Italy exports skaters, there is a diaspora looking for glory

In Italy all crazy about the Figure skating: The first to burst the passion had been almost thirty years ago Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio, then there was the epic of Carolina Kostner, Now a new generation of champions and samples: the National Movement of Noble Lame is growing, an excellent signal in view of the Olympic Games of Milan Cortina 2026. Several poles, especially in Lombardy, Bergamo and Milan. The dizzying growth of the sector, however, has led to a rapid saturation of the places in the blue national team and this is causing one Escape of skaters towards other nations In order to participate in the European Championships, the World Cup and even the Olympics, the dream of any athlete.

In the movement there are those who say that “they go away because they do not want to fight to create a place in the national team”, others that “in couples and dance it is difficult to find the or partner”. The fact is that never as in recent years there is a walking path of athletes from one nation to another: this is not only valid for Italy, but also for other countries. For example, there are skaters born in Russia who even compete for Cyprus.

To Europeans who are taking place in Tallinn There are four Italian skaters who compete for other countries: Maurizio Zandron of Bolzano for several seasons now has been dying for Austria in the individual; Jari Kassler, Trentino who lives in Caldaro, in South Tyrol, skate for Croatia. In the artistic couples two emigrated Italians: Manuel Piazza, South Tyrolean of Val Gardena, in Tallinn he defended the colors of Iceland together with Julia Sylvia Gunnarsdottir (they concluded last) and Filippo Clerici from Como, who trained in Bergamo, competed for Finland with Milania Vaananen (14th).

Other Italian skaters abroad, not present at the Europeans: Give the wrong passed to the Czech Republic, e Marco Zandron. The latter originally from Bolzano found a partner in Spain, Laura Barquero, And in December 2021 he became Spanish. The Iberian tandem took part in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games ended in 11th place. Barquero, however, was found positive for doping, metabolite of the clostebol (the same as the tennis player Jannik Sinner), at the end of the short games program and then disqualified. As regards Sinner, to trigger positivity, according to the Iberian team, would have been the trophodermin applied on a cut between the fingers caused by the blades of its skates.

In July last year Zandron announced her new partner, the Canadian skater Brooke Mcintosh who agreed to compete for Spain. Zandron-McIntoshalready in the race in autumn, if they get the minimum scores in the technical elements, in March they will participate in the World Cup in Boston. Instead, there are those like Victoria Manni in Milan, after a career as an individualistic with poor results have decided to devote himself to dance (does not include jumps) first in Italy and then becoming a companion of the Swiss Carlo Roethlisberger.

For the colors of the Confederation, the Lombard skater, daughter of Franca Bianconi, former technical director of the blue national team and television technical commentator, remained until 2021, to return to defend the Italian colors always with Roethlisberger. For a season (2021-2022), Jasmine Tessari in Milan competed for Switzerland together with Stephane Walker after being blue at the 2012 youthful Olympic Games.