Sofiia Beznosikova and Max Leleu

Sofiia Beznosikova and Max Leleu, one of Belgium’s most promising young ice dance teams, have come a long way in just three seasons of international competition. The team, who paired up in 2021, capped off this season with an impressive 11th place at the 2025 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They were 29th in their debut at this event in 2023 and 18th last year.

“It was not an easy road from 2023 to 2025,” admitted Beznosikova. “There was a lot of work, and a lot changed. We grew both mentally and physically, began to skate better and achieve higher goals. This path was incredibly interesting.”

Nevertheless, Leleu feels it was still very positive, agreeing that much has changed since their appearance at Junior Worlds in 2023.

“After that, we moved to the U.S., and I think this made us able to put so much more work in,” he said. “Taking into account the past two seasons, we were able to improve quite a lot. It is also quite interesting knowing that even with all the work we’ve done, there is still so much more to accomplish.”

The 2024-25 season marked their second full season together on the international stage. Their upward trajectory is marked not just by improved scores, but also by personal growth and a fresh perspective shaped by life and training in Novi, Michigan.

A multilingual, multicultural partnership

Beznosikova and Leleu bring a unique blend of cultures and backgrounds to the ice. Their partnership is grounded not only in shared goals, but also in cultural understanding. Fluent in multiple languages, Leleu shared that French and Russian were “pretty much both” his native tongue.

“My mom is Russian, she’s from St. Petersburg,” he explained. “I was born in Belgium and my whole family lives there. I lived there first for 12 years, then I moved to Russia in 2019 when I was close to 13 years old.”

Beznosikova’s entire family lives in Moscow, and she is currently navigating the complex path toward Belgian citizenship.

“We’re working with the Belgian federation,” she explained. “We’re doing everything that’s possible. For documents, the way it’s happening right now, we currently don’t have a Belgian multiple entry visa because it’s a bit hard to get it right now.”

However, she emphasized the support they’re receiving from the national governing body.

“The Belgian Figure Skating Federation is trying their very best,” said Beznosikova. “We’re working hand in hand, trying everything that’s possible to get a multiple entry visa long-term and eventually turn that into a citizenship.”

Finding home in Novi

A huge part of their recent success can be credited to their move to Novi, Michigan, to train with Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo. Elizaveta Nemtseva, their long-time coach, is also a part of the team.

“Oh, I’m sure that it had a huge impact,” Leleu said of the move. “I’m not going to speak for Sofiia, but I’m very happy that we moved here. The conditions, the coaches, everything is great. I really love it here in Michigan. And the training is going really well!”

“Yeah, the same for me,” said Beznosikova. “I’m so happy to skate here in Igor and Pasquale’s group. I really like Novi.”

Leleu added that one advantage is that it’s a big group with multiple junior and senior skaters.

“We have many people that we can take inspiration from and just overall look up to,” he said.

Beznosikova admits she misses her family but enjoys her new life.

“I miss my mom, dad and grandma,” she said. “But home? Not so much. I get to see my family two times a year. I also have friends here. I like the weather, because in the summer it’s so hot, and in the winter it’s so cold.”

Leleu also visits his family several times a year in Brussels but is enjoying his time in Michigan.

“I have a lot of friends here in Novi and always get to spend quality time with them. I’m very happy,” he said. “Michigan is a very nice place and the people are nice. It’s just so interesting to be able to visit the world, to be able to stay in the United States. We’re only in Michigan and the country is so big, so I’d love to see more someday.”

Climbing the Junior World Rankings

While the team’s steady rise through the Junior World Championships has been nothing short of remarkable, they were sad when they didn’t earn a second spot for Belgium this season.

“We’ve seen that there’s now a new Belgian team in Ice Dance that’s also coming up and I’m very happy that Ice Dance is growing in Belgium,” noted Leleu. “We were happy with getting all new personal bests in Debrecen, but we were hoping for that second spot.”

While their overall results are improving, the duo emphasizes growth over placement.  At the very beginning of the season, they did not have any “placement” goals, per se.

“We just felt the best way to always approach is it do better than what we did last year, and just continue to improve,” said Leleu. “Not just from the previous year, but from one event to the next.”

Although the team had no expectations going into Junior Worlds, they wanted to redeem themselves on the dance spin in the free dance—an element they only received a level one on in 2024.

“We made sure to get it right this year!” said Beznosikova, referencing the particularly tricky element. “And then we got a level four. We were very happy with it and our performance at Worlds. Everyone was very happy, coaches too. So that was the most important!”

A setback; lessons learned from 2024-25

Their journey hasn’t been without its challenges. In January, just before Junior Worlds, the team experienced an apartment fire.

“A neighbor threw a cigarette butt in a cardboard box in the garage, and it caught fire,” Leleu explained. “We were not hurt, but we had smoke damage. It was a bit of a stressful moment in January because it was right before leaving for competition. So, we stayed at a friend’s place for a few days as he had extra rooms to spare.”

Even with the fire and travel hurdles, the team remained focused and motivated. One thing they learned from this season was to be more “consistent.”

“For me, another thing I learned is to try to listen carefully and understand everything that our coaches are saying,” said Leleu. “I try to grab the most information possible from them.”

Beznosikova agreed, adding, “We only have so much training time when you think about it. Even though we are able to train a lot every day, there’s so much to think about in a program. You have to listen to your coach and really try to get everything that they are saying.”

As a team, they have also learned to work together so that they “always try to have the same objectives.”

Moving forward and inspiration

As for next season? “Spins and lifts,” said Beznosikova when asked about areas for improvement.

“I would say that we try to perfect every single aspect of our skating, but this takes quite a lot of time,” noted Leleu. “We try to work around our sync on parallel elements and our overall partnering.”

They already have their new programs but are keeping the music secret for now while they are in development. However, Leleu teased that the free dance comes from “inspiration from other people’s programs.”

“In terms of interpretation I’d say we take inspiration from other people’s programs from past skaters,” he shared, adding that Camerlengo will be doing the choreography. “It’s going to be a story that’s going to be told, definitely.”

Leleu regards Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir as his childhood idols, while his partner looks up to Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson, Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov, and Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev.

Outside of skating, Leleu is also inspired by retired United States Navy SEAL David Goggins.

“He proves how much your body can do and how great you can be,” said Leleu. “And of course all the support that my family gives me is one of my biggest sources of motivation!”

“I am encouraged by the fact that with each time, with each competition, with each year, we move forward, improve and progress,” added Beznosikova. “I also admire the coaches who always support us, mostly Elizaveta, who is always with us. And I am also grateful to my family; my dad, mom and grandma who support me very much. Especially my mom who believes in me very much!”

Life beyond the rink

Outside of skating, Leleu is still finishing high school in Belgium.

“The school system in Belgium, the one that I’m studying at, is a bit complicated,” he said. “I’m not done yet with high school. My exams are always either during Junior Worlds, like the week to get ready, or they’re during the Junior Grand Prix season. So, most of the time, I’m missing out on my exam sessions. Thankfully I can divide them, and I can do, for example, two exams during the month of March, and then two exams during the month of October. So I should be done very soon!”

His favorite subjects are math and chemistry.

Beznosikova is preparing to graduate from school in September.

“I will be getting ready for the state exams,” she said. “Then if I want, I could either continue school, go to university or work. My favorite subjects are English and biology.”

She also has a creative side: “I like drawing. I’ll draw anything—people, animals, plants…everything. I like using paint, pencils, markers, all of it.”

Leleu’s passion lies under the hood as he enjoys anything mechanic related.

“I love cars!” he said. “Actually, I mean, one of my dreams would be to just own a nice car that I’d be able to fix myself. Probably, I’d say to start with an old BMW and then work my way into higher class cars such as, well, Porsches maybe. I’d love to own a top-end car someday. That would be a dream come true.”

As Beznosikova and Leleu continue their inspiring rise through the junior ice dance ranks, their story stands as a testament to dedication and the strength of a true partnership. They have proven that growth in sport comes not only from results, but from the passion and perseverance behind every step. With fresh goals, new programs in the works, and a clear vision for the future, the young team is well on their way to leaving an even greater mark in Belgian ice dance.

Related Info:

• ISU Bio
• Instagram: Sofiia Beznosikova and Max Leleu

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