On paper, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko's Olympic campaign was a success. They had four-career Grand Prix Series medals, with just as much hardware from the U.S. Championships — including the bronze in 2026 that earned them their first Olympic berth. But on the ice, the final push to Milan-Cortina had taken a toll.
 
"[The season] honestly wasn't enjoyable at all," Carreira said.
 
Admittedly their season was riddled with challenges, like a complicated citizenship process that took Canadian-born Carreira nearly seven years to complete, and the ultimate decision to revive their "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" free dance, scrapping their "Notre Dame de Paris" program after the Grand Prix Series. Amidst the struggles, their love of the sport was buried under the weight of Olympic expectations.

 
"There's so many talented teams, top to bottom in the United States, and a lot were in the running to make the Olympic team," Ponomarenko said. "Even with our good results ramping up to the season, we still felt like that Olympic spot was on the line if we didn't show up and give two great performances every time. That stress was always there."
 
"Everything with the citizenship was super stressful," Carriera added. "Training in general was very stressful, and competitions weren't enjoyable because we were only focused on results. All we could think about was making the Olympic team, so we never enjoyed the process of it."
 
Then came the offseason — and the relief they needed came in the form of their first Stars On Ice Tour. There, practice sessions saw joyful camaraderie, inspiration from athletes in other skating disciplines and a reminder that their time on the ice should be fun. While training days during the season had previously meant rigorous self-discipline, tour days saw tanning, swimming and trips to amusement parks instead.
 
"When we're at home, we're always working," Carreira said. "But before these shows, I did things that I'd never let myself do before a training day or a competition. That showed me that everything doesn't have to be perfectly done in order for me to skate well, and that relieved a lot of pressure. I found a balance of freedom and being able to lock in and do what I need to do when it matters."
 
With a new outlook on training, Carreira and Ponomarenko entered the new quad refreshed and ready to go, with the advantage of staying in run-through shape over the summer from tour performances. They handily won their season opener at the Nebelhorn Trophy last month, dominating the field by more than five points. And while their day-to-day training looks mostly the same as last year heading into the Grand Prix season (the duo still trains at the Ice Academy of Montreal with Scott Moir, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Madison Hubbell and Adrian Diaz), the pressure of the looming Olympic Games has been lifted.
 
"It's a perspective shift," Carreira said. "We realize that what we're doing is not that serious. We're coming in and we're doing the work, but it doesn't feel like our life is on the line. Lightening up has made us want to come into the rink instead of dreading the weight of it. Now we look forward to it. We're enjoying the process, and I think that approach is starting to show."
 
This week, along with a renewed love of skating, Carreira and Ponomarenko will compete at Grand Prix de France with programs already adjusted and well refined.
 
Their rhythm dance is set to selections from "My Fair Lady," and ended up being paired with Benny Goodman's iconic "Sing Sing Sing" after feedback from an early season camp and a trip to Salt Lake City to work with renowned movement coach Randi Strong. The season's required compulsory dance, the Golden Waltz, is particularly meaningful, as it was created by Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko — Anthony's parents, and the only ice dance team in history to hold an individual Olympic medal of every color.
 
"It's special," Ponomarenko said. "It's special that my parents were good enough at what they do to skate this dance and create this dance. It's also special to me that I've made it to a level where I get to skate and compete it, too. It's a fun bit of history. My mom watched the video from Nebelhorn Trophy, and she loved it. They're supportive of my skating, and I'm thankful to have them in my corner."
 
Their free dance to music from The Royal Ballet's "Manon" weaves unique elements within traditional structure — much like the stage production itself. Contrary to more traditional ballets, "Manon" trades fairy-tale tropes for gritty psychological realism and cinematic staging, told through the same repertoire of classical ballet steps.
 
"When I first saw the word 'ballet,' I thought, 'oh no, another ballet program,'" Ponomarenko admitted, recalling their "Carmen" free dance — which, like "Manon," also featured a love triangle and the heroine's untimely death. "But then Christina sent me the trailer — just a 30 second clip showing the ups and downs of the ballet and I just found it so cool and cinematic. It was such a fun process to learn and absorb the story, and Marie-France [Dubreuil] was the cherry on top putting it all together."
 
After hours on the ice, hours in the studio with Bolshoi Ballet Academy graduate Eva Airapetian, hours watching rehearsal videos from The Royal Ballet's production, and incorporating as much authentic knowledge and movement from the ballet into the free dance as possible, Carreira and Ponomarenko had created two programs they're proud to bring into a new season, and a new quad — this time already Olympians, enjoying every step of the journey.
 
"The Olympics were a big confidence boost," Ponomarenko said. "It showed us that all the sacrifices, the long days and the difficult days, are worth it in the end. All those things led up to the Olympics, so I would say going into this new season, we felt like our sacrifices were worth it. And those realizations have been a great next step in our partnership and in our careers."