Nika Egadze of Georgia skated off with a historic first gold in the Men’s event for Georgia at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2026 in Sheffield on Saturday in what was a dramatic competition full of surprises. 

Egadze strikes gold in Sheffield

Egadze made history for Georgia, winning the country’s first ISU European title in the Men’s event. Italy’s Matteo Rizzo came from fourth after the Short Program to take the silver medal while Georgii Reshtenko of Czechia’s jump from eighth to third was the biggest surprise of the day.

Skating last, Egadze knew what he had to do. And he did it. The Georgian Champion opened his performance to “Sailing”, “Verve” and “Sail”, with a big quad Lutz and followed up with three more quads and a triple Axel. Egadze set a new personal best in the Free Skating with 181.72 points and racked up 273.00 points for a runaway victory. 

Nika Egadze celebrated Georgia's first ever Men's ISU European Championship title after his dominant Free Skating performance © ISU

“It means a lot for Georgia,” Egadze said. “I’m so proud me and Luka [Berulava, Pair Skating Champion] we both made it. It was a really hard work the past two months. 

“It was a hard week for me mentally because the first days were really shaky, the practices did not go well as they should. 

I’m so happy that [coach] Eteri [Tutberidze] and [choreographer] Benoit [Richaud] were here. Benoit speaks a lot to me and gives advice how to be more calm, more relaxed, not think about the medal, just skate and make people happy with my skating.”

While Egadze retained his position after the Short Program, the standings beneath shuffled quite a bit. 

Rizzo was fighting not only for a medal but also for the second Olympic spot on the Italian team. The stars aligned for him in his program to “Interstellar” that was highlighted by a quad toe, seven triples and expressive footwork.

The Italian picked up a season’s best of 168.37 points for a total of 256.37 points to pull up from fourth to second place. Rizzo claimed his fourth European medal, he now has two silver and two bronze. It also meant he secured his spot on the Italian Olympic team over Nikolaj Memola. 

Matteo Rizzo climbed from fourth to second to secure the silver medal as well as his spot on the Italian Olympic team at his home Olympics © ISU

“It was a key competition for the Olympic Games,” Rizzo noted. “I really look forward to the Olympic Games and the arena in Milan. I grew up in Milan, it’s going to be special.

“I was practising very hard in the last couple of months,” he continued. 

“Today it was great to skate. I was enjoying every step that I was doing. Even my mistake - I did make the mistake, but I was smiling, so I didn't really care about that.”

Sitting in eighth place following the Short Program, Reshtenko did not think about a medal at all. The Czech Champion turned in a powerful performance to “The Secret Service” soundtrack, hitting three quadruple jumps. Reshtenko posted a personal best with 159.65 points and jumped on to the podium with 238.27 points in total.

A speechless Georgii Reshtenko (CZE) leapt from eighth to the bronze medal position with a personal best in his Free Skate © ISU

“I’m at a loss for words - everything was shaking when it happened,” Reshtenko said. 

“They told me I had a medal, and I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about places at all; I just went out there to skate and do my job. Somehow it all came together. 

“I’m simply happy our team won this medal at the European Championship.”

Reshtenko’s bronze is the first European Championship medal for Czechia since his coach Michal Brezina won a bronze in 2013. The skater feels that his success will give the Czech team a boost before they host the ISU World Championships in Prague in March.

Rizzo, Egadze and Reshtenko raise their respective national flags in Sheffield's Utilita Arena © ISU

2025 European Champion Lukas Britschgi (SUI) moved up from sixth to fourth place at 236.90 points with his Oriental program. Estonian brothers Aleksandr  and Mihhail Selevko, ranked second and third after the Short Program, dropped to fifth and sixth respectively after making some errors.

Find more comments of the skaters and the press conference highlights on the ISU event website in the “For Media” section. For more information, also see the Facts & Figures published on the ISU event website. 

What & When

The schedule of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2026 is as follows:

Wednesday, January 14: Pairs & Women’s Short Programs
Thursday, January 15: Men’s Short Program & Pairs Free Skating
Friday, January 16: Rhythm Dance, Women’s Free Skating
Saturday, January 17: Men’s Free Skating & Free Dance
Sunday, January 18: Exhibition Gala
 

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