Prague 2026: These were Kaori Sakamoto’s Worlds. But also Worlds of redemption, of celebration, of using one’s voice
To us – and many of you there, we are sure – there were Kaori Sakamoto’s Worlds. Her final competition, Kaori saying farewell (with a win, her 4th World title) to competitive skating, her fans…
Kaori Sakamoto: “In this world of figure skating, I tried to make a sunnier, brighter atmosphere, so that everybody could compete in a positive way”
On a sunny Sunday in Prague, around noon – and not just any Sunday, but the one that marked the end of 2026 World Figure Skating Championships –, I felt the luckiest journalist on Planet…
Julia Sauter – the Olympian: “My heart is full”
Two weeks after the Olympics, we finally get to talk to Julia Sauter at length about how her entire experience in Milano-Cortina has been. Remember, Julia was Romania’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony on February…
Benoît Richaud about Nina Pinzarrone: “She really has a special vocabulary of movement, a special way of interacting with the audience”
This interview is short, we give you that. But it’s also very meaningful, like one of those bottles carrying a message and floating on the surface of the water until someone finds it in the…
Two-time European champion Niina Petrokina in her own words: “Positive, optimistic, unstoppable”
Heading to Sheffield, for this year’s edition of the Europeans, we knew we wanted to talk to Niina Petrokina. The Estonian that ran away with our attention in her first senior season (2021/2022), through her…
EVENTS
The Golden Hour. Julia Sauter is living her Olympic dream
Listen: it all came together for Julia Sauter this season. The 28-year old born in Weingarten, Germany, who has been representing Romania…
Men in Sheffield: the battle for Olympic spots. Italy’s Nikolaj Memola and Matteo Rizzo / interview with the 2026 European silver medalist
For Italy’s Nikolaj Memola and Matteo Rizzo, 2026 Europeans acted…
Men in Sheffield: the battle for Olympic spots. In focus: Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko and Mihhail Selevko
At least four men in Sheffield had an additional weight…
Women in Sheffield: the Europeans of comebacks. Plus: hands in the air for Julia Sauter
Imagine that: Estonia’s Niina Petrokina, the European champion en titre,…
FEATURES
Inside Skating features Japanese Nationals 2025. First stop: the draw
You’ve seen the photos from Day One at Japanese Nationals – but you haven’t seen ours, we wrote on X at the…
Goodbye? Not yet, not soon, not at all… The final season of Kaori Sakamoto
The most emotional part of this year’s Grand Prix de…
Shape of water & other stories. In focus: French ice dancing at the beginning of the Olympic season
End of august, Masters de Patinage in Villard-de-Lans: the audience…
A year in the life of Julia Sauter. And her ultimate goal: earning a spot for Romania at 2026 Olympics
Julia Sauter has had a rough year, with doubts, anxiety…
INTERVIEWS
Wenjing Sui: “As a veteran athlete, I feel responsible – I want to be a source of strength, to help push the younger generation forward”
On June 6th, when the International Skating Union announced the highly anticipated Grand Prix assignments, many of us might have felt the…
“My Olympic season has already started”. Interview with Matteo Rizzo
“ – I’m not going to Worlds. – You’re not…
Josefin Taljegard: “The Olympics next year? I feel like I would want to do it, and I may still continue to fight for it”
Josefin Taljegard could have said No to this interview. After…
In focus: Emilia Monika Ziobrowska, Shiloh Douglas Judd and the start of their Romanian journey
On December 14th, 2024, Emilia Monika Ziobrowska and Shiloh Douglas…
More Articles
Close-ups from Finlandia Trophy: men
We love a serene Stephen Gogolev – and there are so many reasons to smile and be happy about: this is Stephen’s best senior season, his best international season. In his 7th season as a senior, Stephen won his first senior international gold medal (see…
Close-ups from Finlandia Trophy: dance, dance, dance!
ShibSibs x Shibuya: A 90s Night in Tokyo, the rhythm dance of Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, has been a beautiful vehicle for them to come back in the competitive arena after a 7-year hiatus – especially when their comeback happened on Japanese soil, in…
Close-ups from Finlandia Trophy: pairs
Flying without wings is entirely possible – our thoughts when looking at this lift by Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, photographed at 2025 Finlandia Trophy at the end of November. For 26-year old Alisa, it was coming home: she is born in Kouvola, Finland –…
Close-ups from Finlandia Trophy: women
We love this photo of Amber Glenn, taken in Helsinki, at 2025 Finlandia Trophy: we believe it embodies Amber’s strength, perseverance, efforts, resilience and, ultimately, her success on the international stage. In her 11th senior season, and with the biggest share of victories during her…
Japan Figure Skating Championships 2025. As if a door had opened…
There’s something about this photo that makes us nostalgic already. Kaori Sakamoto: first step, first practice at Japan Figure Skating Championships 2025 – for the very last time. Last first step on practice ice at Nationals, we could have also captioned the photo. A movement,…
Beginnings. 2025 Nebelhorn Trophy in photos
In the not so distant past, Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf was a key-competition during the Olympic season – the last chance to qualify Olympic spots, hence a heavily contested and emotionally charged event. This season, with the Olympic qualifier moved to Beijing, China (see the…
Starting the Olympic season on Italian soil: 2025 Lombardia Trophy
With Olympics in Italy next February, no wonder so many top skaters chose to start their season on Italian soil – in Bergamo, at the Challenger Series event Lombardia Trophy. Medals were awarded in men, women and ice dance categories, with Ilia Malinin, Rion Sumiyoshi…
A star is born: Ami Nakai. A photo-story
Every little thing about Ami Nakai and her array of movement is just exquisite. Is it as if every performance is made of hundreds, thousands of beautiful moments, while still being flowy, and liquid, and telling a story from top to finish. Those were our…
Emilia Monika Ziobrowska & Shiloh Douglas Judd’s first competitive season in photos
Now that you know Emilia and Shiloh, and understand their partnership is such an important, decisive step for the Romanian figure skating as a whole, we invite you to see exactly how their season went. Remember: this was Emilia Monika Ziobrowska and Shiloh Douglas Judd’s…
Ana Sofia Beschea and her second Europeans. Plus: a one-of-a-kind legacy
Romania’s Ana Sofia Beschea didn’t have the ideal preparation for 2025 Europeans. And “not ideal” is actually a euphemism for how the weeks leading to Europeans had been for her, for the entire Beschea family. As it happened last season, getting ice time prior to…