Daniel Grassl couldn't get going. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

Daniel Grassl's completely botched European Championship free skate

Hopes for a South Tyrolean medal at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield (England) evaporated on Saturday evening, as Daniel Grassl experienced a disastrous free skate.

17 January 2026

From: leo

Although Daniel Grassl was in fifth place after the short program, outside the medal positions, many believed he could crack the top three. This was largely because, statistically, he had the greatest potential of the top five skaters. However, he failed to demonstrate this potential in the free skate. After a disastrous performance, the skater from Merano plummeted to 15th place.

The performance started disastrously for the South Tyrolean, as he fell on his first two quadruple jumps. He then fell a third time. Grassl was unrecognizable and received only 130,51 points from the judges for his free skate. In his personal best, set at the Grand Prix final in early December, he had shone with over 194 points. For Grassl, who had already qualified for the Olympic Games, a second European Championship medal was thus denied. He had won silver in Tallinn in 2022.

Rizzo wins medal

Matteo Rizzo, on the other hand, had reason to celebrate, as he reached the European Championship podium for the fourth time. The 27-year-old from Rome performed flawlessly and fought back tears after his routine. No wonder, since his silver medal has most likely secured him a place at the Olympic Games. Rizzo delivered the second-best performance of the European Championships with 168,37 points.

The podium with Matteo Rizzo, Nika Egadze and Georgii Reshtenko. © APA/afp / IAN HODGSON

The outstanding victory went to Georgian Nika Egadze, who posted the highest score in both the short program and the free skate. He ultimately finished around 17 points ahead of Rizzo. For the 23-year-old, it was his first European Championship medal. Czech Georgii Reshtenko took third place, improving his ranking by five spots thanks to the third-best free skate. Defending champion Lukas Britschgi (Switzerland) had to settle for fourth place.