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Manuel Piazza
View on WikipediaManuel Piazza (born 13 October 1999) is an Italian pair skater who currently competes for Iceland. With his current partner, Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir, he is the 2025 Diamond Spin champion, 2025 Cup of Innsbruck bronze medalist, 2024 NRW Trophy bronze medalist and a two-time Icelandic national champion (2025–26). Gunnarsdóttir and Piazza are the first pairs team to represent Iceland in international competition.[1]
Key Information
With his former partner, Anna Valesi, he is the 2024 Italian national bronze medalist and has won seven senior international medals, including silver at the 2022 Bavarian Open.
Career
[edit]Early years
[edit]Piazza began learning to skate in 2006.[2] He placed sixth in junior men's singles at the Italian Championships in December 2016 and again in December 2017.
In 2018, he teamed up with Alyssa Montan to compete in junior pairs. Making their international debut, Montan/Piazza won silver at the Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy in November 2018. The following month, they took silver in the junior event at the Italian Championships.
In their second and final season together, Montan/Piazza won the Italian national junior title and placed 16th at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. The two were coached by Ondřej Hotárek, Luca Demattè, and Franca Bianconi in Bergamo, Italy.[3]
Pair skating with Anna Valesi for Italy
[edit]2021–22 season
[edit]In the 2021–22 season, Piazza began competing in the senior ranks with Anna Valesi. Making their international debut, Valesi/Piazza took bronze at the Tayside Trophy in November 2021. The following month, they placed fourth at the Italian Championships.[4]
In January 2022, Valesi/Piazza were awarded silver medals at two events – the Icelab International Cup and Bavarian Open.[4]
2022–23 season
[edit]In September 2022, Valesi/Piazza won bronze at the Lombardia Trophy and placed seventh at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.[4] In October, they were invited to their first Grand Prix event, the 2022 Skate America, where they finished fifth.[5] They were seventh at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo.[4]
2023–24 season
[edit]Beginning the international season at the John Nicks Pairs Challenge, where they won the silver.[4] They continued to the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Valesi/Piazza finished ninth. They next competed at the 2023 Diamond Spin, where they won the bronze.[4]
On the Grand Prix, they came sixth at their lone assignment, the 2023 Grand Prix de France.[6] They were subsequently invited to the 2023 Cup of China, following the withdrawal of Americans Chan/Howe.[7][8] They were sixth at that event as well.[9]
Valesi / Piazza continued to the 2024 Italian Figure Skating Championships, where they won the bronze medal.[4] They were assigned to the 2024 Bavarian Open, but withdrew prior to the competition. It June, it was confirmed that the pair had split.[10]
Pair skating with Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir for Iceland
[edit]2024–25 season
[edit]In August, it was announced that Piazza had teamed up with Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir to compete for Iceland, the first ever pair to compete internationally for Iceland.[11] They split their training between Reykjavík, Iceland with coach Benjamin Naggiar and Bergamo, Italy with coaches, Ondřej Hotárek and Rosanna Murante.[12]
Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza made their international debut in November 2024 at the 2024 NRW Trophy. They placed third in both the short program and the free skate to claim the bronze medal behind new Swiss team Oxana Vouillamoz / Tom Bouvart and Swedish sibling pair Greta Crafoord / John Crafoord. At their second international event, the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup, Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza placed twelfth.[13]
Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza competed at the 2025 Icelandic Championships at the end of November unchallenged, winning their first national pairs title by default. Having earned their ISU technical minimum scores at the NRW Trophy, Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza were assigned to compete at the 2025 European Championships in Estonia in January. At Europeans, Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza scored a personal best of 48.58, placing eighteenth in the segment. They did not advance to the free skate portion of the competition.[13]
2025–26 season
[edit]Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza opened their season with a fourth-place finish at the 2025 Lombardia Trophy. One week later, they placed eighth at the ISU Skate to Milano.[13]
In October, Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza competed at the 2025 Diamond Spin and the 2025 Swiss Open, winning gold and placing fifth, respectively. The following month, the pair won the bronze medal at the 2025 Cup of Innsbruck and the gold medal at the 2026 Icelandic Championships. In January, Gunnarsdóttir/Piazza placed eleventh at the 2026 European Championships, scoring personal bests in all three competition segments.[13]
Programs
[edit]With Gunnarsdóttir
[edit]| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–2026 [14] |
|
|
| 2024–2025 [1] |
|
With Valesi
[edit]| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 [15] |
|
|
| 2022–23 [2] |
|
With Montan
[edit]| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 [16] |
|
Competitive highlights
[edit]- GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
- CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
- TBD – Assigned
- WD – Withdrew from competition
Pair skating with Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir (for Iceland)
[edit]| Season | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|
| European Championships | 18th | 11th |
| Icelandic Championships | 1st | 1st |
| CS Warsaw Cup | 12th | |
| Cup of Innsbruck | 3rd | |
| Diamond Spin | 1st | |
| Lombardia Trophy | 4th | |
| NRW Trophy | 3rd | |
| Road to 26 Trophy | 7th | |
| Skate to Milano | 8th |
Pair skating with Anna Valesi (for Italy)
[edit]| Season | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Championships | 4th | 3rd | |
| GP Cup of China | 6th | ||
| GP Finland | 7th | ||
| GP France | 6th | ||
| GP Skate America | 5th | ||
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 7th | 9th | |
| CS Warsaw Cup | 5th | ||
| Bavarian Open | 2nd | ||
| Challenge Cup | 8th | ||
| Diamond Spin | 3rd | ||
| IceLab Cup | 2nd | ||
| John Nicks Pairs | 2nd | ||
| Lombardia Trophy | 3rd | ||
| Tayside Trophy | 3rd | 3rd |
Pair skating with Alyssa Montan (for Italy)
[edit]| Season | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 16th | ||
| Italian Championships | 2nd | 1st | 1st |
| Alpen Trophy | 2nd | ||
| Bavarian Open | 8th | 3rd | |
| Egna Spring Trophy | 1st |
Single skating (for Italy)
[edit]| Season | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Championships | 6th | 6th | |
| Cup of Tyrol | 3rd | 8th | |
| Egna Spring Trophy | 7th | 6th | |
| Merano Cup | WD |
Detailed results
[edit]Pair skating with Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir (for Iceland)
[edit]| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 162.62 | 2026 European Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 57.45 | 2026 European Championships |
| TES | 32.80 | 2026 European Championships | |
| PCS | 24.65 | 2026 European Championships | |
| Free skating | TSS | 105.17 | 2026 European Championships |
| TES | 52.83 | 2026 European Championships | |
| PCS | 52.34 | 2026 European Championships |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Nov 13–17, 2024 |  2024 NRW Trophy
|
3 | 47.04 | 3 | 93.46 | 3 | 140.50 |
| Nov 20–24, 2024 |  2024 CS Warsaw Cup
|
14 | 41.93 | 11 | 87.42 | 12 | 129.35 |
| Nov 29–Dec 1, 2024 |  2024 Icelandic Championships
|
1 | 42.30 | 1 | 95.31 | 1 | 137.61 |
| Jan 28 – Feb 2, 2025 |  2025 European Championships
|
18 | 48.58 | N/a | N/a | 18 | 48.58 |
| Feb 18–20, 2025 |  Road to 26 Trophy
|
6 | 50.54 | 7 | 87.76 | 7 | 138.30 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Sep 11–14, 2025 | 2025 Lombardia Trophy
|
5 | 53.21 | 4 | 105.70 | 4 | 158.91 |
| Sep 18–21, 2025 |  2025 Skate to Milano
|
9 | 53.09 | 8 | 98.94 | 8 | 152.03 |
| Oct 16–19, 2025 | 2025 Diamond Spin
|
1 | 48.65 | 1 | 91.75 | 1 | 140.40 |
| Nov 13–16, 2025 |  2025 Cup of Innsbruck
|
6 | 51.72 | 2 | 102.44 | 3 | 154.16 |
| Nov 28–30, 2025 | 2025 Icelandic Championships
|
1 | 51.59 | 2 | 99.23 | 1 | 150.82 |
| Jan 13–18, 2026 |  2026 European Championships
|
9 | 57.45 | 11 | 105.17 | 11 | 162.62 |
Pair skating with Anna Valesi (for Italy)
[edit]| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 160.65 | 2023 Cup of China |
| Short program | TSS | 55.55 | 2023 Cup of China |
| TES | 30.67 | 2023 Grand Prix de France | |
| PCS | 26.79 | 2023 Cup of China | |
| Free skating | TSS | 105.10 | 2023 Cup of China |
| TES | 56.59 | 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | |
| PCS | 51.40 | 2023 Cup of China |
Pair skating with Alyssa Montan (for Italy)
[edit]| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 116.22 | 2020 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 44.69 | 2020 World Junior Championships |
| TES | 24.26 | 2020 World Junior Championships | |
| PCS | 20.43 | 2020 World Junior Championships | |
| Free skating | TSS | 71.53 | 2020 World Junior Championships |
| TES | 34.22 | 2020 World Junior Championships | |
| PCS | 39.31 | 2020 World Junior Championships |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Julia Sylvia GUNNARSDOTTIR / Manuel PIAZZA: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Anna Valesi / Manuel Piazza: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Competition Results: Alyssa Montan / Manuel Piazza". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Competition Results: Anna Valesi / Manuel Piazza". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023.
- ^ Slater, Paula (October 23, 2022). "Knierim and Frazier reclaim Skate America pairs' title". Golden Skate.
- ^ "Figura, bel secondo posto per Beccari-Guarise al Nebelhorn Trophy!" [Look, nice second place for Beccari-Guarise at the Nebelhorn Trophy!]. Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio. September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ @AnythingGOE (October 19, 2023). "🇺🇸 Emily Chan / Spencer Akira Howe have withdrawn from Cup of China" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 21, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @AnythingGOE (October 23, 2023). "🇮🇹 Anna Valesi / Manuel Piazza have been assigned to Cup of China" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Slater, Paula (November 11, 2023). "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps score another victory in China". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ @AnythingGOE (June 7, 2024). "🇮🇹 Anna Valesi / Manuel Piazza have confirmed the end of their partnership" (Tweet). Retrieved June 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ @skatingicelandofficial; (August 15, 2024). "Skautasamband Íslands tilkynnir með stolti að Júlía Sylvía Gunnarsdóttir og Manuel Piazza (ITA) munu keppa fyrst allra í parakeppni á listskautum fyrir hönd ÍSS!" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Júlía Sylvía og Manuel með lágmörk inn á Evrópumeistaramót" [Júlía Sylvía and Manuel with minimum scores heading into the European Championship] (in Icelandic). Icelandic Skating Association. 17 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "ISL-Júlía Sylvía GUNNARSDÓTTÍR/Manuel PIAZZA". SkatingScores.com.
- ^ "Julia Sylvia GUNNARSDOTTIR / Manuel PIAZZA: 2025/2026". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Anna Valesi / Manuel Piazza: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
- ^ "Alyssa Montan / Manuel Piazza: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Competition Results: Julia Sylvia GUNNARSDOTTIR / Manuel PIAZZA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025.
- ^ "ITA–Anna Valesi/Manuel Piazza". SkatingScores.com.
- ^ "ITA–Alyssa Montan/Manuel Piazza". SkatingScores.com.
- ^ "ITA–Manuel Piazza". SkatingScores.com.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
SS-SSLMwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Couple Records Anna Valesi/Manuel Piazza (ITA)". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Couple Records Alyssa Montan/Manuel Piazza". International Skating Union.
External links
[edit]- Julia Sylvia Gunnarsdottir & Manuel Piazza at the International Skating Union
- Anna Valesi & Manuel Piazza at the International Skating Union
- Anna Valesi & Manuel Piazza at Skating Scores
- Alyssa Montan & Manuel Piazza at the International Skating Union
- Alyssa Montan & Manuel Piazza at Skating Scores
- Manuel Piazza on Instagram