2025 CS Nepela Memorial

2025 CS Nepela Memorial
Logo of the Nepela Memorial
Type:ISU Challenger Series
Date:25 – 27 September
Season:2025–26
Location:Bratislava, Slovakia
Host:Slovak Figure Skating Federation
Venue:Ondrej Nepela Arena
Champions
Men's singles:
France Kévin Aymoz
Women's singles:
Italy Lara Naki Gutmann
Ice dance:
Spain Olivia Smart
& Tim Dieck
Previous:
2024 CS Nepela Memorial
Previous CS:
2025 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Next CS:
2025 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge

The 2025 Nepela Memorial was a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Slovak Figure Skating Federation, and the sixth event of the 2025–26 ISU Challenger Series.[1] It was held at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 26 to 27 September 2025.[1] Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, and ice dance, and skaters earned ISU World Standing points based on their results. Kévin Aymoz of France won the men's event, Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy won the women's event, and Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck of Spain won the ice dance event.

Background

The Nepela Memorial is named in honor of Ondrej Nepela, a Slovak figure skater who competed internationally for Czechoslovakia. He was the 1972 Olympic gold medalist, three-time World champion (1971–73), five-time European champion (1969–73), eight-time Czechoslovak national champion (1965–69, 1971–73),[2] and the Slovak athlete of the 20th century.[3]

The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points.[4] The 2025–26 Challenger Series consisted of eleven events, of which the Nepela Memorial was the sixth.[1]

Changes in preliminary assignments

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on 2 September 2025.[5][6][7]

Discipline Withdrew Ref.
Date Country Skater(s)
Ice dance 15 September  Switzerland
[8]
Men 16 September  United States [9]
Ice dance 18 September  Italy [10]
24 September  Finland [11]
 Germany
Men  Hungary

Required performance elements

Single skating

Men and women competing in single skating first performed their short programs on Friday, 26 September.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[12] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[13]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[13]

Men and women performed their free skates on Saturday, 27 September.[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,[12] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[14]

Ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 26 September.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[12] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge.[15] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.[15]

Couples then performed their free dances on Saturday, September2 7.[1] The free dance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[12] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.[15]

Judging

Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on three program components (skating skills, presentation, and composition). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to +5 based on the quality of its execution.[16] Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values.[17][18] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 10.40 points.[17] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score.[19] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.[20] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.[21]

Program component factoring[22]
Discipline Short program
or Rhythm dance		 Free skate
or Free dance
Men 1.67 3.33
Women 1.33 2.67
Ice dance 1.33 2.00

Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[23] The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[24]

Medal summary

Kévin Aymoz at the 2025 World Championships
Lara Naki Gutmann at the 2022 Lombardia Trophy
Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck at the 2024 World Championships
The 2025 Nepela Memorial champions: Kévin Aymoz of France (men's singles); Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy (women's singles); and Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck of Spain (ice dance)
Medalists[25]
Discipline Gold Silver Bronze
Men France Kévin Aymoz Italy Matteo Rizzo Italy Daniel Grassl
Women Italy Lara Naki Gutmann Italy Anna Pezzetta Italy Sarina Joos
Ice dance

Results

Men's singles

Men's results[26]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Kévin Aymoz  France 261.90 1 93.49 1 168.41
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Matteo Rizzo  Italy 249.46 4 82.52 2 166.94
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Daniel Grassl  Italy 241.81 2 85.89 3 155.92
4 Mihhail Selevko  Estonia 229.20 6 77.75 4 151.45
5 Adam Hagara  Slovakia 223.16 9 71.77 5 151.39
6 Jacob Sanchez  United States 223.14 3 83.97 9 139.17
7 Vladimir Samoilov  Poland 221.87 7 76.22 6 145.65
8 Nikolaj Memola  Italy 220.05 5 79.63 8 140.42
9 Cha Young-hyun  South Korea 212.82 11 71.73 7 141.09
10 Aleksa Rakic  Canada 210.91 10 71.76 10 139.15
11 Jari Kessler  Croatia 210.81 8 74.48 12 136.33
12 Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté  Spain 208.69 12 71.65 11 137.04
13 Samy Hammi  France 199.31 13 68.04 14 131.27
14 Nikita Starostin  Germany 194.57 18 61.74 13 132.83
15 Lukáš Václavík  Slovakia 180.79 19 57.14 15 123.65
16 Tobia Oellerer  Austria 178.24 15 65.35 18 112.89
17 Xavier Vauclin  France 177.15 14 67.44 19 109.71
18 Jakub Lofek  Poland 176.89 17 63.14 17 113.75
19 Vadym Novikov  Ukraine 160.64 21 46.80 16 113.84
20 Casper Johansson  Sweden 158.52 20 56.29 20 102.23
21 Hugo Bostedt  Sweden 157.70 16 63.20 22 94.50
22 Euken Alberdi  Spain 141.55 23 44.35 21 97.20
23 Jozef Curma  Slovakia 122.73 22 45.09 23 77.64

Women's singles

Women's results[27]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lara Naki Gutmann  Italy 202.51 1 67.25 1 135.26
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Anna Pezzetta  Italy 192.97 2 66.78 2 126.19
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Sarina Joos  Italy 180.36 5 59.85 4 120.51
4 Mariia Seniuk  Israel 178.92 7 58.33 3 120.59
5 Sara-Maude Dupuis  Canada 178.77 3 64.16 6 114.61
6 Lorine Schild  France 175.48 6 59.01 5 116.47
7 Starr Andrews  United States 167.24 4 60.67 8 106.57
8 Niina Petrõkina  Estonia 162.32 16 49.10 7 113.22
9 Nataly Langerbaur  Estonia 156.22 12 53.11 9 103.11
10 Vanesa Šelmeková  Slovakia 155.16 9 56.34 11 98.82
11 Elyce Lin-Gracey  United States 154.03 13 52.34 10 101.69
12 Kim Chae-yeon  South Korea 148.96 8 56.88 14 92.08
13 Aleksandra Dolinskė  Lithuania 144.24 18 48.43 12 95.81
14 Elizabet Gervits  Israel 141.94 11 54.96 16 86.98
15 Julia Van Dijk  Netherlands 140.49 14 51.14 15 89.35
16 Ava Marie Ziegler  United States 140.27 10 55.80 18 84.47
17 Barbora Vranková  Czech Republic 138.32 19 44.91 13 93.41
18 Clemence Mayindu  France 135.62 15 50.80 17 84.82
19 Nina Povey  Great Britain 130.93 17 48.48 19 82.45
20 Sadie Weng  Chinese Taipei 114.44 20 40.89 20 73.55
21 Ana Sofia Beschea  Romania 103.42 22 36.65 21 66.77
22 Julia Fennell  Israel 94.22 23 32.22 22 62.00
WD Jade Hovine  Belgium Withdrew 21 38.19 Withdrew from competition

Ice dance

Ice dance results[28]
Rank Team Nation Total points RD FD
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Spain 192.67 2 74.44 1 118.23
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Czech Republic 186.60 1 76.55 5 110.05
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  United States 184.18 7 71.77 2 112.41
4  France 183.40 4 72.09 3 111.31
5  France 183.05 3 72.72 4 110.33
6  Finland 173.90 6 71.78 6 102.12
7  United States 172.44 5 72.08 7 100.36
8  France 163.60 8 65.18 8 98.42
9
  • Zofia Grzegorzewska
  • Oleg Muratov
  Poland 144.00 9 57.32 9 86.68
10  Netherlands 140.28 10 54.07 10 86.21
11
  • Emese Csiszér
  • Mark Shapiro
  Hungary 129.54 12 48.18 11 81.36
12
  • Emilia Ziobrowska
  • Shiloh Judd
  Romania 125.66 11 50.37 12 75.29

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "33rd Nepela Memorial" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Ondrej Nepela". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  3. ↑ Historical Dictionary of Slovakia (2014 ed.). Scarecrow Press. 14 November 2013. p. 488. ISBN 9780810880306.
  4. ↑ "Challenger Series". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "ISU CS 33rd Nepela Memorial 2025 (Men)". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "ISU CS 33rd Nepela Memorial 2025 (Women)". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "ISU CS 33rd Nepela Memorial 2025 (Ice Dance)". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  8. ↑ @AnythingGOE (15 September 2025). "🇨🇭 Gina Zehnder / Beda Leon Sieber are withdrawing from Nepela Memorial and Trialeti Trophy due to Zehnder having a small surgery on her foot" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  9. ↑ Pulkinen, Camden [@campulk]; (17 September 2025). "I have made the tough decision to withdraw from Ondrej Nepela" – via Instagram.
  10. ↑ @AnythingGOE (18 September 2025). "🇮🇹 Noemi Maria Tali / Noah Lafornara have withdrawn from Nepela Memorial" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  11. ↑ @AnythingGOE (24 September 2025). "🇭🇺 Aleksandr Vlasenko, 🇫🇮 Juulia Turkkila / Matthias Versluis, and 🇩🇪 Charise Matthaei / Max Liebers have withdrawn from Nepela Memorial" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  12. 1 2 3 4 S&P/ID 2024, p. 82.
  13. 1 2 S&P/ID 2024, p. 106.
  14. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 110–111.
  15. 1 2 3 "Communication No. 2704: Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules, Season 2025/26" (PDF). International Skating Union. 8 August 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  16. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 32, 83–84.
  17. 1 2 "Communication No. 2707" (PDF). International Skating Union. 1 July 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  18. ↑ "Communication No. 2705" (PDF). International Skating Union. 7 May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  19. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 15–16.
  20. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 84–85.
  21. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 16–17.
  22. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 17.
  23. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 18–19.
  24. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 20.
  25. ↑ "2025 Ondrej Nepela Memorial CS". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "2025 Ondrej Nepela Memorial CS – Mens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  27. ↑ "2025 Ondrej Nepela Memorial CS – Womens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  28. ↑ "2025 Ondrej Nepela Memorial CS – Ice Dance Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.

Works cited

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