Nikolaj Memola

Nikolaj Memola
Nikolaj Memola at the 2025 Skate America
Personal information
Born (2003-11-18) 18 November 2003
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Figure skating career
CountryItaly Italy
DisciplineMen's singles
CoachOlga Romanova
Skating clubFiammo Oro Moena
Began skating2008
Medal record
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2025 Tallinn Singles
Italian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Pinerolo Singles
Silver medal – second place 2023 Brunico Singles
Silver medal – second place 2025 Varese Singles
World Team Trophy
Bronze medal – third place 2025 Tokyo Team
Junior Grand Prix Final
Gold medal – first place 2022–23 Turin Singles

Nikolaj Memola (born 18 November 2003) is an Italian figure skater. He is the 2025 European silver medalist, the 2023 World University Games bronze medalist, a five-time ISU Challenger Series medalist, and the 2024 Italian national champion.

Memola is also the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix medalist (including gold at the 2022 JGP Latvia), and has placed in the top ten finisher at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics and the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Personal life

Memola was born on November 18, 2003, in Monza, Italy, to an Italian father and a Russian mother.[1][2] He has an older sister, Anna.[3]

He is a student at the University of Milan.[4][1][5]

Career

Early years

Memola began learning to skate in 2008.[1] He is coached by his mother, Olga Romanova.[6]

He debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in October 2018, finishing nineteenth in Slovenia. He competed at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he placed eighth.[7]

2021–22 season: Junior national title

Memola finished fourth at the 2021 JGP Austria in October 2021. He made his senior international debut later that month, placing fourth at Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur. In November, he finished ninth at the 2021 Warsaw Cup, his first appearance in the Challenger series. In December, he won his first senior international medal, taking gold at the Santa Claus Cup in Hungary.[7]

Following the withdrawal of Matteo Rizzo, Italy selected Memola to skate at the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.[8] Competing in his first ISU Championship, he qualified for the final segment by placing twelfth in the short program and finished fifteenth overall.[7] He made his debut appearance at the World Junior Championships, where he placed seventh.[9]

2022–23 season: Junior Grand Prix Final gold

Planning a split season between junior and senior levels, Memola competed in two Junior Grand Prix events, winning silver at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic[10] and gold at the 2022 JGP Latvia. His results qualified him for the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final.He indicated satisfaction that the event would be held in Italy and expressed the intention to introduce a quadruple jump in the free skatet.[11] Returning to the Challenger series, Memola won bronze medals at both the Lombardia and Budapest Trophies.[7]

Competing at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin, Memola finished second in the short program. He won the free skate and the gold medal, without attempting a quadruple jump. This was the first Junior Grand Prix Final title for an Italian man and Italy's first title in any discipline since the ice dance team Faiella/Milo in the inaugural 1997–98 season.

Shortly after the Junior Grand Prix Final, Memola competed at his first senior Italian Championships and won the silver medal, placing first in the free skate.[12] He was subsequently assigned to 2023 Winter World University Games, where he won the bronze medal.[13]

In his final assignment of the season, Memola competed at the 2023 World Junior Championships. After stepping out of his jump combination in the short program, he finished sixth in that segment.[14] He placed fourth in the free skate and fourth overall, 1.35 points behind bronze medalist Nozomu Yoshioka. Memola did not attempt any quadruple jumps in the free skate, citing inconsistency in practice.[15]

2023–24 season: Senior national title

Memola during his short program at the 2025 World Championships

Over the summer, Memola trained at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club in Toronto, Ontario.[16] In his first competition of the season, he finished eighth at the 2023 Autumn Classic International and sixth at the 2023 Finlandia Trophy.[7] He made his Grand Prix debut at the 2023 Grand Prix de France, where he placed eleventh[17] and later finished sixth at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. He commented on the level of competition in the men's field.[18]

Memola won the Italian national title for the first time.[7] He placed tenth at the 2024 European Championship[19] and then made his senior World Championship debut at the 2024 event in Montreal, finishing ninth. He described reaching top ten in his first appearance at the championships as significant and noted that the result secured Italy a second entry in the men's event for the following year.[20]

2024–25 season: European silver

Memola performing his free skate at the 2025 World Championships

During the summer off-season, Memola sustained multiple injuries, including two torn ligaments and a broken ankle. As a result, he resumed jump training in September.[21][22]

Memola began the season at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy in early October, finishing fourth. He then competed on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, winning silver at the 2024 Nepela Memorial. On the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, he finished tenth in the short program and second in the free skate at the 2024 Grand Prix de France, placing sixth overall.[22] Three weeks later, he finished tenth at the 2024 Cup of China.[23]

In January, Memola competed at the 2025 European Championships. He was fifth after the short program and moved to second overall after landing two quadruple Lutz jumps in the free skate, winning the silver medal.[24][25] He described the performance as his best to date.

In March, at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, he finished tenth following a free skate that was otherwise clean except for an error on his second quadruple Lutz. His placement secured Italy two quotas for the men's event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.[26][27]

Selected to compete for Team Italy at the 2025 World Team Trophy, Memola placed tenth in the men's singles event, and Italy won the bronze medal overall.[23][28][29]

2025–26 season: Struggles with injury and theft

Memola performing his short program at 2025 Skate America

Memola opened the season on the 2025–26 Challenger Series, winning bronze at the 2025 CS Lombardia Trophy and finishing eighth at the 2025 CS Nepela Memorial. He then competed on the 2025–26 Grand Prix circuit, placing sixth at the 2025 Skate Canada International and seventh at 2025 Skate America.[23]

In late November, at an Italian domestic event, Memola fell on a quadruple Lutz attempt in the short program and withdrew due to pelvic pain. He underwent medical evaluation. During this period, his car was broken into, and personal belongings, including his skates and short program costume, were stolen.[30][31] He later reported financial losses from the incident.

Due to the severity of the pelvic injury, Memola was unable to train for approximately one month and withdrew from the 2026 Italian Championships. He was subsequently named to compete at the 2026 European Championship team.[32][33]

Memola returned to training in late December, shortly before the European Championships, and competed while managing ongoing pain from his injury. He placed tenth in the short program and ninth at the free skate, finishing eleventh overall. The second Olympic men's singles berth for Italy was awarded to Matteo Rizzo, who won the silver medal at the event.[34]

Programs

Season Short program Free skate Exhibition Ref.
2018–19
  • Sarabande Suite
    By Globus
    Choreo. by Andrea Gilardi
[35]
2019–20 [36]
2021–22 [1]
2022–23
  • Le Corsaire

[37]
2023–24 [38][39]
2024–25
  • Modigliani

[40][41][42]
2025–26
  • Prelude in C-sharp minor

  • Samson and Delilah
[43][44][45]

Competitive highlights

Competition placements at senior level [23]
Season 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
World Championships 9th 10th
European Championships 15th 10th 2nd 11th
Italian Championships 2nd 1st 2nd
World Team Trophy 3rd
(10th)
GP Cup of China 10th
GP Finland 5th
GP France 11th 6th
GP Skate America 7th
GP Skate Canada 6th
CS Autumn Classic 8th
CS Budapest Trophy 3rd 1st
CS Finlandia Trophy 6th
CS Lombardia Trophy 3rd 3rd
CS Nepela Memorial 2nd 8th
CS Warsaw Cup 9th
Merano Ice Trophy 1st
Road to 26 Trophy 2nd
Santa Claus Cup 1st
Shanghai Trophy 4th
Trophée Métropole Nice 4th
World University Games 3rd
Competition placements at junior level [23]
Season 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Winter Youth Olympics 8th
World Junior Championships 7th 4th
Junior Grand Prix Final 1st
Italian Championships 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st
JGP Austria 4th
JGP Czech Republic 2nd
JGP Italy 16th
JGP Latvia 18th 1st
JGP Slovenia 19th
Crystal Skate of Romania 1st
Cup of Tyrol 3rd
Dragon Trophy 4th
Egna Spring Trophy 3rd 1st 1st
European Youth Olympic Festival 11th
IceLab Cup 2nd
Merano Cup 6th
Skate Celje 3rd
Skate Victoria 2nd
Sofia Trophy 2nd

Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [23]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 265.37 2025 CS Lombardia Trophy
Short program TSS 93.10 2024 World Championships
TES 53.38 2024 World Championships
PCS 40.26 2025 World Championships
Free skating TSS 177.69 2025 European Championships
TES 98.96 2025 CS Lombardia Trophy
PCS 80.39 2024 World Championships

Senior level

Results in the 2021–22 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 20–24, 2021 France 2021 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur 3 72.36 2 130.73 4 203.09
Nov 17–20, 2021 Poland 2021 CS Warsaw Cup 12 69.59 7 142.00 9 211.59
Dec 6–12, 2021 Hungary 2021 Santa Claus Cup 1 78.00 1 150.35 1 228.35
Jan 10–16, 2022 Estonia 2022 European Championships 12 73.98 14 132.55 15 206.53
Results in the 2022–23 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 16–19, 2022 Italy 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy 4 81.68 3 148.84 3 230.52
Oct 13–16, 2022 Hungary 2022 CS Budapest Trophy 3 78.78 4 152.69 3 231.47
Dec 15–18, 2022 Italy 2023 Italian Championships 3 80.32 1 161.37 2 241.69
Jan 13–15, 2023 United States 2023 Winter World University Games 4 78.96 4 152.37 3 231.33
Results in the 2023–24 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 14–17, 2023 Canada 2023 CS Autumn Classic International 8 70.27 7 129.11 8 199.38
Oct 4–8, 2023 Finland 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy 3 82.03 8 140.95 6 222.98
Oct 13–15, 2023 Hungary 2023 CS Budapest Trophy 1 88.99 2 161.38 1 250.37
Nov 3–5, 2023 France 2023 Grand Prix de France 12 70.92 9 143.71 11 214.63
Nov 17–19, 2023 Finland 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo 7 72.11 5 149.14 5 221.25
Dec 22–23, 2023 Italy 2024 Italian Championships 2 90.70 1 157.98 1 248.68
Jan 10–14, 2024 Lithuania 2024 European Championships 12 72.78 9 153.10 10 225.88
Feb 23-25, 2024 Italy 2024 Merano Ice Trophy 1 89.41 1 166.83 1 256.24
Mar 18–24, 2024 Canada 2024 World Championships 6 93.10 12 160.02 9 253.12
Results in the 2024–25 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 3–5, 2024 China 2024 Shanghai Trophy 6 74.47 3 156.44 4 230.91
Oct 25–27, 2024 Slovakia 2024 CS Nepela Memorial 4 76.27 2 157.15 2 233.42
Nov 1–3, 2024 France 2024 Grand Prix de France 10 68.71 2 158.91 6 227.62
Nov 22–24, 2024 China 2024 Cup of China 10 68.87 10 145.90 10 214.77
Dec 19–21, 2024 Italy 2025 Italian Championships 3 86.32 1 178.22 2 264.54
Jan 28 – Feb 2, 2025 Estonia 2025 European Championships 5 84.92 2 177.69 2 262.61
Feb 18–20, 2025 Italy Road to 26 Trophy 1 89.10 2 165.11 2 254.21
Mar 25–30, 2025 United States 2025 World Championships 7 87.89 11 167.24 10 255.13
Apr 17–20, 2025 Japan 2025 World Team Trophy 11 69.20 8 158.17 3 (10) 227.37
Results in the 2025–26 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 11–14, 2025 Italy 2025 CS Lombardia Trophy 4 88.15 3 177.22 3 265.37
Sep 25–27, 2025 Slovakia 2025 CS Nepela Memorial 5 79.63 8 140.42 8 220.05
Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2025 Canada 2025 Skate Canada International 6 86.45 7 151.75 6 238.20
Nov 14–16, 2025 United States 2025 Skate America 8 75.61 5 155.41 7 231.02
Jan 13–18, 2026 United Kingdom 2026 European Championships 10 77.77 9 145.75 11 223.52

Junior level

Results in the 2017–18 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 24–28, 2017 Romania 2017 Crystal Skate 1 31.06 1 76.55 1 107.61
Nov 15–19, 2017 Italy 2017 Merano Cup 7 40.01 6 78.76 6 118.77
Nov 22–26, 2017 Slovenia 2017 Skate Celje 2 48.33 4 77.08 3 125.41
Dec 13–16, 2017 Italy 2018 Italian Championships (Junior) 4 49.34 4 99.01 4 148.35
Feb 8–11, 2018 Slovenia 2018 Dragon Trophy 4 41.25 4 72.86 4 114.11
Apr 4–8, 2018 Italy 2018 Egna Spring Trophy 5 42.72 3 81.43 3 124.15
Results in the 2018–19 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 3–6, 2018 Slovenia 2018 JGP Slovenia 18 41.71 20 69.20 19 110.91
Dec 13–16, 2018 Italy 2019 Italian Championships (Junior) 2 53.08 3 84.15 2 137.23
Feb 13–14, 2019 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival 11 46.73 10 90.98 11 137.71
Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2019 Austria 2019 Cup of Tyrol 3 51.93 3 93.75 3 145.68
Mar 28–31, 2019 Italy 2019 Egna Spring Trophy 1 54.30 2 96.70 1 151.00
Apr 9–14, 2019 Bulgaria 2019 Skate Victoria 2 59.69 2 109.99 2 169.68
Results in the 2019–20 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 4–7, 2019 Latvia 2019 JGP Latvia 18 48.82 18 86.37 18 135.19
Oct 2–5, 2019 Italy 2019 JGP Italy 15 55.39 17 103.12 16 158.51
Nov 1–3, 2019 Italy 2019 IceLab International Cup 2 56.91 2 101.16 2 158.07
Dec 12–15, 2019 Italy 2020 Italian Championships (Junior) 2 64.23 2 94.58 2 158.81
Jan 10–15, 2020 Switzerland 2020 Winter Youth Olympics 7 62.18 8 114.37 8 176.55
Feb 12–18, 2020 Bulgaria 2020 Sofia Trophy 2 56.20 2 115.40 2 171.60
Results in the 2020–21 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Apr 9–11, 2021 Italy 2021 Italian Championships (Junior) 1 62.33 2 111.82 2 174.15
Apr 29 – May 2, 2021 Italy 2021 Egna Spring Trophy 1 68.23 2 113.87 1 182.10
Results in the 2021–22 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 6–9, 2021 Austria 2021 JGP Austria 4 71.05 7 126.58 4 197.63
Feb 12–13, 2022 Italy 2022 Italian Championships (Junior) 1 78.75 1 140.96 1 219.71
Apr 13–17, 2022 Estonia 2022 World Junior Championships 10 71.42 6 141.52 7 212.94
Results in the 2022–23 season[23]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 31 – Sep 3, 2022 Czech Republic 2019 JGP Czech Republic 4 71.56 2 142.55 2 214.11
Sep 7–10, 2022 Latvia 2022 JGP Latvia 1 83.04 1 142.72 1 225.76
Dec 8–11, 2022 Italy 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final 2 79.84 1 150.66 1 230.50
Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2023 Canada 2023 World Junior Championships 6 76.72 4 139.72 4 216.44

References

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  30. ^ Wong, Jackie. "Nikolaj Memola took a hard fall in the short on his 4Lz and decided to withdraw to not further risk injury; he went to the ER to get his pelvis checked out and then someone broke into his car and stole his skates and SP costume 😭". X. X. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  31. ^ "Nikolaj Memola's skates and competition costume were stolen from his car while he was receiving medical care after a hard fall". FS Gossips. FS Gossips. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
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