The Search of Daniel Grassl

Unfortunately, there is not much to report about Alois Lutz's career. The Austrian died of pulmonary tuberculosis in Vienna in 1918. He was only 19 years old. And yet he left a lasting memory for posterity. The “Lutz” in figure skating is named after him. He showed the jump for the first time at the age of 15. The jump takes place from the outer edge of the left leg, while the right leg pushes backwards into the ice. It was revolutionary at the time. It wasn't until 1962 that Donald Jackson's jump was shown three times and it took another 49 years before the American Brandon Mroz showed this jump with four rotations around the longitudinal axis of his body in an official competition. This variant has long been part of all ideas in figure skating. Daniel Grassl from Meran also has the “Lutz” in his repertoire at the European Championships in Espoo, Finland.

Of course also fourfold. And he usually achieves this feat with absolute certainty. But this time everything went wrong. After just two spins he started to land, which meant he didn't receive a point for it. This zero number was the end of all dreams of being able to repeat last year's second place or even be crowned European champions. A mistake that can no longer be compensated for. Two of his compatriots, Matteo Rizzo (2nd) and Gabriele Frangipani (7th), are ahead of him. The gap to the medal places is too big to hope for any positive turnaround. After the crushing defeat at the Italian Championships in Bruneck with a fourth place, it is the second disaster of the season for Grassl, who had already left an unsettled impression at the Grand Prix final in Turin. He came last of the six starters in Piedmont, although he had been flirting with a medal.

Where is he, where is he? So where is the 20-year-old at the moment? Or maybe it's better put another way: Where is he right now? In Espoo, Finland. Clear. In the greater area of the Finnish metropolis. Or still in Norwood, in Boston. In the USA. Or is he in Moscow right now? Maybe mentally, at least preferably at home. In Meran or in Neumarkt, where he learned the basics of great figure skating from Lorenzo Magri in the Würth Arena. Daniel Grassl has had an odyssey, triggered by an insatiable desire to improve. Everyone understood this and certainly found it courageous. Off to the West. After three months in the USA, he realized that he missed his friends and the environment at home. Maybe also the Dolomites and a nice portion of bacon dumplings, which are not available in the land of giant burgers. He began his return journey, certainly slightly disillusioned. But at least it was a new, if painful, experience. As soon as he got home he felt drawn to the distance again. This time the motto was to head east.

Daniel Grassl in action at the European Championships. © APA/afp / DANIEL MIHAILESCU

He submitted to the strict regime of the not undisputed coach Eteri Tutberidze, who was in the spotlight at the Olympic Games when her protégé Kamila Valiyeva only finished fourth under the pressure of doping allegations, even though she was the overwhelming favorite. The care given to the then 15-year-old, which bordered on heartless and exuded contempt, made it clear that losers were not tolerated in their system. Grassl had to know this and yet he took this step, perhaps in the hope of further improvements, especially in the artistic area. He should have been warned. Tutberidze and her coaching staff mainly represent unbeatable female talent, almost all of whom have quadruple jumps in their repertoire. The Georgian Morisi Kvitelashvili, who has been training in Moscow for a long time, failed again in Finland. This time he finished the Axel after just one revolution. Like Grassl, that was also a zero number and even threw him back to 16th place.

Good advice is hard Good advice may hardly be possible in the case of Grassl. The insecurity of this great talent is almost palpable. As the only participant in these European Championships, there is no name behind the “Coach” section of his biography. It is a blank line that seems almost threatening, like a deep, yawning hole. All names past and present seem to be out of date at the moment. Maybe even the South Tyrolean doesn't know who his best contact is. That would be at least as important as the technical instructions for the jumps and the ideas for a nice program.

Probably much, much more important. Moving from the void in the United States to the void in Russia, especially at a time when the country has launched a terrible war, was certainly a questionable move. But was there no one who could talk him out of it? He's grown up, yes, but as a figure skater he's still only at the beginning of a career that will reach its first big highlight at the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. By then, and if possible as quickly as possible, Daniel Grassl should find himself again. At the moment he seems like a driven person and it almost hurts a little to see how a great talent is currently out of balance in the figure skating world. I would advise him to commit to Neumarkt again, because it has always been the case that ultimately there is no substitute for home.

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The Search of Daniel Grassl

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