For Italy’s Nikolaj Memola and Matteo Rizzo, 2026 Europeans acted as a skate-off – the competition that would decide who got Italy’s second men’s spot at the Olympics; with the first one already assigned to national champion Daniel Grassl, 4th place at the Grand Prix Final this season.
The stakes were high, no doubt, and so was the pressure.
But coming to Sheffield, 22-year-old Nikolaj Memola from Monza knew he was at a disadvantage, that odds didn’t really play in his favour.
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Story by Florentina Tone
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DEFYING ODDS
Remember: in late November, while at a competition in Turin, Nikolaj suffered a hard fall on a quadruple Lutz, he was forced to withdraw from the event and went to hospital for a check-up.
While waiting for his X-ray results, someone broke into his car, stole his short program costume and his skates – but the hardest part was that Nikolaj’s pelvic injury proved so severe, that kept him out of his training regimen and ice altogether for a month.
And only by sheer will and doctors’ efforts, with the Olympics on home soil, almost in his courtyard, as the biggest motivator – Nikolaj’s hometown Monza is just 15 km north of Milan –, he was able to travel to 2026 Europeans after all. He calls it a miracle, really.
And he had a strategy in place, to maximize his chances, win every little point there was to win.
As one would say: Nikolaj would not go down without a fight.
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EYES ON THAT OLYMPIC SPOT
For the 27-year old Matteo Rizzo, skating at home Olympics – again, one’s courtyard: Matteo’s hometown, Sesto San Giovanni, is a municipality in the metropolitan city of Milan – was also a dream he desperately wanted to fulfill.
Not attending Worlds last season and coming after a long and difficult rehabilitation after a major surgery, in January 2024, Matteo knew he wanted to be a part of the Olympic Team in Milan.
And everything he did, everything he planned, the way he envisioned his programs, his growth, everything had Olympics as the final destination.
We talked to Matteo extensively last year in February. For him, at that point even, the Olympic season had already started, and that should give you a hint or more about his commitment, his determination.
“I’m really looking forward, because I feel it’s going to be an amazing event and a big opportunity for our country… That’s why I really care about next season, and I’m already starting in February 2025 – because Olympics are in one year, and one year can be a lot, but it’s not”.
With a complex set of rules in place for the Olympic season, in order to determine which skaters get the two spots at home Olympics, and who will eventually watch the Olympics from home, that was a challenging season for all Italian male skaters, Matteo and Nikolaj included.
Matteo himself will conclude at the end of 2026 Europeans: “After reading the rules for the Olympic decision, we decided to do a lot of competitions [this season], but this was actually ruining the performances. So if I have to look back, the decision was wrong, but it’s okay, we take it”.
MATTEO’S EXPERIENCE. “WHEN YOU HAVE IT, YOU NEED TO USE IT”
Let’s start with the beginning, shall we?
On Thursday, January 15, at Utilita Arena Sheffield, men take the ice for their short programs.
Matteo is in the last group, the 25th skater to go, right before Nikolaj Memola, and that makes for a direct confrontation already.
And all goes well for Matteo, and he’s giving everything he has in his short program to Damiano David’s Silverlines. Happy people in the audience, happy Matteo on the ice.
“Bella voce!”, Italian coach Rosanna Murante shouts from the stands.
At the end of men’s short program at Europeans, having scored 88 points, Matteo will find himself in the 4th place, in striking distance of the podium.
“I can’t say coping with pressure was easy”, he said, interviewed by the ISU media team backstage.
“The pressure was there, but I was well prepared to deliver a good program. I made some mistakes, thank God they were small. I am very happy with my skating. And I hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did”.
Just minutes later, in the mixed zone, he’ll be asked to share more, considering his longevity in the sport – Matteo debuted at Europeans 10 years ago, in Bratislava.
“It’s crazy knowing that exactly 10 years ago my career at the Europeans started.
And it’s a privilege for me as an athlete to have 10 years of high-level career – and I’m so grateful for that.
Maybe experience helped me because, well… when you have it, you need to use it”.
NIKOLAJ: “IF I DON’T MAKE IT TO THE OLYMPICS, I WILL STILL GET UP IN THE MORNING AND ENJOY SKATING”
And while Matteo is analyzing his performance backstage, it’s time for Nikolaj Memola to take the ice – and it’s so obvious: skating one of his older programs, to Prelude in C-sharp minor by Rachmaninov, Nikolaj is working hard to make every little thing count, his steps, his turns, trying to squeeze the maximum from every single move.
That’s his strategy right there: knowing he’d only rely on triple jumps in the short program in Sheffield, and with just a quad planned in the free – the consequences of the injury sustained, not wanting to force his body to perform a more difficult technical content at this point in the rehabilitation process –, Nikolaj made the decision to return to a set of programs from earlier times.
“Coming here, I thought I couldn’t add triples to a program designed for quads, there would be nothing left for the choreography – so I wanted to go back to my junior programs because they were built for an easier content and these are my favourite programs.
They are richer in terms of transitions”.
Performing to the best of his current abilities, Nikolaj Memola scored 77.77 points, which had him in 10th place at the end of men’s short program in Sheffield.
But nevertheless, Nikolaj was happy – coming to Sheffield was a victory itself.
“I am so happy, so happy to be here!, and so grateful to the doctors who were able to put me back together.
Probably, with more painkillers, I could have done quads – but, to be honest, yes, it’s Olympics on the table, but I am not planning to stop after this season.
And if I skip these Olympics, I am going to go 100% and heal”.
But there’s even more to it than that – and we’re in awe with the maturity of this young man, who could see post-Olympics, who was at peace with the possibility of not making the team, and who had almost moved on, eyes on the future.
And we’ll share what Nikolaj Memola had to say in the mixed zone in Sheffield, about his injury, his rehabilitation, his joy of being able to skate at Europeans after all, about his plans, his future – while publicly thanking Judith Dombrowski from Golden Skate for prompting some of these confessions and letting them fly into the world.
A lot that happened after Nikolaj’s injury, you’ll see it for yourself.
“I came back onto the ice after Italian Nationals, right before Christmas. I was just doing some stroking, I was not able to do anything else, and everything had to change direction.
We started to jump the day before New Year’s, so it’s more or less two weeks now that I’m jumping.
Two days before coming here, I had to start with painkillers because I had to start doing the big jumps, for example, the Axel. I was trying to do some quads later, and I had to take painkillers because otherwise it was really painful.
I now actually feel on cloud nine. Like I said, just for being here”.
As for that Olympic spot on the line, “Right after the free skate on Saturday, they will decide who will go to the Olympics. It’s literally a skate-off.
They extended the rules for me a little bit, and I’m extremely grateful to the federation because, in such a hard moment in my life, I haven’t felt put aside, and that’s a great thing.
But, of course, the federation needs to think what is best for the team.
I am super grateful just to be there, and if I don’t make it to the Olympics, I will still get up in the morning and enjoy skating.
If I’m not going to the Olympics, I’m still going to wake up and I’m gonna have my Grand Prix medal, Grand Prix Final medal, my European medal, so I won’t be worth less than anyone else.
Sometimes things happen and there’s always a reason for it.
If Matteo gets to go, I’m actually happy for him because I’m not the kind of skater who says: If I’m not going, you shouldn’t go as well”.
“MY PRIORITY IS TO HEAL PROPERLY”
Two days later, in the free skate, Nikolaj Memola sticks to the plan: he does what he can do at the moment – and he does it with smile and with conviction.
He has returned to his Samson et Delilah long program, not including the quad Lutz after all, and he scores 145.75 points and 223.52 points in total.
Leaving the ice, he is serene, he is at peace.
“I’m genuinely happy with today.
A month ago, I was in a hospital bed, I’ve only had two weeks back on the ice. Being able to stay mentally composed and deliver what I did is a real confidence boost.
I don’t think this score will be enough to challenge Matteo for the second Olympic spot. He hasn’t skated yet, but he’s likely the one [to go].
I’m okay with that – he deserves it. I was out with an injury, and sometimes these things are unavoidable. I’ll work a lot harder now, and be ready for the next four years.
My priority is to heal properly. I still can’t skate without pain medication and, from July to November, I developed a dependence, because I couldn’t skate without it. I’m stopping completely and, if I need two months off, I’ll take them.
I’d rather come back 100% next season than push through halfway. I’ll trust the doctors, do things the right way, and enjoy figure skating again”.
In the mixed zone, he’ll be, again, the very honest, genuine Nikolaj we have come to love and admire – with him, what you see is always what you get and, in that sense, he’s every journalist’s dream:
“The Nikolai from September would have probably kicked the ice, dropped everything, and started crying and screaming at my mom.
But right now, I’m just super, super, super, super happy. I couldn’t do more.
I can’t wait to be healthy again to push myself maybe to a higher position for next season.
I’m not expecting to be on the team in Milan, but, you know, I will probably still be there: it’s 20 minutes from my house.
There are people skating, I like skating, I will be 100% watching everyone and cheering for everyone because they deserve to be on this team”.
And the fact that Nikolaj Memola loves skating and sees himself on the ice for at least 4 years, you get that confirmation in Sheffield:
“I’m going for another 4 years – maybe 8, maybe 12, who knows? — but 100% for 4 years, and then maybe we have a little change and I can find a girl that’s gonna tolerate me”, he said, hinting at a potential future career in the pairs’ category.
“You know, I love skating. But yes, for at least 4 more years, I’m gonna be a quad jumper. And after that, who knows? I’m not planning to stop.
I love this sport in every kind of situation, so I will be on the ice for a very long time”.
“I GREW UP IN MILAN, SO IT’S GOING TO BE SPECIAL”
Taking the ice in the last group of skaters in Sheffield, blue bird Matteo Rizzo is stating his case for the Olympics.
And how beautiful, how soft his skating is, his skating feels.
Did he do enough to get himself in that Olympic Team? He most certainly did – that’s how we feel watching his performance from the stands.
In his bid for a third Olympics, Matteo Rizzo scored 168.37 points for his free skate to music from the soundtrack of the movie “Interstellar”, by Hans Zimmer, and 256.37 points overall – which led him to the silver medal at 2026 Europeans.
His fourth European medal – silver in 2023 and 2026, bronze in 2019 and 2024 – in eight European Championships he took part in, a performance itself.
“Obviously, I’m happy about all of it.
Of course, you always want more, and I know I haven’t skated my best today. Also Nika [Egadze] today — he really pulled out an incredible program, a really big program. So, kudos to him.
I’m still very happy about the result – I’m happy for my team and for everybody else”.
Literally 5 minutes after his skate, in the mixed zone, Matteo hadn’t received yet the confirmation of that Olympic spot, but he dared say: “I would say I think so, but you know these questions are always tricky. But I think so.
I think I skated my best and I think I showed everybody what I can do and what I am worthy”.
The medalists of the men’s event in Sheffield, at 2026 Europeans: Nika Egadze (gold), Matteo Rizzo (silver), Georgii Reshtenko (bronze)
During the press conference later on, after the medal ceremony had ended and Matteo had also taken numerous photos with his fans in the arena, he would delve more into what this edition of the Europeans meant, in view of the Olympics.
“It was a key competition for the Olympic Games, you all know better than me.
I really look forward for the Olympic Games and the arena in Milan. I grew up in Milan, so it’s going to be special.
I was practicing very hard in the last couple of months. We had Nationals in mid-December and I was working very hard.
Even if I was not trying to add one more quad for now – because I feel my skating was improving and I wanted to work on my presentation score –, I think it can get more.
Today it was great to skate and I was enjoying every step. I made a mistake, but you could see that I was smiling, and I didn’t really care about that”.
As for the Team event at the Olympics, “it’s not just about us, it’s about more people – and the main thing is that everyone can have their best performance. And as far as we can see here, we are skating well, so we are taking these performances and we’ll have time to work more [before Olympics start]”.
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MATTEO RIZZO: “IT’S RARE FOR AN ATHLETE TO COMPETE AT HOME, AND I WOULD LOVE TO DELIVER GOOD PERFORMANCES”
The men’s press conference has ended, it’s almost time for ice dancers to take the ice on this last competition day at 2026 Europeans – but before heading for the stands again, we ask Matteo Rizzo to sit with us for a couple more minutes, and analyze what has been, no doubt, a very challenging season for him and his team.
And this short conversation with the 2026 silver medalist feels like a circle that closes: this right here is the proper ending of our detailed interview a year ago.
«Florentina Tone: Matteo, I would like us to do a short follow-up on our conversation in Bucharest, at the end of Bellu Memorial, last February: you said back than that not knowing who makes the Olympic Team until December is hard, but here we are in January, at the Europeans, with so little time before Olympics start… So how was the process, how was not knowing who goes to the Olympics until so late in the season?
Matteo Rizzo: Well, it was quite complicated, and, of course, they postponed the decision until this competition, so it was hard – but the goal for me here was to skate clean. I wanted to perform well at Europeans.
It was not about the Olympic Team anymore, it was about me and the result of my team, and we made it – so the consequence is then Olympic Team, and I’m also happy about that.
Your free skate today felt very calm, felt almost like a flow… If you were nervous, we couldn’t see that.
It was a great skate, I guess. The moments before the start were tense, but while I was skating, I was flowing down the rhythm, and getting the skating skills that I wanted – and that has helped me a lot also with the jumps.
I had, of course, a mistake in the second half…
And you smiled, yes…
I smiled because I was just just like: There was no need to pop that, but it was not ruining my performance.
My performance was there, and I wanted to deliver it until the last second of the music.
How would you say your season up to this point was?
I did eight competitions before Nationals… Unfortunately, after reading the rules for the Olympic decision, we decided to do a lot of competitions, but it was actually ruining the performances.
So if I have to look back, the decision was wrong, but it’s okay, we take it.
So that’s what happened here: we had time to practice and to deliver a good performance.
You changed your free skate after all – this time last year you were planning on keeping your long program to Italian music, Miserere…
Yeah, but I feel like it was not the moment for that anymore.
And the program that I have now is a flow, there aren’t any highs…, it’s just there.
It’s the kind of program where I don’t hear the crowd, because it’s in the flow, and just at the end, we are all there together.
You said in the press conference that these Olympics are literally at home, that you lived in Milan for…
Yeah, for 20 years.
I think I haven’t actually realized it yet. I was focused on something else, but it’s a special event.
It’s rare for an athlete to compete at home and I would love to deliver good performances. So I’m going to go back home, practice well and try my best there.»
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On January 20, the Italian Olympic Committee made the official (and much awaited) announcement:
“In figure skating, Italy will be represented at Milano Ice Skating Arena by Daniel Grassl and Matteo Rizzo in the men’s individual event, by Lara Naki Gutmann in the women’s event, by Sara Conti / Niccolò Macii and Rebecca Ghilardi / Filippo Ambrosini in the pairs’ event and by Charlène Guignard / Marco Fabbri in the ice dancing event. Moreover, an Italian team will also take part in the Team Event”.
[Story by Florentina Tone
Photos by Alberto Ponti, Sheffield]
READ MORE:
“My Olympic season has already started”. Interview with Matteo Rizzo