Daniel Grassl isn’t afraid to try out new things.
The 20-year-old Italian figure skater has entered the new Olympic quadrennium with open arms to change and challenge – and following a script that only he can write, with dreams of a home Winter Games at Milano Cortina 2026 dancing in the distance.
“This is a season where I can try, where I can risk... because in two more years, it’s going to be another Olympic season,” Grassl told Olympics.com in a recent exclusive interview.
“So if I don't risk now, then when am I going to do it?”
After a successful Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 in which Grassl finished seventh (including placing fourth in the difficult free skate), he set himself out for a flurry of firsts: Touring with two different shows in Japan; working with skater-turned-choreographer Jason Brown in Chicago; and trialling a training period in the U.S., at the Boston Skating Club.
Grassl revealed last week that he will return to his training base in Egna, Italy, after his stint in the States, but the spirit of his approach remains the same: He wants to push his own boundaries.
“I really wanted to try new things – like with Jason,” Grassl explained. “And I really think that I made a great choice because my movement became better. I will work more on this process that we're making, [because] for Milano Cortina I would like to go there not known just as a jumper, but also as a complete skater – the way I define Jason."
Daniel Grassl - First Italian man to qualify for GP Final
Long before the Olympic Winter Games in 2026 is this weekend’s (8-10 December) Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy, where Grassl will compete as the first-ever Italian man in the singles discipline.
The Final features the best six skaters or teams from each of the sport’s four disciplines, and Grassl earned his way there in part with his win at the MK John Wilson Trophy in Great Britain in November, which also made him the first Italian man to win a Grand Prix gold medal.
“I really want to compete with the top skaters, the six best skaters,” Grassl said of the Final, adding that he’ll do two quadruple jumps in the short program and four in the free.
“It’s going to be a very emotional moment for me... with my friends, family and many people... I really want to have the audience involved and show them the emotions [with] a good performance.”
One skater joining Grassl in Turin is American teenager Ilia Malinin, the 17-year-old who has made history this season with the first-ever quad Axel – while also winning both of his Grand Prix appearances. Grassl and Malinin became close friends over the off-season, when the two both participated for the first time in tours in Japan.
“We really have a good friendship,” Grassl said of Malinin, saying he texted the American after his win at the Finnish Grand Prix saying, “See you in Turin.”
“He motivates me a lot. When we were [on tour together], I was trying to get the secret for the quad Axel,” he said. “I was asking him, ‘Can you help me a bit? How can you do it?’ He was trying to explain, but it's difficult. I think that he's a really great skater and it's nice to have him at the senior level now to compete because he’s a great motivation for me.”
Daniel Grassl: How yoga helped up his mental game
Another inspiring individual in Grassl’s orbit is his yoga instructor, Nicoletta Ingusci, who was at his side in Sheffield for his Grand Prix title. Yoga has become ever more important to the skater, who practises regularly and focusses specifically on his controlled breathing.
“I really needed somebody that's going to help me mentally,” Grassl said. “Because in this competition, I knew what I had to do [on the ice], [but] I had to relax mentally. Me and my coach decided to bring my yoga teacher with me. She knows what to tell me... it’s become very useful, because usually I am very nervous at the competitions.”
With his return to Egna, Grassl continues to work with coach Alisa Mikonsaari there, the former Finnish skater. He has eyes on the European podium this season, ahead of the World Championships in Saitama, Japan, and – of course – dreams of Milano Cortina 2026.
Read more of our Q&A with Grassl here, which has been edited only for clarity and length.
Olympics.com: Tell us about your emotions around Milano Cortina 2026? You grew up in Merano, not far from Cortina.
Grassl: I was very happy when they announced that it's going to be Milano Cortina because my father is from Cortina. I spent a lot of time there during my childhood. I have [many memories] there and [having] the Olympics there is special.
I already did the Olympics [in Beijing], so I have a bit of the experience of it. I'm getting very excited and I really can't wait for this moment to arrive because I know that there are going to be a lot of people cheering... and [for me] it’s really the “hometown.” That gives me a lot of power and motivation for the coming seasons.
Daniel Grassl on training in Boston - and return to Italy
Olympics: Tell us about the decision to go to Boston and train there. You were there for a few months during the off-season up until Skate America, your first Grand Prix.
Grassl: I'm back in Italy for my family. I did I did the first half of the season in America, but it was very difficult for me to stay there alone, without family, without friends. So I decided to be back in Europe.
After the Olympics I wanted to have new experiences trying new stuff, trying to travel some of the world and trying to see new techniques. I want that. That's why I changed coach and I went to America for training in Boston. The coaches [Alexei Letov and Olga Ganicheva] made me work a lot on my technique and also my skating skills.
After Skate America, when I finished in fourth place, I was a bit disappointed because I really wanted to make the podium. So I decided to go back to Italy to see my family and friends. That really helped me a lot for going into Sheffield, because I knew that it was one of the most important competitions of the season because I knew I could be the first Italian [man to win] and I could go to the Final.
I'm very happy how I managed it. My family helped me a lot. Having my yoga teacher with me [in Sheffield] really helped me go more relaxed. I skated every moment and after the fall on my flip [in the free skate] I really fought until the end.
Italians aim for figure skating team medal in 2026
Olympics: We’re talking about Milano Cortina 2026. How do you think Beijing 2022 helped prepare you for a home Olympic Games – and how strong do you see Team Italy being, with yourself, Matteo Rizzo, Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, among others?
Grassl: I learned at the Olympics this year that my heart is strong, and that I’m also very strong mentally because I skated my best programs. [Usually] I skate well always in practice, but could never really make it in the competition – but I did it at the Olympics. That could like me very really much motivation also for the next season.
That motivates me a lot for this season and the ones that are coming. But now I want to think step-by-step because I really want to make good results for my country, and I know that this season is important to do it. I have many goals – like I really wants to win the European Championships and also getting a medal at the World Championships before Milano Cortina to get really competitive [internationally].
[Italy is] really a great team. We know that we can do a lot... [and] we are very much motivated for the Olympics. We really do want to go for the team event, the goal of course in Milano Cortina is to make the podium for the team event.
I'm training also training with Anna Pezzetta, who is one of the best that is one of the best girls in Italy right now. In Sheffield, Sara [Conti] and Niccolo [Macii, an Italian pairs team] and also Charlene and Marco were there and we all earned a medal.
We're very happy that we're bringing Italy – especially for the men – to a high level, because in the past years we didn't have a lot of men's [success].
Daniel Grassl on - Japan tours, Malinin and the quad Axel
Olympics: We were talking about tour in Japan and your friendship with Ilia Malinin, but what did you take from that experience as a whole? Two tours as well as the prestigious Japan Open?
Grassl: I met like a lot of [other skaters] there; it was very nice. There was also Matteo Rizzo and Ilia.
Ilia and I – we already knew each other from the junior competitions, but I think we really became more friends after this, Japan and everything. It was really nice to spend the time with him and everyone there.
I actually did my short program with Jason during Stars on Ice [Japan]. It was one week before Skate America, so we worked a lot. Being in Japan is always amazing because skating is one of the most important sports there.
[Editor’s note: Grassl clarified that he traveled to Chicago to work with Jason on an initial short program in the summer months before they chose a new program to do prior to Skate America, hence the late-stage work in Japan.]
Olympics: Can you do the quad Axel? Are you going to try it in the future?
Grassl: After Ilia makes you see that it's really possible to do it... I really want to do it, too. I’ve really worked on this also, and I tried it a few times, but of course now that we’re [in the midst of] important competitions, I really want to work on it again on the summer.
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