How Olga Mikutina runs to the top of the world

If Olga Mikutina When she hits the ice, she is completely in her element and ignores everything that is happening around her. This can even lead to the fact that it literally melts into the ice. “Sometimes it feels like time stands still when I’m standing on the ice,” says Austria’s best Figure skater.

The passion and enthusiasm that Olga Mikutina also appreciated by the judges and the audience. At the top-class first Grand Prix of the season Texas The 21-year-old recently took ninth place. This weekend, Olga Mikutina wants to look good again at the NHK Trophy in Tokyo. “It’s an incredible opportunity to compete with the best runners in the world.”

The performance exhibition on a major international stage with the Ice Saints – in Tokyo she meets, among others, the world champion Kaori Sakamoto – is the perfect preparation for the figure skater’s long-term goal: the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.

Mikutina, who came to Austria from Ukraine at the age of twelve, had already arrived in 2022 Peking can take their first steps on Olympic ice. Since then she has been passionate about the Olympics and subordinates everything to the Winter Games. “The Olympics were an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere, the other athletes – it was overwhelming,” reports Olga Mikutina. “For me it was a motivation to work even harder.”

New home

Ambition led the 21-year-old to the United States, which is also a country of unlimited opportunities in figure skating. While Mikutina in their old homeland Feldkirch Most of the time she had to circle around alone, but now she trains side by side with other international figure skaters. “I feel like this helps me realize my potential more and also be more disciplined. “You can push yourself harder,” says the 2021 World Cup eighth-place finisher.

I want such successes Olga Mikutina connect. To do this, she is not studying any new elements, but rather working on stabilizing her jumps and perfecting her programs – fine-tuning, so to speak. “There are no new techniques, it’s more about gaining stability and training when you’re tired,” says the 21-year-old, who also goes to school in the USA and studies business administration.

Their new home is then also the first stage on the way to the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. At the World Cup in spring Boston will be the first 24 quota places for Olympia forgive.