used to represent the Ukraine as a skater. Martynov admitted that sometimes he and his parents do have conflicts, as any parent/child and teacher/student do, but they do their best to resolve the issues quickly. They leave the rink drama at the rink and the home drama at their home.
 
Martynov uses his Russian heritage as an asset, even being proficient in the language, which he believes is super important in figure skating to communicate with other people involved in the sport. "Especially right now, Russia is very popular for figure skating, so I think that's also affecting skaters," he explained.
 
Home Sweet Chicago
The high school freshman loves calling Chicago home. "Chicago is a very beautiful city. Walk around the city and admire the beauty of it," he suggested. "The ice skating ribbon in Chicago's Maggie Daley Park is very cool to skate around in a figure eight. I really enjoy that rink."
 
Although Martynov is dedicated to training on the ice two to three times daily five days per week, he does manage to find time to pursue another passion, fishing in the large lakes in Chicago. Sometimes he even catches dinner for his family, but the 14-year-old leaves the cooking to his parents.
 
Watch Martynov and all the Juniors compete at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Peacock Premium on Jan. 20-21. Learn more and start your 7-day free trial at peacocktv.com/skating.