Major event in Boston

This pair will represent Austria at the World Championships in the USA

Gabrielle Izzo (left) has a home World Cup ahead of her, Luc Maierhofer is a Salzburger by choice.(Bild: GEPA)

The Austrian Figure Skating Association is sending Gabriella Izzo and Luc Maierhofer to the World Championships in Boston (USA). There they could already secure a place for the 2026 Olympic Games. For Sophia Schaller and Livio Mayr, however, the train has not left the station.

The decision has been made! The Austrian Figure Skating Association has announced who will represent the country at the World Championships in Boston (USA) from March 24. Gabriella Izzo and Luc Maierhofer will be competing at the major event. This also means that the Salzburg duo Sophia Schaller/Livio Mayr will have to stay at home.

For 23-year-old Izzo, the World Championships are a home game, as she comes from Boston but has been training in the city of Mozart for some time with Luc Maierhofer, who is from Salzburg by choice. The duo were actually due to compete at the European Championships, but then had to withdraw for health reasons, giving Schaller/Mayr their chance.

The first quota places for the 2026 Olympic Games will also be awarded at the World Championships. The fact that Izzo/Maierhofer have been given preference over Schaller/Mayr for the World Championships "doesn't say anything about the Olympics," emphasizes Salzburg's association president Carmen Kiefer. Because if the World Championship starters in the USA get a quota place, it won't be for the individuals, but for the country. Either way, Schaller and Mayr have a chance to win a ticket for the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy at a competition in the fall.