European figure skating, Matteo Rizzo bronze in men’s artistic

European figure skating, Matteo Rizzo bronze in men'artistic

On the ice of the Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, the third day of the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships was completed. The highlight was the men's sector free program.

The short program held on Wednesday evening had seen two Azzurri place in the upper echelons of the rankings, as Gabriele Frangipani and Matteo Rizzo occupied the fourth and sixth places, respectively.

Nikolaj Memola, on the other hand, had finished the first segment of the race in 12th position. In the decisive act of the competition, Rizzo literally threw his heart over the hurdle. The reigning vice-champion of Europe, who is not in 100 percent condition and is set to undergo hip surgery in the coming days, turned in a moving performance.

Despite a fall, the 25-year-old Italian è performed on his current limits, finishing with 250.87 points. The performance, combined with a night-no by Swiss Lukas Britschgi, allowed him to hoist himself onto the lowest step of the podium behind Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa (276.17) and Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko (256.99).

Today's bronze represents the third medal of Rizzo's career in the continental event after the one already clawed in 2019 and the silver in 2023.

Between morning and early afternoon, è the dance competition began. Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri finished leading the Rhythm Dance with 86.80 points. The title holders set a new season record, posting the best technical score and the highest rating on the program components.

The lead over Britons Leah Fear/Lewis Gibson (85.20) è however, minimal. Thus, a lightning challenge is announced in the Free Dance. Victoria Manni/Carlo Röthliesberger stood in 15th position, putting up 62.26 points.