Alexia Paganini
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Alexia Paganini (born November 15, 2001) is a former Swiss-American
figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...
who represented
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in ladies' singles. She is the
2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held in September 2020 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2020–21 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. On Augus ...
silver medalist, the 2018 Halloween Cup champion, the 2017 Slovenia Open champion, and a four-time Swiss national champion (2017–2019, 2021). Paganini represented Switzerland at the
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
, finishing twenty-first and twenty-second, respectively.


Personal life

Alexia Paganini was born on November 15, 2001, in
Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...
, United States. The second of three children, she has two brothers – Kevin and Mario. She holds Swiss and U.S. citizenship. Her father, Celso Paganini, is from
Brusio Brusio (; ) is a municipality in the Bernina Region in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland. History Brusio is first mentioned in 1106 as ''Bruse''. It was first mentioned as Brusio in 1212. Previously it was known as Romansh: ''Brüsch'' and . ...
, Switzerland. Her mother, originally from the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, lived for ten years in
St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...
, Switzerland.


Career


Early career

Paganini began learning to skate in 2003. She skated at Westchester Skating Academy for a few years under her former coach,
Gilberto Viadana Gilberto Viadana (born 9 February 1973) is an Italian former figure skater. He reached the free skate at four European Championships, three World Championships, and two Winter Olympics (1992, 1998). Life and career Gilberto Viadana was born on ...
. She represented the United States at two international events. In April 2016, she won the junior gold medal at the
Gardena Spring Trophy The Egna Spring Trophy (formerly the Gardena Spring Trophy) is an annual international figure skating competition which is generally held every spring in Val Gardena in Italy. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, and pair skat ...
in Italy. In August 2016, she finished sixth at an
ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...
event in France. In January 2017, Paganini placed fifth on the junior level at the U.S. Championships. Later that year, she became interested in competing for Switzerland after a suggestion by her coach, Igor Krokavec. Swiss Ice Skating became aware of her interest in April 2017 and soon contacted her.


2017–2018 season: PyeongChang Olympics

Paganini made her senior international debut and her first appearance for Switzerland at the Slovenia Open in August 2017; she outscored Australia's
Kailani Craine Kailani Craine (born 13 August 1998) is a former Australian figure skater. She is the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy champion, the 2016 CS Warsaw Cup silver medalist, the 2015 Toruń Cup silver medalist, and a six-time Australian national champion ...
by 2.31 points to win the gold medal. In late September, she competed at the
2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held in September 2017 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2017–18 ISU Challenger Series. It also served as the final qualification event for the 2018 Wi ...
, the final qualifying opportunity for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Ranked sixth in the short program and third in the free skate, she obtained the bronze medal (by a margin of 0.13 over Germany's
Nathalie Weinzierl Nathalie Weinzierl (born 8 April 1994) is a former competitive German figure skater. She is a two-time German national champion (2014, 2017) and has won eleven senior international medals, including gold at the Bavarian Open, Dragon Trophy, and ...
) in addition to a spot for Switzerland at the Olympics. In December, the
Swiss Olympic Association The Swiss Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee and the umbrella organisation for organised Swiss sport under private law. It has 104 members (81 national sports federations and 23 partner organisations), to which some two millio ...
confirmed that Paganini would represent Switzerland at the Olympics. In January, Paganini finished seventh at the
2018 European Championships The 2018 European Championships were the first edition of the European Championships (multi-sport event), European Championships. It was a multi-sport event which took place in Berlin, Germany, and Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (with Edinburg ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia. The following month, she competed at the
2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...
in
PyeongChang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...
, South Korea. Ranked nineteenth in the short program, she advanced to the final segment and would finish twenty-first overall. She also qualified to the free skate at the 2018 World Championships, finishing twentieth at the March event in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, Italy.


2018–2019 season: Grand Prix debut

Alexia Paganini began her season with an eighth-place at the CS Autumn Classic. In October, she won the International Halloween Cup after placing second in the short program behind
Ivett Tóth Ivett Tóth (born 20 December 1998) is a retired Hungarian figure skater. She is the 2014 CS Ice Challenge bronze medalist, a two-time Santa Claus Cup champion (2014, 2016), the 2018 Christmas Cup champion, the 2019 Volvo Open Cup champion, ...
but first in the free. Paganini made her
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
debut at the
2018 Rostelecom Cup The 2018 Rostelecom Cup was the fifth event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held on November 16–18, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Medals were awarded in ...
. In the short program, she scored a personal best (63.43) and was in third place. In the free skate, she marked her personal best (119.07), and she placed fifth, to finish fourth overall with a total of 182.50 (her personal best score), behind
Alina Zagitova Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova ( rus, Алина Ильназовна Загитова, , ɐˈlʲinə zɐˈɡʲitəvə; born 18 May 2002) is a Russian former competitive Figure skating, figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Oly ...
,
Sofia Samodurova Sofia Vyacheslavovna Samodurova (pronounced ''Sah-moh-DOO-roh-vah''; ; born 30 July 2002) is a retired Russian figure skater. She is the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships, 2019 European champion, the 2019 CS Ice Star champion, the 2018 ...
, and
Lim Eun-soo Lim Eun-soo (; born February 26, 2003) is a retired South Korean figure skater. She is the 2018 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist, the two-time Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, CS Asian Open champion (2018 CS Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, 2018 ...
. Due to
Carolina Kostner Carolina Kostner (born 8 February 1987) is an Italian figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, 2012 World champion, a five-time European Figu ...
's withdrawal from the
2018 Internationaux de France The 2018 Internationaux de France was the sixth event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Patinoire Polesud in Grenoble on November 23–25. Medals ...
because of injury, Paganini was chosen to replace her at the event, giving her a second Grand Prix assignment. She was eighth after the short program, tenth in the free, and finished tenth overall. In December, she won the Swiss Championships for the second time in a row. In January 2019, she competed at the
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
, held in Minsk, Belarus. Paganini scored a new personal best in the short program, 65.64, and won the bronze small medal behind Zagitova and Samodurova. She said she was "really happy with my performance. I actually was nervous but tried not to show it." Paganini placed seventh in the free skate and finished sixth overall. She concluded the season at the 2019 World Championships, where she made multiple errors in the short program and placed thirty-third, failing to qualify for the free skate.


2019–2020 season

Paganini began the season with a sixth place at the 2019 CS Autumn Classic International. At her first
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
, the
2019 Skate Canada International The 2019 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia from October 25 ...
, she placed ninth. She was seventh at the
2019 Rostelecom Cup The 2019 Rostelecom Cup was the fifth event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow, Russia from November 15–17. Medals wer ...
. In December, she won her third straight Swiss national title and was named to the Swiss team for the
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
. In January, she placed fourth at the championships. She was also named to the Swiss 2020 Worlds team, but the competition was canceled due to the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In June, she announced she was changing coaches to train with
Stéphane Lambiel Stéphane Lambiel (born 2 April 1985) is a Swiss former competitive figure skater who now works as a coach and choreographer. He is a two-time (2005–2006) World champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time (2005, 2007) Grand Prix ...
in
Champéry Champéry (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Monthey (district), Monthey in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Champéry is first mentioned in 1286 as ''Champery''. The Ho ...
. Paganini subsequently attributed the switch to the effects of the pandemic in the United States and her desire for "a change and for everything to be a bit more professional and organized."


2020–2021 season

With pandemic-related travel restrictions in place, Paganini began the season at the
2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held in September 2020 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2020–21 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. On Augus ...
, an event attended only by ladies training in Europe. She was the top-ranked competitor attending and was pegged as the pre-event favorite. Paganini led after the short program but fell twice in the free and cut her right hand on the blade of her skate, placing third in that segment and second overall. Paganini was assigned to compete at the 2020 Internationaux de France, but the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. At the 2021 World Championships in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Paganini placed twenty-fifth in the short program after popping a planned triple loop into an invalid double and narrowly missed advancing to the free skate. On June 11, 2021, Paganini announced on social media that she'd discontinued training under Stéphane Lambiel in
Champéry Champéry (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Monthey (district), Monthey in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Champéry is first mentioned in 1286 as ''Champery''. The Ho ...
and relocated her training base to
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
to train with
Gheorghe Chiper Gheorghe Chiper (born 8 April 1978) is a Romanian former competitive figure skater. He is an eight-time Romanian Figure Skating Championships, Romanian national champion and competed at two Olympic Games. He is the first Romanian skater to win a ...
and his coaching team.


2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics

Paganini began the season at the
2021 CS Lombardia Trophy The 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy Memorial Anna Grandolfi was held on September 10–12, 2021 in Bergamo, Italy. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, and ice danc ...
, where she placed second in the short program but dropped to fourth place after the free skate. She next competed at the
2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 22–25, 2021 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. It was also the final qualifying event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Medals were awarded in the disciplin ...
, seeking to
qualify Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
a berth for Switzerland at the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
after failing to do so at the World Championships. She was second in the short program and fifth in the free skate, placing fourth overall and taking the fourth of six available spots. Paganini was originally scheduled to compete at
2021 Skate Canada International The 2021 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia ...
but later withdrew. She won her fourth Swiss national title in November. Beginning the new year at the
2022 European Championships The 2022 European Championships were the second edition of the European Championships (multi-sport event), European Championships. It was a multi-sport event which took place in Munich, Germany from 11 to 21 August 2022. The event started three d ...
in
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, Paganini was tenth. Assigned to her second Swiss Olympic team, Paganini placed nineteenth in the short program of the women's event, qualifying to the free skate. Both parts of her jump combination were called underrotated. She was twenty-second in the free skate and finished twenty-second overall. After on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, Paganini said she was "incredibly grateful" to have been a two-time Olympian. Paganini concluded the season with a nineteenth place at the 2022 World Championships, expressing satisfaction with the result after having come down with the flu in the week beforehand.


2022–2023 season

Paganini began the season finishing fifth at the
2022 CS Finlandia Trophy The 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy was held on October 4–9, 2022, in Espoo, Finland. It was the fifth event of the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Entries The In ...
. She placed fifth in the short program at the
2022 CS Budapest Trophy The 2022 CS Budapest Trophy was held on October 13–16, 2022, in Budapest, Hungary. It was the sixth event of the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, and ice dance. Entries The Internationa ...
but withdrew before the free skate, citing medical reasons. In her lone
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
appearance, she came ninth at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy.


2023–2024 season

Beginning the season on the 2023-24 ISU Challenger Series, Paganini finished fifth at the
2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 20–23, 2023, in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Entries The Int ...
, fourteenth at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy, and thirteenth at the
2023 CS Warsaw Cup The 2023 CS Warsaw Cup was held on November 15–17, 2023, in Warsaw, Poland. It was part of the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, and ice dance. Entries The International Skating Union pu ...
. She then closed the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Swiss Championships. In October 2024, Paganini announced her retirement from competitive figure skating.


Programs


Competitive highlights

''GP:
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
; CS: Challenger Series; JGP:
Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''


For Switzerland


For the United States


Detailed results


Senior level

''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Personal bests highlighted in'' bold.


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paganini, Alexia 2001 births Living people Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Swiss female single skaters American female single skaters Swiss people of Dutch descent American people of Dutch descent American people of Swiss descent American expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for Switzerland 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century Swiss sportswomen