And where is Daniel Grassl?

Review: After many years at his main training facility in Neumarkt, the Merano native moved to Boston in the fall of 2022 to expand his technical and mental horizons. But he only stayed there for a few months and then moved on to Moscow. The 21-year-old received strong headwind for this decision, especially from the media. The reason was that, in addition to the tense international politics, he put himself in the hands of Eteri Tutberidze, who has been heavily criticized internationally for her harsh training methods.

Daniel Grassl during his World Cup appearance in Saitama last year. © APA/afp / YUICHI YAMAZAKI

For Grassl, however, it was never about political statements, but purely about looking for further technical input that would support him in his sporting career. In autumn 2023, the multiple Italian champion announced that he would return to Italy after a few months in Moscow and would set up his training base in Turin with Edoardo de Bernardis, where he wanted to prepare for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina.

But just a few weeks later the news came that Grassl had withdrawn from the Grand Prix events of the season and shortly afterwards from all other competitions. It was not justified. However, it was reported that it was due to an injury. Daniel Grassl wanted to take a long break to recover from the stressful 2021/22 Olympic season, where he delivered one top result after another over several months. However, the rumor mill began to simmer in the background and soon some media published the alleged main reason for his break, namely three missed doping tests.

There is a risk of a 2-year ban World-class athletes like Grassl are obliged to provide information about their whereabouts via a tracking system so that they can be found at any time for possible doping controls. In the case of the Meraner, he missed 3 checks because he was in Russia at the time the officials wanted to check him. A technical error in the tracking system and a lack of attention during one of his many trips caused this situation. Grassl now has to answer questions before the national anti-doping court.

If he is found guilty, Grassl faces a 2-year ban, a fatal consequence with regard to the 2026 Olympics. Due to the ongoing proceedings, the Merano native is currently neither allowed to enter a training facility run by the national Olympic committee nor to seek technical support from a certified association trainer. It recently became clear that Grassl will hopefully come out of this story well.

The ice sports association FISG is just as reserved as Grassl manager Giulia Mancini (“I can't give an opinion, that's the competence of the ice sports association”), but behind closed doors everyone is confident that Daniel Grassl will be back on the ice next season will be admired. Even Stefan Zisser, the President of the South Tyrolean Ice Sports Association, was rather buttoned up. Zisser just returned yesterday from Montreal, where he met with the coaching staff of Italy's women's national ice hockey team. He took the opportunity to stop by the “Bell Center” and meet, among others, figure skater Gabriele Frangipani. “Daniel Grassl was an issue in the Italian camp. However, as the regional association president, I don't have enough insight because we only take care of the athletes up to the age of 15," said Zisser when asked.

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And where is Daniel Grassl?

Exactly a year ago, Daniel Grassl was on the ice at the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan. Since then it has been very quiet about the best figure skater in South Tyrol. Since then, many fans of figure skating have been asking themselves: Where is Daniel Grassl?

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