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Zandron misses Olympic ticket: Schaller and Mayr disappoint in Beijing!
Maurizio Zandron misses Olympic quota place in figure skating in Beijing 2025. Further insights into qualification for 2026.
Zandron misses Olympic ticket: Schaller and Mayr disappoint in Beijing!
At the qualifying event in Beijing, Austrian figure skater Maurizio Zandron missed out on a targeted Olympic quota place for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. With 188.95 points, Zandron took 15th place out of 26 athletes overall. He was only about 28 points short of the last quota place awarded, which was fifth.
The situation illustrates the high level of competition in figure skating, which is heavily pursued by both Germany and Austria. Zandron will therefore only be a spectator at next year's Winter Games while other athletes fight for the quota places.
Missed opportunities for Team Austria
In addition to Zandron, the Austrian pair skaters Sophia Schaller and Livio Mayr also had to realize that their Olympic dreams would not come true. They achieved a solid tenth place, but only the top three couples secured quota places for the Winter Olympics. This means that the dream of taking part in the Olympic Games remains unfulfilled for the two athletes.
Given the results in Beijing, it is clear that qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be a major challenge. A large number of quota places are awarded in various disciplines, and the competition is enormous, as can be seen at the Olympics.
The qualification process
As previously reported, the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will take place March 24-30 in Boston. This is another crucial step for athletes who want to qualify for the Olympics. A total of 24 quota places are awarded in men's and women's singles, 16 for pair skating and 19 in ice dancing. However, participation depends on selection by the respective National Olympic Committees, which increases the pressure on athletes.
The competition in the men's singles is particularly highlighted, where athletes such as Donovan Carrillo from Mexico or the Korean gold medalist Kim Hyun-gyeom are fighting for a quota place. On the women's side, Adeliia Petrosian and experienced competitors such as Loena Hendrickx and Anastasiia Gubanova are on the list of candidates.
Qualification for Milano Cortina 2026 is in full swing, showing how important the upcoming events in Beijing and Boston will be for the figure skating community. The results here are crucial for the national and international figure skating future.