Pavel Kovalev

Pavel Antonovich Kovalev (; born 4 January 1992) is a Russian-French pair skater. With his wife, Camille Kovalev, he is a two-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, 2018 Volvo Open Cup silver medalist, 2015 International Cup of Nice bronze medalist, 2015 Lombardia Trophy bronze medalist, and a five-time French national champion (2022-26).

Personal life Kovalev was born on 4 January 1992, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He married his skating partner, Camille Mendoza, in December 2017.

Their first competition as a team was at the 2014 Master's de Patinage, although they would withdraw from the event after placing third in the short program. They would subsequently compete at the 2014 NRW Trophy and the 2015 Bavarian Open, finishing fourth at both events. Because of this, the Kovalevs finished World Championships with a strong eighth-place.

In June, the pair announced that while continuing their coaching relationship with Laurent Depouilly, they would begin training at the ASGA Figure Skating Club.

2024–2025 season During the off-season, Pavel dislocated his ankle and underwent surgery during the summer. He also injured his back shortly after returning to the ice and was subsequently forced to miss another two weeks of training. Having initially been told by doctors that they would likely need to sit out of the beginning of the season, Pavel was eventually be cleared to skate at the 2024 Master's de Patinage in late September, much earlier than the couple had expected. They ultimately won silver at the event. They subsequently finished sixth at the 2024 Tayside Trophy.

They opened the season by winning gold at the 2025 Master's de Patinage. They then competed at the 2025 Skate to Milano, the final Olympic qualifying event. At the event, the Kovalevs placed second in the short program and fifth in the free skate, placing fourth overall.

Going on to compete on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, the Kovalevs finished sixth at the 2025 Grand Prix de France. The following month, the Kovalevs competed at the 2026 European Championships in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom, where they finished in tenth place.

On February 6, the Kovalevs placed seventh in the short program in the 2026 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Team Event.

Programs With Kovalev for France Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2025–2026