Lukas Britschgi soars to European title

2025 European Figure Skating Championships: Men

Lukas Britschgi of Switzerland soared from eighth place to capture the European title on Saturday night in Tallin, Estonia. Nikolaj Memola of Italy, who sat in fifth after the short, also rose up three spots to claim the silver. Two-time and defending European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France slipped from first to third overall after his free skate to earn the bronze.

Lukas Britschgi

The 2023 European bronze medalist stepped out of his opening quad toe in his gritty short program to “Iron Sky” but quickly recovered to land a triple Axel and triple Lutz-double toe. He picked up a level four on the footwork and two spins to score 82.90 points for eighth place.

“Going into the quad, I felt like I had too much power,” explained the 26-year-old. “For the combination, I didn’t have enough, so I ended up doing a triple-double. It was a bit unfortunate with the mistakes, but I saw that the field is still very close together. Despite the mistakes, I’m still happy with the points I got, and I know that everything is open for tomorrow. It’s really nice to be here with such a big Swiss team and such a big team from Oberstdorf. We all support and cheer for each other, and it’s really fun to be with so many teammates at the European Championship!”

The five-time Swiss champion gave an outstanding performance to music by Ryan Taubert which featured two quad toes and five solid triple jumps. The only mistake came when he turned out a triple flip in the second half, but he earned a level four on two spins and the footwork. He scored a new personal best of 184.19 points for first place in the free skate and 267.09 overall.

“I feel incredible!” said Britschgi after he got off the ice. “I think I did almost my max. I went in there to attack, and that’s what I did. I didn’t even realize my points. I think they were pretty good. I’m not sure right now if it is my personal best.” But it was.

“It wasn’t even a dream of mine to come out on top of the podium,” he said, after he was announced as the new champion. “We have so many great skaters here who are for sure better than me. I am just incredibly happy.”

The skater feels like it’s much easier to “attack from behind” compared to last year when he was the last to skate.

“The support of the crowd was incredible!” he added. “There were some friends and family from Switzerland there, but in general, I had goosebumps with the noise in the arena when I was introduced.”

Nikolaj Memola

Memola placed fifth (84.92) in the short after receiving an edge call on both his opening quad Lutz and a triple Lutz (in combination with a triple toe) later in the second half. The triple Axel was clean, and he also picked up a level four on the footwork in his “Mission Impossible” routine.

“I’m very happy about my skate today,” said the 21-year-old. “My goal was to feel the joy that I recently got back in skating, and that’s also my main goal for this competition.”

“At the beginning of the season, I was dealing with injury, waking up every morning with pain, and it was really tough,” he shared. “There were moments when I wondered if I should just skip a competition. I was thinking ‘What happens if I just don’t show up?’ Taking a break wasn’t an option because I knew qualifying for this event for the Italian team was important for me. But now, I’ve rediscovered the joy of skating.”

Also, I want to mention that I feel devastated by the news this morning about the plane crash involving the parents of close friends and people I know,” Memola added. “Personally, the best thing I could do today was skate and share some positive emotions with others. I want to send a big hug to everyone affected and I feel deeply for the victims.”

The three-time Challenger Series medalist delivered an excellent free skate that featured a huge quad Lutz-triple toe; however, the first jump received an edge call. He also produced a very good solo quad Lutz as well as five solid triple jumps. He renewed his personal best with a score of 177.69 for second place in this segment and overall (262.61).

“I felt so much joy today out there on the ice,” said the Italian silver medalist. “This was the best skate of my life—the first time I managed to land two quad Lutzes. Winning a medal at the European Championship, it’s a great achievement! I’m feeling so grateful to my mom, who found the right words for me today. It’s been a really difficult week, but right now, I feel incredible!”

Adam Siao Him Fa

The 2024 World bronze medalist placed first in the short program with 93.12 points. He slightly underrotated the back end of a quad toe-triple toe and had a tight landing on a quad Salchow, but the triple Axel was solid in his routine to “SOS d’un terrien en détresse.” Two spins and the steps were graded a level four.

“I feel very good about my performance today, despite a small mistake. I had a really rough start to the season, and coming back was really hard, but now I feel very good physically and mentally. Of course, the day was overshadowed by the tragic events in the U.S. We’re a sport, figure skating, but we’re also a family, and we all know each other. It’s incredibly sad. My main focus today was to share my program with all my heart.”

In the free skate to music from Dune, Sia Him Fa stumbled on his opening quad toe, but quickly recovered to land a quad Salchow and triple flip. Unfortunately, he stepped out of a triple Axel and then stepped out of a quad toe that was supposed to be a combo. He later turned out the landing of a triple Axel-double Axel sequence and found himself in third place with 164.87 points. His total score 257.99 was not enough to keep him on the top of the podium, and he slipped to third overall.

“I’m not really happy with my performance,” said the 24-year-old. “But somehow knowing from where I am coming back, what I have to do is to accept it. It’s going to be difficult to perform all the time, it’s just part of the process and today I wasn’t there. I know I can do better, but as I said, I know from where I am coming back so it’s just a step forward, and I will go step by step. I would not put the injury as an excuse.”

“Of course, there is pressure and has always been,” he added. “Even before I get injured, but somehow I just need practice, I need training. I’ve just had a little bit more than three weeks of training, so it’s fine, I just have to go back to training.”

Nika Egadze

Georgia’s Nika Egadze placed second in the short program with 91.94 points. His strong performance to “L’Enfer by Stromae” featured a quad Salchow-triple toe, quad toe and triple Axel. Two spins and the footwork also received a level four.

“There were a few things I could have done better performance-wise today, but I landed the jumps and I feel so happy,” said the 22-year-old. “I just got a text from my friend Mikhail Shaidorov, who inspires me a lot. He’s been showing some amazing tricks lately, and he’s definitely inspired me, so there might be a trick from me tomorrow—let’s see. I’m also really happy about the plushie I got, which is a reference to my show program. Overall, I feel great.”

Egadze placed eighth (91.94) with his free skate to “The Winter” and “Can You Hear the Music” after making several small errors. He opened with a triple toe that was intended to be a quad and then doubled a Salchow. He struggled on the triple Axel-double Axel sequence and then received an edge call on a triple flip. However, he did pull off a quad Salchow-triple toe and earned a level four on a spin and his footwork. With a total score of 243.87, he slipped off the podium to fourth place overall.

Disappointed, the six-time Challenger Series medalist was in no mood to speak to the press.

Matteo Rizzo

Matteo Rizzo of Italy scored a new season’s best of 85.68 for his short program to “Two Men in Love” by The Irrepressibles. His opening quad toe was solid, but he received an edge call on the front end of a triple Lutz-triple toe and stepped out of a triple Axel. Still, he received the second highest component scores and placed fifth in this segment.

“I made a stupid mistake on the triple Axel that cost me a lot of points,” said the three-time European medalist. “Usually, the triple Axel is a very solid jump for me, but overall, I’m happy with the result. Tomorrow, I’m excited to show my new free program. I’ve wanted to skate to this song for a while, and I’m happy I can finally present it. In October, we thought about creating a new free program, but there wasn’t enough time because of so many competitions. After the Italian Nationals, where the free program didn’t go well for me, we decided to create a new one. I’m really excited to show it to everyone.

But I also want to express my deep condolences to everyone involved in the plane crash and to U.S. Figure Skating. It’s incredibly horrible news. I’ve been following the updates all day, and my heart breaks for my friends in the U.S. I want to send them all my best wishes.”

In his free skate to “Miserere,” the 26-year-old underrotated and fell on his opening quad toe before stepping out of the next jump, a slightly underrotated quad loop. He landed a clean triple flip-Euler-triple Salchow, but both triple Lutz jumps received an edge call, and he turned out a triple Axel. The level-four footwork was strong, earning high GOEs, but he ended up in sixth place with 155.53. With a total score of 241.21, he finished in fifth place overall.

“Honestly, I feel pretty proud of what I’ve done,” said Rizzo. “This season has definitely been a roller coaster with a lot of ups and downs. Not everything went to plan today. There were some mistakes, but overall, a top-five finish after last year is something I’m really proud of, and I feel good about it.”

The two-time Olympian added that the new music for his free skate is something he really loves and wants to do it justice.

“Today, I felt like I didn’t fully skate up to the music’s potential because of the mistakes I made,” Rizzo explained. “But I hope I’ll have more opportunities in future competitions to show this free skate the way I truly want to, with the quality it deserves.”

Deniss Vasiljevs

Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia left a lot of points on the table in the short program after he popped his Salchow. He showed very good level-four spins and footwork but found himself in 12th ((77.82) place in this segment.

The two-time Olympian was very frustrated and upset with himself.

“I know exactly what the mistake was and why I did it,” said Vasiljevs. “I’ve done it so many times before, but I still made it, and it frustrates me so much. I feel like it took away some of the joy I wanted to have in my performance. Towards the end, I was able to enjoy performing again, but it still felt more like going through the motions after that initial mistake. I knew I wanted it too much, and I also have such nice memories of this amazing arena, but it really frustrates me right now. I’ll need a couple of hours to myself to reflect and get over this disappointment.”

However, the 25-year-old fared better in the free skate, placing fourth (161.88). His routine to La Bayadere wasn’t perfect as several jumps were slightly underrotated, but he once again showed stellar level-four footwork and landed four clean triple jumps. With a total score of 239.70, he rose to sixth place overall.

“I feel great!” said Vasiljevs. “These are the moments—all the training, all the pain, everything we go through—it’s worth it. These are the moments I’m doing this for, and I’m so grateful. I love this arena. I love this ice rink. I would love to do something like this here one day without the competition pressure, just a performance on the ice, like an exhibition. I think I would feel exactly the same, but right now I’m feeling incredible.”

However, the 2022 European bronze medalist admitted to feeling a little bit “out of it” in his free skate.

“I don’t remember anything,” he said. “I don’t remember what my coach said. And then the performance started, and I just told myself, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ And of course, I felt incredible after that first combo.”

Mihhail Selevko

Estonia’s Mihhail Selevko gave a solid performance in the short which featured a quad toe, triple flip-triple toe and triple Axel, placing sixth (84.85).

“It felt very special to perform in front of my home crowd,” said the 22-year-old. “It was really nice, and I can’t really put it into words. I’m very thankful for their support. I feel very happy with my skate. There were a few little mistakes, but overall, I feel good. I didn’t add the triple toe after the quad toe because it felt a little shaky, but I already had it as a backup plan to put the triple-triple in instead, so it wasn’t a big deal for me.”

The skater said he planned his season “differently” this year, with fewer competitions.

“I feel like it’s paying off for me,” said Selevko. “I had the right amount of rest along with intense training, and I feel really good right now.”

In the free skate, the four-time national champion doubled his triple combo as well as a triple Lutz in his free skate, but landed a quad loop and solid triple Axel. He finished seventh in this segment and overall (154.15/239.00).

“It was a really good experience,” said Selevko. “I feel very happy. I feel really happy that I landed the quad loop. I tried it a couple of times in competition, not so successful. I landed it in nationals, but oh well. Overall, I’m very happy that I managed more or less well with this program.”

“The support of the crowd felt incredible,” he added. “Yesterday, I watched the last group of women, and I’m so incredibly happy for Niina. She deserves it so much, but they all did so good, so it put a little bit of pressure on me.”

He will compete next at the Nordics and then hopes to be selected for the world team.

Italy’s Daniel Grassl placed eighth (237.74), followed by Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia (230.91) and Vladimir Samoilov of Poland (229.67).

Six-time French champion Kevin Aymoz of France struggled in both programs to placed 22nd overall (113.16).

“I’m okay. I felt the warm support of the audience, and I felt the love, and I want to say thank you,” said the 27-year-old. “I am sorry that I couldn’t deliver at this competition. The pressure was really on. Ahead of the short I dreamt of winning a medal. Ahead of the free skate, I thought I could maybe win a small medal for the free skate.”

Aymoz said he felt like the timing of the competition was off for him.

“The day before the short, I did a clean short,” he explained. “Yesterday, I did a clean long. So, this is why I think the timing for this competition was just not right.”

“I know this is just sport,” the 2022 Olympian summed up. “A year ago, I was fighting for my life because I was lost in every aspect of my life. Now, it’s not like that. Now, I know this is only sport, and I guess the European Championships is just not my competition. I will go back to work and hopefully be able to deliver a better performance next time. Honestly, I’m just incredibly happy.”

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