Aleksandrovskaya was born on 1 January 2000 in Moscow.[2][3] Her father died in 2015.[4] She became an Australian citizen in October 2017.[5] Aleksandrovskaya struggled with depression and began treatment for epilepsy in January 2020.[6]
Career
Early career
Aleksandrovskaya started learning to skate in 2004 when she was four.[2] After competing as a single skater through 2011–2012, she began appearing in pairs with Vladislav Lysoy during the 2012–2013 season. She skated with Aleksandr Epifanov in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016.[7]
Teaming with Windsor
Responding to a query from Australian-based coaches Andrei and Galina Pachin, her coach Nina Mozer suggested a tryout between Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor in Moscow.[8][3] The two began skating together in December 2015.[9] Observing the tryout, the coaches believed that the skaters would make a good match due to similar technique and body types.[10]
Alexandrovskaya was released by Russia after a request from the Australian skating association, with help from Mozer.[4]
During the season, Alexandrovskaya/Windsor were coached by the Pachins in Sydney and by Andrei Hekalo and Nina Mozer in Moscow.[2] Their international debut came in early September 2016 at the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Ranked 6th in the short program and 9th in the free skate, the pair finished 8th overall.[11] Later that month, the two competed at a JGP event in Tallinn, Estonia. They were awarded the gold medal ahead of three Russian pairs after placing third in the short and first in the free.[8][12] They finished as the first substitutes for the JGP Final in Marseille, France.[13]
In March the same year, Alexandrovskaya/Windsor competed at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. Ranked third in the short program and second in the free skate, they finished first overall, outscoring the silver medallists, Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia, by 2.05 points. They became the first skaters representing Australia to win gold at one of the ISU Figure Skating Championships and the first to finish on a podium at Junior Worlds since 1976, when Elizabeth Cain / Peter Cain took the pairs' bronze medal.[16][17] A couple of weeks later, the pair competed at the senior-level World Championships, which took place in Helsinki, Finland. They qualified to the free skate and went on to finish 16th.[18]
In October, Alexandrovskaya/Windsor placed first in both segments at the JGP event in Gdańsk, Poland; they were awarded the gold medal and qualified for the JGP Final in Nagoya, Japan. In December, they won gold at the final, becoming the first Australian champions in the event's history.[20]
In January, Alexandrovskaya/Windsor finished 6th overall at the 2018 Four Continents Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. They were awarded a small silver medal for their performance in the short program. In February, the two represented Australia at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.[21] Ranked 18th in the short program, they were not among the 16 pairs who advanced to the free skate.[15] They were more successful at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy, placing 15th in the short program and 16th overall.
After their unsuccessful season, Alexandrovskaya/Windsor moved back to Sydney, and were joined there by former coach Andrei Khekalo. After months of experimentation, a solution was found for Windsor's foot inflammation that allowed them to resume training on ice.[22] Alexandrovskaya/Windsor placed ninth at the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, and then finished seventh at the 2019 Skate America, their lone Grand Prix assignment.[24]
They withdrew from the 2019 CS Warsaw Cup, and did not compete at 2019 Australian Figure Skating Championships, though they were still named to the 2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships team. They withdrew from that competition also, and Windsor announced that they had split due to Alexandrovskaya retiring because of health issues.[25] It was subsequently reported by coach Khekalo that Alexandrovskaya had an epileptic seizure in early January that prompted her retirement.[26][27]
Death
On 18 July 2020, Alexandrovskaya died after jumping out of the 6th floor window of her Moscow home, in a suspected suicide, leaving behind a note that said "Lyublyu" (Russian: Люблю, lit. 'I love'). She was 20 years old.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34]
In February 2022, an Australian documentary was released, titled Harley & Katya, which detailed Alexandrovskaya and Windsor's relationship and partnership.[35]
Chef de mission: Ian Chesterman Medalist is showed in bold and flagbearer in italics † selected the team but didn't compete due to injury in training prior to the competition.
Tallinn Trophy champions in figure skating – Pairs
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Australia
