Minot Pair Glides To A US Junior Championship Win

It's impossible for me to wrap my head around just how talented these two athletes are

Every sport has its challenges, from brute strength to sheer poetry and finesse. As a spectator, we get wrapped up in our own fantasy of what it would be like to be a quarterback, or at the plate with a bat in your hands, facing a 100-mph fastball. Then we actually get out on the golf course and sink a 10-foot putt for a par, a tiny taste of what it's like to be a pro golfer. But there is no way I can even think about what it takes to be a figure skater.

A Minot native with loads of ability and her partner just recently captured national attention

Her name is Leah Neset, she is from Minot, North Dakota and she was born to skate. She has teamed up with her partner Artem Markelov and together they are achieving success, and have set their sights on accomplishing their goals. According to kxnet.com "The duo got a chance to live that dream earlier this month in Nashville winning the Junior Ice Dance division in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships" Their future is set for stardom.

Chemistry and sheer determination

One can only imagine the endless hours and determination it takes to step on the ice and perform like these two athletes. In 2018 Neset moved to Colorado to continue her training and that's where she and Markelov found each other. Kxnet.com reported that "Artem and Leah say their goal is one day to make the USA figure skating team for the Winter Olympics". Watching their video is spellbinding. Their moves are synched together to perfection crisp, clean, and with no signs of any effort at all, a brilliant display of dance, strength, speed, and agility. Textbook pair of artistic geniuses. No doubt we will all see great things from them soon.

Leah Neset & Artem Markelov