Sophia Baram Explained

Sophia Baram
Also Known As:Sonia
Birth Place:Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Hometown:Los Alamitos, California, U.S.
Formerpartner:Daniel Tioumentsev, Blake Edwards
Coach:Todd Sand, Jenni Meno, Chris Knierim, Christine Fowler-Binder
Choreographer:Cindy Stuart
Skating Club:LAFSC
Currenttraininglocations:Irvine, California
Beganskating:2010
Discipline:Pair skating
Women's singles
Combined Total:183.47
Combined Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Sp Score:66.95
Sp Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Fs Score:116.52
Fs Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Show-Medals:yes

Sophia "Sonia" Baram (born November 24, 2008) is an American pair skater. With former partner, Daniel Tioumentsev, she is the 2023 World Junior champion, 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, the 2022 JGP Czech Republic champion, the 2022 JGP Poland II bronze medalist, and the 2022 U.S. junior national champion.

Personal life

Baram was born on November 24, 2008, in Beverly Hills, California, to parents Pavel and Anna. She has a brother, Alex. Baram homeschools through Connections Academy, an online program.

Career

Early career

Baram began figure skating in 2010 at the age of one.

Her first pair skating partner was Blake Edwards whom she competed with from 2019 to early 2021. She ultimately teamed up with Daniel Tioumentsev in April 2021.

2021–22 season

Baram/Tioumentsev made their debut together at the 2021 USCS Nevada and 2021 USCS Massachusetts, winning both events.

They then went on to win gold at the 2022 U.S. Junior Championships by over twenty points. Simultaneously, Baram competed in the junior women's singles event, finishing thirteenth.

2022–23 season: World Junior champion and Junior Grand Prix Final silver

Baram/Tioumentsev debuted internationally on the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix series. They won the bronze medal at the 2022 JGP Poland II and gold at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic, ultimately qualifying for the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy and won the silver medal.

The pair went on to compete at the 2023 Midwestern Sectional Championships, winning the gold medal.

At the Final, Baram/Tioumentsev won the short program, 3.43 points over Anastasia Golubeva / Hektor Giotopoulos Moore of Australia. They then went on to place second in the free skate and won the silver medal behind the Australians.

Competing as a senior pair team at the 2023 U.S. Championships, Baram/Tioumentsev won the pewter medal.

Selected to represent the United States at the 2023 World Junior Championships, Baram/Tioumentsev won the short program, scoring a personal best in the process. The morning of the free skate, Baram/Tioumentsev's coach, Todd Sand, suffered a heart attack and had to be hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit. As a result, Baram/Tioumentsev had to skate the free skate without a coach. Despite this, the pair won the free skate and ultimately won the event, secure a gold medal, scoring personal best free skate and combined total scores in the process. Following the event, Tioumentsev said, "We skated for Todd and for everyone that has helped us through the season. It was very hard, and we tried to remember what Todd told us – to stay in the moment."

In August 2023, Baram/Tioumentsev announced that they ended their partnership due to Tioumentsev wishing to focus on his studies at Arizona State University as well as his job at SpaceX. Regardless, Tioumentsev stated that he had no plans to retire but rather take a break from figure skating.

Programs

Pair skating with Daniel Tioumentsev

Competitive highlights

Women's singles

Detailed results

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.