Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Luc Maierhofer

Luc Maierhofer
Born (2002-05-24) 24 May 2002 (age 22)
Vienna, Austria
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country Austria
DisciplinePair skating (since 2022)
Men's singles (2015–23)
PartnerGabriella Izzo (since 2024)
Giorgia Ghedini (2022–23)
CoachSeverin Kiefer
Aleksey Letov
Olga Ganicheva
Skating clubEissport Klub Engelmann
Began skating2008
Medal record
Austrian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Graz Singles
Silver medal – second place 2019 Gmunden Singles
Silver medal – second place 2023 St. Pölten Singles
Silver medal – second place 2024 Feldkirch Singles
Silver medal – second place 2025 Dornbirn Pairs

Luc Maierhofer (born 24 May 2002) is an Austrian figure skater who currently competes in the pairs discipline with Gabriella Izzo. Together, they are the 2025 Austrian national silver medalists and the 2024 Ice Challenge champions.

With previous partner, Giorgia Ghedini, he is the 2023 Austrian junior national champions.

As a singles skater, he is the 2019 Golden Bear of Zagreb silver medalist and the 2022 Austrian national champion. On the junior level, he is the 2016 Dragon Trophy champion, the 2016 Skate Helena silver medalist, and a two-time Austrian junior national champion (2016, 2019).

Personal life

Maierhofer was born 24 May 2002 in Vienna, Austria. His brother, Johannes Maierhofer, and half-sister Belinda Schönberger have also competed in figure skating.[1] He is currently a student at the University of Innsbruck.[2]

Career

Single skating career

Early career

Maierhofer began learning to skate in 2008.[1] Early in his career, he was coached by Sergei Gromov.[3] He competed in the advanced novice ranks from autumn 2012 through March 2015.[4]

2015–16 season

Coached by Julia Lavrenchuk in Vienna, Maierhofer made his junior international debut on the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixteenth at 2015 JGP Slovakia and eleventh at 2015 JGP Austria.[5]

In December, Maierhofer won his first junior national title at the 2016 Austrian Championships. He went on to win silver at 2016 Skate Helena, gold at the 2016 Dragon Trophy, and finish fifth at the 2016 Hellmut Seibt Memorial.[5]

Selected to compete at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Maierhofer placed thirtieth in the short program but did not advance to the final segment.[5] Following that season, Maierhofer relocated to Egna, Italy, to be coached by Lorenzo Magri.[6]

2016–17 season

Maierhofer started the season by competing on the 2016–17 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing nineteenth at 2016 JGP Slovenia and twenty-first at 2016 JGP Germany. He then ended the season by finishing fourth on the junior level of the 2016 Golden Bear of Zagreb.[5]

2017–18 season

Maierhofer began the season by competing on the 2017–18 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing fourteenth at 2017 JGP Austria and seventeenth at 2017 JGP Italy. Between the two events, Maierhofer made his senior international debut at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where he would finish twenty-sixth.[5] Continuing to compete on the senior level, Maierhofer finished fifth at the 2017 Golden Bear of Zagreb, sixth at the 2018 Mentor Toruń Cup, and eleventh at the 2018 International Challenge Cup.[5]

Going on to compete at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Maierhofer would finish forty-first in the short program and failed to advance to the free skate segment. He would then finish the season by placing seventh on the senior level of the 2018 Egna Spring Trophy.[5]

2018–19 season

Beginning the season by competing on the 2018–19 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Maierhofer finished tenth at 2018 JGP Slovakia and ninth at 2018 JGP Austria. He subsequently went on to compete on the senior level, finishing fifth at the 2018 Golden Bear of Zagreb and the 2018 CS Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy, seventh at the 2018 Warsaw Cup, and sixteenth at the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.[5]

At the 2019 Austrian Championships in December, he won the junior men's title and finished second to Maurizio Zandron in the senior category.[5] He was assigned to the 2019 European Championships because the Italian-born Zandron was not yet eligible to represent Austria in ISU events.[7] Maierhofer qualified to the final segment at the European Championships, which took place in January in Minsk, Belarus. He placed twenty-first in the short program, nineteenth in the free skate, and twentieth overall.[5]

In March, Maierhofer advanced to the free skate at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. He finished 18th after placing 14th in the short and 21st in the free. Later that month, he competed at the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. Ranked twenty-sixth in the short program, he did not advance to the free skate segment.[5]

2019–20 season

Maierhofer began his final season as a junior-level singles skater by competing on the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing thirteenth at 2019 JGP Croatia and eighth at 2019 JGP Italy.[5]

Going on to compete on the senior international level, Maierhofer finished sixth at the 2019 CS Ice Star. He subsequently won silver at the 2019 Golden Bear of Zagreb, gold at the 2019 Open d'Andorra. In February, he placed ninth at the 2020 Bavarian Open and eleventh at the 2020 Tallink Hotels Cup.[5]

Selected to compete at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Maierhofer finished twenty-fifth in the short program and failed to advance to the free skate.[5]

2020–21 season

During the season Maierhofer competed at two competitions: the 2021 Austrian Championships and the 2021 International Challenge Cup. He would finish second and eleventh, respectively, at these events.[5]

2021–22 season

Maierhofer began the season by competing on the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, finishing sixteenth at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy.[8] He withdrew from the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, but would go on to place eighteenth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy and eleventh at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria.[9] He would then win silver at the 2021 Open d'Andorra.[5]

In December, Maierhofer won the senior men's national title at the 2022 Austrian Championships. He would then win silver at the 2022 Bavarian Open and the 2022 Merano Cup before closing the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2022 International Challenge Cup.[5]

2022–23 season

Maierhofer started the season by finishing fourth at the 2022 Volvo Open Cup. Going on to compete at the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, he placed twelfth at the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and tenth at the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.[5]

In December, he won the silver medal at the 2023 Austrian Championships. Selected to compete at the 2023 Winter World University Games, Maierhofer finished twentieth at the event.[5]

After winning gold at the 2023 Dragon Trophy, Maierhofer finished the season by finishing thirteenth at the 2023 International Challenge Cup.[5]

2023–24 season

Maierhofer competed at two competitions during this season: the 2024 Austrian Championships and the 2024 Bavarian Open. He finished second and fourth, respectively, at these two events.[5]

Pair skating career

2022–23 season: Start and end of Ghedini/Maierhofer

In late 2022, it was announced that while continuing to compete as a singles skater, Maierhofer would also compete in pair skating, having teamed up with Giorgia Ghedini.[10] The pair trained at in Egna, Italy and were coached by Daniel Aggiano at the Young Goose Academy.[11]

Together, the team won gold at the 2023 Austrian Junior Championships and silver on the junior level of the 2023 International Challenge Cup.[12]

2024–25 season: Start of Izzo/Maierhofer

In July 2024, Maierhofer announced that he had teamed up with former American singles skater Gabriella Izzo and that they would be competing for Austria.[13] It was subsequently announced that the pair would be coached by Severin Kiefer in Salzburg while also making trips to Norwood, Massachusetts, to work with Izzo's coaches, Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva.[14]

The pair made their international debut in November, winning the gold medal at the 2024 Ice Challenge. There, the pair also received the required minimum technical element scores to compete at the European and World Championships.[15][16] They went on to compete on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, finishing tenth at the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup and ninth at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.[15]

In mid-December, Izzo/Maierhofer won the silver medal at the 2025 Austrian Championships behind Schaller/Mayr.[15] They were subsequently named to the 2025 European Figure Skating Championships team.[17]

Programs

Pair skating with Izzo

Season Short program Free skating
2024–25

Singles skating

Season Short program Free skating
2022–23
[18]
  • She Was Waiting For Her Mother at the Station in Torino and You
    Know I Love You Baby But It's Getting Too Heavy to Laugh
    by Shawn Phillips
    choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2021–22
[19]
2019–20
[20]
2018–19
[1]
2017–18
[21]
2016–17
[6]
2015–16
[3]
  • Larrons en foire
    by Raphaël Beau
  • Diabolique
    by Raphaël Beau
  • John Grey
    by Matvey Blanter
    choreo. by Alexei Vasilievski

Competitive highlights

Pair skating with Gabriella Izzo

Competition placements at senior level [15]
Season 2024–25
European Championships TBD
Austrian Championships 2nd
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 9th
CS Warsaw Cup 10th
Ice Challenge 1st

Pair skating with Giorgia Ghedini

Competition placements at junior level [12]
Season 2022–23
Austrian Championships 1st
Challenge Cup 2nd

Single skating

Competition placements at senior level [5]
Season 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
World Championships 26th
European Championships 20th
Austrian Championships WD 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd
CS Alpen Trophy 5th
CS Finlandia Trophy 18th
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 16th WD
CS Ice Challenge 11th 12th
CS Ice Star 6th
CS Lombardia Trophy 16th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 26th
CS Warsaw Cup 7th 10th
Bavarian Open 9th 2nd 4th
Challenge Cup 11th 11th 8th 13th
Dragon Trophy 1st
Egna Spring Trophy 7th
Golden Bear of Zagreb 5th 5th 2nd
Mentor Cup 6th
Merano Cup 2nd
Open d'Andorra 1st 2nd
Tallink Hotels Cup 11th
Volvo Open Cup 4th
World University Games 20th
Competition placements at senior level [5]
Season 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
World Junior Championships 30th 41st 18th 25th
Austrian Championships 1st 1st
JGP Austria 11th 14th 9th
JGP Croatia 13th
JGP Germany 21st
JGP Italy 17th 8th
JGP Slovakia 16th 10th
JGP Slovenia 19th
Dragon Trophy 1st
Golden Bear of Zagreb 4th
Hellmut Seibt Memorial 5th
Skate Helena 2nd

Detailed results

Pair skating with Gabriella Izzo

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [15]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 150.60 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
Short program TSS 51.68 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
TES 27.67 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
PCS 24.01 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
Free skating TSS 98.92 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
TES 54.68 2024 CS Warsaw Cup
PCS 46.59 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
Results in the 2024–25 season[15]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Nov 5–10, 2024 Austria 2024 Ice Challenge 3 51.69 1 112.13 1 163.82
Nov 20–24, 2024 Poland 2024 CS Warsaw Cup 15 38.87 8 95.13 10 134.00

References

  1. ^ a b c "Luc Maierhofer: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Luc MAIERHOFER AUT SP 2023 FISU Winter World University Games". YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Luc Maierhofer: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Luc Maierhofer". rinkresults.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "AUT–Luc Maierhofer". SkatingScores.com.
  6. ^ a b "Luc Maierhofer: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 30 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Trauerfall stoppt Ziegler/Kiefer bei EM" (in German). ORF. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Lombardia Trophy 2021". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio.
  9. ^ "Competition Results: Luc Maierhofer". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Results after the Junior Pairs Short Program at the Austrian Nationals 2023, 🇦🇹". Instagram. Skate Austria. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  11. ^ "🏆Challenge Cup🏆". Instagram. Young Goose Academy. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b "AUT–Giorgia Ghedini/Luc Maierhofer". SkatingScores.com.
  13. ^ Anything GOEs [@AnythingGOEs] (July 10, 2024). "🇦🇹 Gabriella Izzo / Luc Maierhofer 🇨🇦 Cristina Lyons / Marty Haubrich 🇦🇹 Paola Jurisic / Michail Savenkov are new pairs teams" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Izzo, Gabriella. "🐈‍⬛ ⬅️🛍️ @lucmaierhofer". Instagram. Instagram. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "AUT–Gabriella Izzo/Luc Maierhofer". SkatingScores.com.
  16. ^ "Was für ein Debüt! Gabriella Izzo & Luc Maierhofer sichern sich bei ihrem allerersten gemeinsamen Wettkampf direkt die Goldmedaille mit beeindruckenden 163.82 Punkten! 🥇✨". Instagram. Skate Austria. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Glanzleistungen in Dornbirn" [Brilliant Performances in Dornbirn] (in German). Olympia.at. December 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "Luc Maierhofer: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Luc Maierhofer: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Luc Maierhofer: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Luc Maierhofer: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.