Above: Andrew Torgashev dazzles the crowd at NHK Trophy. Photo credit: Robin Ritos
By Elvin Walker
A decade ago in Greensboro, North Carolina, Andrew Torgashev thrust himself into the limelight when he secured the 2015 U.S. junior men’s title. At just 13 years old, the Florida native demonstrated great control of the blade and an innate ability to bring life to his music en route to his victory, setting himself up for a career that seemed to have limitless possibilities. A top-10 finish at the successive World Junior Championships seemed to reinforce that narrative.
As he looked to ride the wave of momentum from his triumphant 2014–15 season, Torgashev began to push the technical envelope by adding a quadruple toe loop to his arsenal. Just as the summer began, however, the wunderkind found himself on the sidelines with a broken right ankle that required surgery and ended his season before it even began.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“Winning the junior title was kind of unexpected,” he said. “I was doing my best in training and being an up-and-comer, I didn’t have expectations on me,” he said. “Looking back on that time, I wanted to be competitive for the 2018 (Olympic Winter) Games, but it was really tough to come back from that injury. At the same time, my body was changing so it was a big task for me to overcome.”
Though Torgashev had minor success over the next three seasons, his injury woes continued and he reaggravated the ankle injury, requiring yet another surgery. With recovery and rehabilitation, Torgashev was forced to sit out the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.
“By then, most people my age were looking at college or what the next step in life would be, and it was tough to understand what I was going to do in moving forward,” Torgashev said. “I didn’t know if I would be able to overcome this injury or not since every time I tried to train, it would get reaggravated which required more time off of the ice.”
As he waited patiently for his return, Torgashev watched coach Rafael Arutunian shepherd Olympic champion Nathan Chen and U.S. champion Mariah Bell through the 2021–22 season. Inspired by what he saw, the now 23-year-old crafted a plan to go back to the basics when he was finally able to return to training and see where that took him.
“I was just trying to find my footing again,” he said. “After two years of not competing, I realized that I had a wealth of knowledge of how to compete due to my previous experience, but I had to figure out how to tap into that. It was very slow in the beginning as I started out at local competitions, leading me to my first senior sectionals in the fall of 2022.”
Torgashev finished in second place at those sectionals, earning entry into the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. As he prepared for his return to the national spotlight, Torgashev’s training started to come together, but he remained cautiously optimistic about his chances of a podium finish in San Jose, California.
“I felt so good in San Jose,” Torgashev said. “My goal was to finish in the top 10, so finishing fifth in the short program and winning the free skate far exceeded those expectations. Earning the bronze medal was a surprise.”
Torgashev earned a place on the World Championships Team for the first time in his career, where he ultimately finished in 21st place. He followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the 2024 U.S. Championships after nursing a back injury earlier that fall.
This season started out with a fifth-place finish at the Cranberry Cup in August and a ninth-place finish at the Nebelhorn Trophy. In advance of his Grand Prix assignment in France, Torgashev realized that he was slipping into old habits of overdoing it in training which caused old pains to flare up, impacting his training. So, he took a more calculated and controlled approach leading to his first Grand Prix podium finish in Angers, France.
“My expectations were very minimal for the event in France,” he said. “My goal was just to feel like I gave it my best effort and put everything out there. I wanted to feel good about what I did on my flight home, and in the end, I did everything I could, and I came away with the bronze medal.”
While in France, Torgashev learned that he was invited to compete at the NHK Trophy as a last-minute replacement, which required an unexpected yet welcomed trip to Japan. With little time to recalibrate his mindset for another competition, Torgashev mustered up the strength to finish fourth, which landed him as the second alternate to the Grand Prix Final.
“Going to Japan, I was in a state of euphoria,” Torgashev said. “Getting invited back to Japan — I had competed there twice before, and I wasn’t that proud of what I had put out there. I felt like I had nothing to lose and already accomplished my goal of not having regrets, so it was just a bonus for me. It was a stronger group than was in France, and I did my best in the short program despite being nervous. In the free skate, I had to rely on my training to get me through because I was so exhausted that whole week. I was really stoked to put out such strong performances.”
When he finally returned home after circumnavigating the globe, Torgashev took time to recover before shifting his attention to Wichita, Kansas, and the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. With momentum back in his favor, Torgashev is eyeing a return to the podium and a second trip to the World Championships.
“I’m preparing myself the best I can to compete for a place in Boston,” Torgashev said about the upcoming U.S. Championships. “I would love to be able to compete in Seoul at the Four Continents Championships, but right now I am looking at the U.S. Championships. I don’t want to look too far down the road and not be focused enough to get the job done.”
Torgashev’s long-term goals are to finish in the top 10 at the World Championships in Boston and put himself in the position to compete for an Olympic Team berth next season.
“I am getting more comfortable and confident because I have been able to train consistently,” he said. “We’ll see how I can handle the pressure, but for me, I have been through so much and if I don’t set goals like finishing in the top 10 at Worlds, then there is not much of a point. I want to be competitive.”
