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Daniel Grassl (ITA) at the ISU Europeand Figure Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Italy’s Daniel Grassl skated into the spotlight this season by finishing sixth in his debut at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in January. Now the cheerful 16-year-old debuts at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships this week in Zagreb (CRO) and hopes to continue his ascent this season.

Mitsuki Sumoto of Japan, Stephen Gogolev of Canada and Daniel Grassl at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (SVK) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

“So far, I’m really happy with how my season went,” Daniel said. “I started with the Junior Grand Prix in Bratislava, where I came third. But it wasn’t my best performance. Then I went to the Italian Championships. I skated a very good free, clean, and I managed to finish first. I was sent to Europeans. My goal was to make the top ten, and I was sixth, that was more than I expected. Now I’m at my first Junior Worlds and I hope to finish in the top five.”

Daniel Grassl (ITA) at the ISU Europeand Figure Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Minsk were a great experience for Grassl. “I was very nervous, because there were so many spectators. But when I was out on the ice, the nervousness went away,” he shared. “The people clapped and were happy to see me on the ice. I wanted to give my best and it went well. I’ve learned a lot.”

It was especially exciting for him to share the ice with stars such as now seven-time ISU European Figure Skating Champion Javier Fernandez (ESP). “It was really nice to skate with them, because I’ve never competed with them,” Daniel noted. However, his idol in skating is Patrick Chan (CAN). “I look up to Patrick Chan, because he is skating very well, jumps very well and does very good spins. I’ve never seen him live, only on TV. But it is always great to watch him, also when he performs in a show,” the 16-year-old pointed out.

Patrick Chan (CAN) at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2016©International Skating Union (ISU)

The Italian Champion has been competing at the junior and senior level this season and has no problem switching between the two. “Actually, I’m a little more nervous [competing] in juniors, because I can’t do a quad in the short,” he revealed. “It is easier [without the quad], but the quad is more consistent for me than the triple Axel. The short program is a bit different [in juniors] because I can’t do a quad. The free skating is shorter, but I just have to leave out the choreo sequence. Everything else is the same,” he explained.

Grassl has landed the quad Lutz and the quad loop in competition. “My first triple was the loop. Then I started to do a very high triple Lutz and loop. My coach [Lorenzo Magri] asked me, why not try a quad. I started with the Lutz and I landed my first quad Lutz here at Golden Spin [in Zagreb] in 2017. Then I also did the quad loop and it went very well. The loop is my favorite jump.” Grassl is actually the first European skater to have performed a clean quad loop in competition.

Daniel Grassl (ITA) at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (ITA) 2017©International Skating Union (ISU)

Daniel, who comes from Meran in South Tyrol in northern Italy and is bilingual in Italian and German, is the only skater in his family. He started first playing ice hockey, but soon switched to figure skating since he liked it better. “Jumps and spins fascinate me. I always want to create new spins, funny ones, like when I have my leg under my head. Twice a week we have 20 minutes or so when we’re only doing spins and invent new ones,” Daniel said and added he would love maybe one day to create a spin that is named after him.

Daniel Grassl (ITA) at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (FRA) 2016©International Skating Union (ISU)

This season, the Italian Champion has explored a new style in his programs. He is skating to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes” by Ezio Bosso in the Short Program and to “Dances Pieces” by Philipp Glass in the Free Skating. “My choreographer Benoît Richaud wanted to do something new. I only did more fun music and this year he wanted to change and go more classical. He chose a modern music for me for the free skating,” Daniel said. “At first it was a bit hard for me to get into this music, but now I’m feeling it very well.”

Grassl, who describes himself as “cheerful and a bit shy”, is getting along very well with the other skaters in his club in Egna, where has been training under Lorenzo Magri since he is 13 years old.

“My friends are all from skating, such as Gabriele [Frangipani, ITA] und Luc [Maierhofer, AUT] and others that I’m training with.” The teenagers are also studying together in the afternoon with private teachers instead of attending a regular school. Gabriele and Luc are also competing in Zagreb and the three are hanging out together and are sharing their experience at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. 

Luc Maierhofer (AUT), Gabriele Frangipani (ITA) and Daniel Grassl (ITA) at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Follow the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships on social media using the hashtags #WorldJFigure and #FigureSkating and make sure to watch it live streamed at https://www.isu.org/figure-skating (available for certain countries).

For more information, full entry lists and results please see the event website and the official website.