Bronze and Beyond: German Figure Skating Reflects on 2026 Olympic Campaign

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina have come to a close, concluding with the final ceremonies in Verona. For the Deutsche Eislauf-Union (DEU), the games provided a mixture of historic success and stark reminders of the gaps remaining in the nation’s figure skating program.

The standout achievement of the games was the bronze medal earned in the pairs event by Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin. Known as “Miniki,” the duo has been competing on the international stage since 2023. Their podium finish marks the first Olympic medal for German figure skating in eight years.

DEU Sport Director Jens ter Laak remained steadfast in his positive assessment of the result. “We won bronze, didn’t lose gold!” ter Laak stated, emphasizing that securing a medal in one of the only two disciplines Germany managed to qualify for represents a strong success rate.

Even as the bronze medal provided a highlight, the broader picture of German representation remains limited. Out of five possible medal-deciding disciplines, Germany was only present in two. While the pairs event showed strength—with Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel also securing a top-ten finish—the ice dance results fell short of expectations.

Jennifer Janse van Rensburg and Benjamin Steffan failed to reach the free dance final, a result that ter Laak admitted was disappointing. According to the Sport Director, the DEU had fully expected a spot in the final, noting that in a high-caliber field, a single mistake is often enough to lead to elimination.

Beyond the immediate Olympic results, a larger conversation has emerged regarding the development of the sport within Germany. Despite a surge of interest in figure skating this winter both globally and domestically, there is a noticeable absence of strong German single skaters on the world stage.

The central question facing the program is why the talent pipeline for single skating has stalled. The prevailing sentiment within the leadership is that the issue is not a lack of innate ability. The belief remains that German children are not less talented than their international peers, yet that talent is not translating into elite-level single skating results.

As the DEU looks toward the next Olympic cycle, the focus shifts immediately to the upcoming World Championships in Prague. For athletes who have already secured multiple World Championship medals, the drive to add another to their collection remains a primary motivator.

The program now faces the challenge of maintaining the momentum found in the pairs discipline while attempting to revitalize its presence in ice dance and the missing single skating categories.

The next major checkpoint for the German team will be the World Championships in Prague, where the DEU hopes to build on the success of the Milan and Cortina games.

Do you consider the DEU can bridge the gap in single skating before the next Olympic cycle? Share your thoughts in the comments.