Niina Petrokina captures first European title on home ice

2025 European Figure Skating Championships: Women

Niina Petrokina of Estonia gave the performance of her lifetime in the free skate, capturing her first European title in Tallinn with over nine points to spare. Overnight leader Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia slipped to second overall for the silver, while Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium rose from fourth to claim the bronze.

Reigning champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium sat out as she will be undergoing surgery to repair ligaments in her ankle and recover before next season.

Niina Petrokina

Petrokina skated an extraordinary short program to “Soldier,” opening with a solid double Axel followed by a huge triple Lutz-triple toe. She also showed a solid triple flip and earned a level four on two spins. The 2023 Skate America bronze medalist placed second with a new personal best of 68.94 points.

“I’m so happy!” said Petrokina, who admitted to being nervous. “I felt like, ‘okay, I have to keep pushing and can’t make a mistake’, but it was amazing to skate in front of my home crowd and have all my family and friends supporting me. The stands weren’t that full yet, but it was crazy loud. I think on Friday it will be even more full and louder. I’m really looking forward to it!”

The 20-year-old said the experience from three years ago “really helped” her as she had already skated here.

“The feeling just came back,” said Petrokina. “The key for me today was accepting my nervousness and pushing through it. I’m very happy!”

The five-time Challenger Series medalist gave a compelling free skate to Paul’s Dream from Dune which featured seven solid jumps. While she received a one-point deduction for a fall, it didn’t happen during any elements, and she quickly recovered. All three spins and the footwork were graded a level four, and she scored a whopping personal best of 139.24 points for first place. Her total score was 208.18.

“I’m slowly starting to realize that I am the European Champion,” said an excited Petrokina. “When the results were announced, I was in complete shock. I still need some time to process it all. This moment was my dream, and today it came true. The small fall at the beginning of my program actually helped me stay calm because I knew I couldn’t afford another mistake.”

The skater added that she was “truly amazed” when she received a phone call from Alar Karis, the President of Estonia after her victory.

“But I won’t reveal what he said,” said Petrokina. “That will stay our little secret.”

She noted that the sport of figure skating has grown in Estonia and hopes that her achievement will inspire young kids “to train with even more joy and passion.”

“A huge thank you to my team!” Petrokina added. “This wouldn’t have been possible without you. My setbacks made me stronger, but I wouldn’t be here without the incredible people who have supported me along the way. I’m also so grateful for all the friends I have here cheering me on.”

Anastasiia Gubanova

Gubanova delivered a spectacular and dramatic routine which featured a triple flip-triple toe, double Axel and triple Lutz. While the steps were only graded a level two, all three spins were a level three. The jumps received positive grades of execution (GOE) in her program to a modern version of ABBA’s “Money, Money, Money.” The 2024 European silver medalist placed first with 68.99 points.

“For the first time in a long time, I am happy coming off the ice, and I’m leaving with a smile,” said Gubanova. “I’m very, very happy. I didn’t expect to be in first place after the short, but the result is very close, so I think it’s a good result. It will be an exciting competition on Friday.”

Here coach was unable to attend due to visa issues, but the skater said she was in “good care.”

“My husband is here in the audience, and his family and my federation are taking great care of me,” she said. “Over Christmas and New Year’s, I had a really good time skating in shows in Germany. I also spent time in Belgium with Nikita Starostin and Adam Solya, celebrating Christmas like a family, and it was a very good time! I feel very good overall, and I think that helped me.”

Gubanova put out a nearly solid free skate with her elegant performance to “Balder” and “Freya.” She landed five solid triple jumps, including a triple flip-triple toe and triple Lutz-double Axel-double Axel sequence. The only mistakes came when she underrotated the front end of a triple flip-triple toe and landed a triple loop on the quarter. Her final spin was graded a level four, and she placed second in this segment with 129.62 points. With a total score of 198.61, the 22-year-old slipped to second place overall.

“I’m very happy with my short program,” said Gubanova. “Today, I made a small mistake, but overall, I’m really satisfied with this competition.”

“I really felt the nerves today, but I’m glad I was able to pull myself together,” added the five-time Challenger Series medalist. “I’m especially grateful for the support of Anastasiia (Metelkina), the pairs skater. We really supported each other throughout the competition. What helps us most is that, right before we compete, we tell each other jokes and laugh to relax, and that really makes a difference.”

Nina Pinzarrone

Pinzarrone showed a dramatic routine to Swan Lake, placing fourth with a new season’s best of 66.80 points in the short program. The 2024 European bronze medalist underrotated the back end of a triple Lutz-triple toe, but was otherwise solid, producing a triple loop and level four spins and steps.

The skater said she felt “good” about the program but was disappointed about the underrotation.

“The preparation for this event wasn’t ideal because last week I had a problem with my boot,” Pinzarrone offered. “It was pressing on my foot and caused inflammation. I’ve had this problem with other skates and brands in the past, so I think I won’t change the brand, but I may get new skates after this event. I couldn’t change the boots before the competition, but despite those troubles, I felt good and confident today, and I think that showed on the ice.”

When asked about being in fourth place and how close it is to the top three, she said: “I try not to think too much about that. I want to skate clean, do my best, and then we’ll see what the results are. Also, a two-point gap is not really much because there are so many elements in the free skate, so a lot can happen.”

The two-time Grand Prix medalist delivered a poignant routine to “Escapes Within” and “Nocturne in D-flat Major ‘Un rêve'” which featured strong level-four spins and level-three steps. However, she underrotated a triple loop and triple Salchow, while four other jumps were landed on the quarter. Nevertheless, she placed third in the free skate and moved up onto the podium for third overall (124.64/191.44).

“I am very satisfied, and I’m thrilled to have won a medal,” said the 18-year-old. “That’s a great accomplishment. Towards the end of the performance, I was a little bit tired. Regarding the underrotations, I have to check the video. I saw the protocol already, and some of the underrotations I understand, and some I don’t, but I need to review the video. I want to work on that in preparations for Worlds. I was actually pretty nervous today, and overall, I am very happy to be here now with a medal.”

Kimmy Repond

Kimmy Repond of Switzerland performed a beautiful and elegant performance to “Mother Nature” to place third with a new personal best of 68.68 points. The 2023 European bronze medalist landed a triple flip-triple toe, double Axel and triple loop. All spins and footwork were graded a level four, and she received the second highest component scores of the group after Gubanova.

The two-time Swiss champion admitted to being “quite nervous” as her flip wasn’t going well in the practice or warm-up.

“After I had landed the triple flip-triple toe, I felt very confident and very good,” said Repond. “I very happy with my new personal best and the third place here.”

She also did not mind skating last, stating that she like all starting numbers.

“The close result, it’s exciting and I think it will be a good competition on Friday,” reflected the 18-year-old. “The fourth place isn’t far off so it will be exciting. I will be nervous again, but I am thrilled to be in the small medals again, especially after the not-so-good Europeans experience from last season.”

Repond was off to a good start in her dramatic free skate to music from Gladiator but took a fall on a triple Lutz and triple flip—both of which were underrotated. While the four-time Challenger Series medalist managed five solid triple jumps, she lost levels on her spins and finished fifth in the free skate (117.96). With a total score of 186.64, she slipped off the podium to fourth place overall.

“I feel a little bit sad and disappointed because obviously, I wanted more,” said Repond. “I can’t really explain the mistake on the loop, but I do understand the mistake on the flip. After the loop-Axle, I just felt very tired, and I think that probably comes from being ill and not being back to my full strength. Actually, I was more nervous on Wednesday ahead of the short program. Today, my nerves were okay, but I felt more tired.”

Her next performance will be at Art on Ice before she prepares for the upcoming 2025 World Championships in March.

Anna Pezzetta

In her debut at this event, Anna Pezzetta of Italy placed sixth (62.73) in the short program after a near-solid performance to the Firebird Suite. The only flaw came when she put her hands down on a triple flip, but she otherwise produced a triple Lutz-double loop and double Axel, both of which earned high GOEs.

“I’m a little bit disappointed because I made a mistake on the combo,” said the 17-year-old, regarding her opening jump. “I really wanted to do the triple-triple, but I really like the experience here. The crowd gives me great energy, and this is the biggest competition I’ve participated in so far.”

The skater added that she had been working a lot on “controlling the power” of her jumps in order to get them “more stable and consistent.”

The Italian champion showed good ice coverage and leg extension in her free skate to music from the Avatar soundtrack. She landed a total of five clean triple jumps but doubled a loop and stepped out of a triple Lutz. She also had a slight bobble in the footwork, but her spins were strong, two of which earned a level four. She placed fourth in the free skate and fifth overall with new personal best scores (123.46/186.19).

“I’m very happy,” said Pezzetta. “It was my goal to actually just participate in this event. Today, I really felt the nerves and made some mistakes, but I’m actually very proud of myself for not giving up and for keeping the fight going. It was a very good experience for me, something I gained a lot from.”

“My next competition will be the Road to Milan and then Junior Worlds,” she added. “We’ll see what comes after that. I’ll continue working on my consistency and hope to keep improving.”

Lara Naki Gutmann

Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy put out a solid short program to music from Squid Game with the exception of a quarter landing and edge call on a triple Lutz. The 2024 Finlandia Trophy bronze medalist produced a solid triple toe-triple toe and double Axel as well as a three level-four spins to score 63.79 points for fifth place.

“I felt a little shaky in the combination, but I was very happy to get the jumps done, and then I could really enjoy and go all out in the step sequence,” said the 22-year-old. “It’s really cool to skate in the last group at Europeans, but I didn’t feel any extra nerves about it.”

Gutmann said she was unaware that the second season of Squid Game program would be released when she was creating her program.

“But it’s great that it fits so well with the moment,” she said. “I still haven’t watched the second season, but I’m looking forward to catching up on it. Maybe even watching both season two and three together, since season two doesn’t have a proper ending, as I’ve heard.”

The three-time Challenger Series medalist showed good effort in her eloquent routine to “Wayward Sisters” and “Sheltering Sky,” but left points on the table. She doubled a Salchow and Lutz and also underrotated and stepped out of a triple loop. However, all four spins received a level four, and she finished sixth in the free skate and overall (123.46/181.51)

The skater said she needs to work on her physical shape as she is getting tired towards the end of her program.

“I need to make sure this doesn’t happen in the next events,” Gutmann said. “This is still my best finish at Europeans, but I need to process the program and what happened so I can analyze it correctly.”

“Right now, I’m happy with the flip,” she added. “I’m not sure why I doubled the Salchow because everything felt good, but I’ll work on that.”

Regarding the selection process for Worlds, she responded: “We have an Italian ranking, and some competitions will count toward it. I don’t know the standings right now, but I’ll just wait and see.”

Romania’s Julia Sauter placed seventh (172.64) ahead of Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland (169.01). Great Britain’s Kristen Spours (168.21) finished ninth followed by Lorine Schild of France (168.21).

Related Info:

• Official Results
• Competition Threads

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