Viktoria Helgesson - Career

Career

Helgesson began skating at the age of three, following in the footsteps of her mother, a former competitive skater who competed at the European Championships. She and her younger sister Joshi are both coached by their mother, Christina, as well as Regina Jensen. At the age of 12, she landed her first triple jump.

Helgesson competed at the 2004 World Junior Championships, where she came in 22nd. In 2007, she won the Swedish national title for the first time at the senior level. She again competed at Junior Worlds, finishing 28th.

In 2008, Helgesson made her European Championships and World Championships debut, and came in 18th at both events. She improved upon her result at the 2009 European Championships, but failed to qualify for the free skate at that season's Worlds, and was thus unable to qualify an Olympic berth for Sweden.

In 2010, Helgesson finished 11th at the Europeans. Two months later, she improved her personal best by 19 points to finish tenth at Worlds. She consequently received two Grand Prix assignments in the 2010–11 season, the first of her career; she finished 9th at the 2010 NHK Trophy and 6th at that season's Skate America. She medalled at two international events, the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2010 Merano Cup, and improved to 6th at the Europeans, the best finish by a Swedish figure skater since 1932. She was 17th at Worlds.

In addition to Sweden, Helgesson also trained in Colorado and Boston. She began the 2011–12 season at the 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, where she finished 5th. In October 2011, Helgesson won the bronze medal at the 2011 Skate America, her first medal at a Grand Prix event, as well as the first by any Swedish skater. She achieved a career-best 5th at the 2012 European Championships.