How one skater navigated military desertion to make Olympic history for Israel
In short: Evgeni Krasnopolski’s career was defined by high-stakes transitions, from moving from Kyiv to Israel as a child to facing serious legal charges in 2011. Yet, through shifting partnerships and physical injuries, he eventually secured a historic milestone for his nation on the world's biggest winter stage.
Born in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, in 1988, Krasnopolski moved to Israel at age three. His journey into elite figure skating took him from the Canada Centre in Metula to New Jersey, where he trained as an adult. His career has been a complex series of partnerships, including stints with Danielle Montalbano, Andrea Davidovich, Adel Tankova, Arina Cherniavskaia, Paige Conners, Anna Vernikov, and Hailey Kops.
The path was not always smooth. In May 2011, Krasnopolski faced charges of deserting the Israeli army. The Israeli skating federation later clarified that they had made a professional decision to allow him to remain abroad for training, believing the matter was being handled with the IDF. This period of uncertainty preceded his most significant competitive breakthroughs.
Krasnopolski’s legacy is tied to breaking barriers for Israeli pairs skating. In 2013, alongside Andrea Davidovich, he placed tenth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, earning Israel its first-ever Olympic entry in the pairs discipline. This duo went on to finish 15th at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Krasnopolski continued to represent Israel at the highest levels, competing in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics with Paige Conners and qualifying for the 2022 Games with Hailey Kops after a successful performance at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.
Despite the physical toll of the sport—including a partnership withdrawal in 2011 due to a dislocated shoulder and another in 2012 following a broken ankle—Krasnopolski remained a fixture in international competition for over a decade.
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