Domnina began skating at the age of six in Kirov and took up ice dancing two years later due to her height.

[3][5] They initially worked on a free dance to Schindler's List but when they wanted to add a faster section they thought it looked too much like a hodgepodge; after consultation with Tatiana Tarasova, they began working on a new free dance to Masquerade Waltz at the start of August.

[3][5] The pain persisted despite therapy, preventing them from training fully and resulting in their withdrawal from the 2008 World Championships.

[3] Shabalin spent five weeks in treatment in Munich, Germany, while Domnina trained on her own in Odintsovo, near Moscow.

[8] Domnina/Shabalin won the bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics and withdrew from the World Championships as a result of continued problems with his knee.

In July 2010, Domnina announced on the team's official site that she was not ready to retire, despite the insistence of her mother and boyfriend to leave the sport, and that a decision would be made in 2011.

[5] In August 2010, it was reported that Domnina was engaged to Russian ice dancer Roman Kostomarov, the 2006 Olympic champion, and expecting their first child together.