An athlete must be 16-years-old to enter the Olympic Games, but a local girl, half that age, already has her sights set on the competition.

8-year-old Sofia Bezkorovainaya wakes at 5 o’clock in the morning to train. She skates twice a day, breaking for schoolwork and other forms of exercise. Bezkorovainaya takes online classes through Virginia Virtual Academy. 

Her coach, a former professional figure skater, says Sofia will go far. “Three years ago, when I saw this little girl’s first time coming here and skating on public session, I’m like, ‘This girl, she has a talent, she’s got potential,'” said Inna Volyanskaya. 

Sofia says, at just 3-years-old, she was inspired by her cousin, a figure skater in Russia. “I came to my mom and I was like, ‘I want to skate,’ and then my mom just stuck me on the ice and I started skating,'” said Bezkorovainaya. 

In the past year alone, Sofia has competed in seven national events on the East Coast, placing each time.