One Look at Alexander Samorukov and Yes, We Noticed
Every so often an athlete crosses the screen and makes us stop mid-scroll. Alexander Samorukov did exactly that. The Saint Petersburg pairs skater has the clean lines, calm presence and camera-friendly confidence of someone who already understands how to hold attention before the program even gets moving.
So yes, consider this an official INYIM Mancrush moment. Handsome? Obviously. But what really caught us is how quickly the visual appeal gives way to the athleticism: controlled edges, long extensions, overhead lifts and the kind of paired timing where one missed beat can undo the entire illusion.
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Alexander Samorukov: INYIM Mancrush
A rising Saint Petersburg pairs skater with sharp presentation, serious athletic control and exactly the kind of visual presence that made us stop and pay attention.
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Who Is Alexander Samorukov?
Samorukov is an 18-year-old Russian junior pairs skater representing Saint Petersburg alongside partner Darya Tretyakova. Official competition protocols list his birth date as November 17, 2007, meaning he turns 19 next month. Public competition profiles do not currently list a verified height or weight for him, so we are leaving those measurements out rather than guessing.
The pair skate with the Tamara Moskvina Figure Skating Club, one of the best-known pairs programs in Russian skating. Their coaching team includes Alexander Smirnov and Artur Minchuk, with choreography credited to Nikolai Moroshkin.
That pedigree shows in the details. Samorukov’s role in the partnership asks for much more than simply being the stronger half of a lift: he has to generate speed, stabilize difficult positions, match Tretyakova’s timing and still sell the choreography once the technical element is over. In the footage that first caught our eye, he moves between power and presentation without making either feel forced.
Tretyakova and Samorukov Are Building Momentum
Tretyakova and Samorukov have been competing together in Russian junior pairs events, including the 2026–27 Russian Junior Grand Prix series. At the first Moscow stage in September, they finished seventh overall with a combined score of 121.02.
By the third Junior Grand Prix stage in Moscow, the pair had moved upward, scoring 52.50 in the short program to sit third. That kind of early-season movement is part of what makes them interesting to watch now rather than later.
They are still developing, still sharpening the partnership and still very much in the phase where a season can change quickly. For INYIM, that is usually the sweet spot: catching someone with presence before everybody else decides they have presence.
The Red-and-Black Look Did Not Hurt Either
And then there is the styling. In the program that sent us searching for his name, Samorukov skates in black with deep red embroidered detailing, paired against Tretyakova’s red costume. The effect is dramatic without wandering into costume-for-costume’s-sake territory, and on him the clean black silhouette does exactly what good performance wardrobe should do: frame the movement rather than fight it.
The close-cropped hair, strong posture and almost model-like stillness in the kiss-and-cry only add to the appeal. He can look completely composed sitting beside his partner and coach, then moments later be lifting and catching another human being at speed on a sheet of ice. That contrast is very INYIM Mancrush.
We will be keeping an eye on where Alexander Samorukov and Darya Tretyakova go next. For now, consider our attention officially caught — skating skill first, handsome Russian figure-skater energy a very close second.
Alexander Samorukov & Darya Tretyakova — 2026 Russian Junior Grand Prix Skate
Watch Samorukov and Tretyakova’s 2026 Russian Junior Grand Prix pairs skate, the performance that first put him firmly on our INYIM Mancrush radar.
Sources: Figure Skating Federation of Russia; official competition protocols; Championat.
