Nikolaj Memola

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

• Nikolaj Memola at the International Skating Union
• Nikolaj Memola at Skating Scores
• Nikolaj Memola on Instagram