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Are Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko dating? They’re ice dancing partners who have been skating together for more than a decade.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are ice dancing partners who have been skating together for more than a decade. Now, the two are skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which is leading to the question, are they dating?
To be at the level these two are at in the Olympics, there has to be love involved. But, it’s not always romantic love. Carreira and Ponomarenko first started skating together in April 2014, according to Olympic research, and that means they’ve been together on the ice since they were teenagers.
“We saw each other at Lake Placid, like a little summer competition, and both of our moms were kind of following what the other was doing,” Carreira told NBC Bay Area in an interview before the 2026 Olympics.
“My mom said to me, ‘You in the future will be skating with Christina.’ I was like, ‘OK,” Ponomarenko added in the same interview.
So, are Carreira and Ponomarenko dating and in a relationship, or are they just friends and partners on the ice? Here’s their relationship status.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko Dating Status
As of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Carreira and Ponomarenko have not announced that they’re dating or in a romantic relationship together. But, that doesn’t mean they’re not close. Speaking in a pre-Olympics interview that ran in Fox 5 San Diego on November 2025, leading up to the Olympics, the two talked about their bond.
“We really grew up together, and we didn’t have our parents around or anything, so we kind of had to rely on each other,” Carreira told the outlet.
“We have one goal in mind, and we come in determined and ready for it,” Carreira added elsewhere in the interview.
Carreira and Ponomarenko started staking together when they both moved to Michigan to train with previous partners. “After those partnerships ended, they teamed up and have since developed a strong bond, relying on each other as they grew up together,” Fox 5 San Diego reports.
Now, the two are in their 12th season together. “Just one day at a time. One day at time and we’ll get there,” Ponomarenko told NBC Bay Area of their partnership. “Our coach always tells us, ‘Don’t rewrite anything. Things have been working.’”
Beyond the Ice: Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
Carreira had a difficult journey to representing the United States in the Olympics. She moved to Novi, Michigan, in 2013 to get advanced training and it took her seven years to get U.S. citizenship.
“Christina Carreira has emerged as one of the premier ice dancers in the United States, competing alongside partner Anthony Ponomarenko since April 2014,” Team USA’s website reports of Carreira. “Born in Montreal, Quebec, Carreira began skating at age 3, inspired by her mother who worked as a skating coach.”
They add of her journey, “French is her first language, reflecting her Canadian roots. The pair first connected at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championship, where Olympic champion Marina Klimova, Ponomarenko’s mother, recognized Carreira’s talent and suggested the pairing.”
In November 2025, she finally got her official U.S. citizenship, which meant she was able to compete in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
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