Lukas Britschgi (born 17 February 1998) is a Swiss
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 ...
. He is the
2025 European champion,
2023 European bronze medalist,
2023 NHK Trophy
The 2023 NHK Trophy was the sixth event of the 2023–24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan, from November 24–26. ...
bronze medalist, a four-time
ISU Challenger Series
The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 figure skating season, 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU ...
medalist (including gold at the
2023 Warsaw Cup), and a five-time
Swiss national champion (2019–20, 2022, 2024–25). He represented 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 ...
. He is the
2025 European Figure Skating Champion in men's singles and is the first Swiss man to win the title since 1947.
Personal life
Britschgi was born on February 17, 1998, in
Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Coming from a family of athletes, Britschgi's mother is a former competitive ice dancer and his brother is a soccer player.
[
Britschgi is ]bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
, able to communicate in German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
fluently.[
His figure skating idol is ]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 addition to figure skating, Britschgi also enjoys playing tennis.][
]
Career
Early career
Britschgi began figure skating in 2005 at six or seven years old, having been introduced to the sport by his mother, who as a figure skating coach, would bring Britschgi and his brother to the rink while their father was at work.[
Initially skating only for fun, he did not decide to become a competitive figure skater until around the age of fourteen.][
He debuted at the 2014–15 Swiss Junior Championships, where he won the silver medal.][
]
2015–16 season
Britschgi debuted on the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix series, placing fifteenth at 2015 JGP Latvia. He then went on to finish fifth at the 2015 Leo Scheu Memorial, fourth at the 2015 Merano Cup, and seventh at the 2015 NRW Trophy.[
At the 2015–16 Swiss Junior Championships, Britschgi won the gold medal. He closed his season with a fifth place finish at the 2016 Bavarian Open.][
]
2016–17 season
Britschgi started the season on the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix series, placing tenth at the 2016 JGP Czech Republic and thirteenth at the 2016 JGP Germany. He went on to place fourth at the 2016 Cup of Nice and thirteenth at the 2016 Tallinn Trophy.[
Competing at his first senior Swiss Championships, Britschgi won the silver medal. He ended his season at the 2017 Bavarian Open, where he placed tenth.][
]
2017–18 season
Prior to the season, Britschgi decided to relocate to Oberstdorf, Germany, with Michael Huth becoming his coach.[
Britschgi opened the season with a fifteenth-place finish at the 2017 Ondrej Nepela Trophy, a tenth-place finish at the 2017 Cup of Nice, a bronze medal at the 2017 Golden Bear of Zagreb, and a twelfth-place finish at the 2017 Warsaw Cup.][
He then went on to win the bronze medal at the 2017–18 Swiss Championships and closed his season with a silver medal at the 2018 Bavarian Open.][
]
2018–19 season
Britschgi opened his season at the 2018 Finlandia Trophy, finishing in eighth place. He then went on to place eighth at the 2018 Ice Star, ninth at the 2018 CS Alpen Trophy, and eighth at the 2018 Warsaw Cup.[
At the 2018–19 Swiss Championships, Britschgi won his first national title and was subsequently selected to represent Switzerland at the 2019 European Championships in ]Minsk, Belarus
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of Minsk region ...
, and the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Japan
is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...
.[ At the European Championships, Britschgi placed thirty-first in the short program, failing to qualify for the free skate segment of the competition and finishing thirty-first overall. He then went on to win the bronze medal at the 2019 International Challenge Cup.][
Britschgi concluded his season at the World Championships, where he placed thirty-fourth in the short program, not qualifying for the free skate segment of the competition and finished thirty-fourth overall.][
]
2019–20 season
Britschgi started his season by winning the bronze medal at the 2018 Golden Bear of Zagreb as well as finishing sixth at both the 2019 Volvo Open Cup and the 2019 Warsaw Cup. Britschgi then went on to win his second consecutive title at the 2019–20 Swiss Championships.[
At the 2020 European Championships in ]Graz, Austria
Graz () is the capital of the Austrian federal state of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 including secondary residence). In 2023, the population of the Gra ...
, Britschgi finished in nineteenth place after placing twenty-second in the short program and nineteenth in the free skate. He then went on to place fourth at the 2020 International Challenge Cup.[
Although selected to compete at the 2020 World Championships, the event was ultimately cancelled due to the ]COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic.[
]
2020–21 season
Britschgi began the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2020 Nebelhorn Trophy.[
Despite the 2020–21 Swiss Championships being cancelled due to the ]COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic, Britschgi was ultimately selected to compete at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden
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 ...
. He went on to place fifteenth at the event after placing seventeenth in the short program and sixteenth in the free skate. With this placement, Britschgi was able to secure one spot for Swiss men's singles skating 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 ...
.[
]
2021–22 season
Britschgi started the season by competing at the 2021 Finlandia Trophy, the 2021 Asian Open Trophy, and the 2021 Warsaw Cup, where he placed eighth, fifth, and seventh, respectively. He then went on to win the gold medal at the 2021 NRW Trophy.[
At the 2021–22 Swiss Championships, Britschgi won his third national title and was subsequently named to the European, Olympic, and World team. He went on to place eleventh 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, Estonia
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 ...
, after placing thirteenth in the short program and eleventh in the free skate.[
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 ...
in Beijing, China
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, Britschgi managed to qualify for the free skate segment of the competition after placing twenty-fourth in the short program. In the free program, Britschgi placed twenty-third and moved up to twenty-third place overall.[
Shortly prior the 2022 World Championships, Britschgi tested positive for ]COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and was forced to withdraw from the event.[
]
2022–23 season
Britschgi began his season by finishing fifth at the 2022 Finlandia Trophy, before going on to compete at the 2022 Budapest Trophy where he won the silver medal. He then went on to make his 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 ...
series debut at 2022 Skate Canada International
The 2022 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, from ...
, where he finished sixth.[ Shortly before the ]2022 Grand Prix de France
The 2022 Grand Prix de France was the third event of the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Angers IceParc in Angers from November 4–6. Medals were award ...
, Mikhail Shaidorov
Mikhail Stanislavovich Shaidorov (; born June 25, 2004) is a Kazakhs, Kazakh figure skater. He is the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, 2025 World silver medalist, 2025 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2025 Four Continents ch ...
of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
withdrew and Britschgi was called up to replace him.[
At the 2022 Warsaw Cup, Britschgi won the bronze medal after skating a clean short and free program, scoring personal bests in the process.][ Following the event, however, he fell off his bicycle and broke his ]collar bone
The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...
and had to five weeks off the ice to recover. As a result, Britschgi had to miss the 2022–23 Swiss Championships.[
Competing at the 2023 European Championships in ]Espoo, Finland
Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...
, Britschgi placed fifth in the short program after fall on his quad toe loop attempt.[ However, he managed to perform a near perfect free skate, placing third in that segment of the competition and winning the bronze medal. His bronze medal was the highest finish for a Swiss skater of any discipline 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 ...
in over a decade. Following the event, Britschgi said he was "relieved" to have performed so well with only four weeks of post-accident training. This placement granted two spots for Swiss men's singles skaters at the 2024 European Championships.[
At the 2023 World Championships in ]Saitama, Japan
is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...
, Britschgi placed ninth in both the short and free program segments of the competition and finished in eighth place overall, scoring a new personal best free skate and combined total score in the process. 's top ten finish guaranteed two spots for Swiss men's singles skaters at the 2024 World Championships.[
]
2023–24 season
Britschgi began the season with two appearances on the Challenger circuit, finishing fourth at the 2023 Finlandia Trophy before winning the silver medal the next week at the 2023 Budapest Trophy.[ At the ]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 ...
, he placed fourth at the 2023 Grand Prix de France
The 2023 Grand Prix de France was the third event of the 2023–24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Angers IceParc in Angers from November 3–5. Medals were awarde ...
, including a third-place finish in the free skate with a new personal best score. His total score of 263.43 would have been sufficient to win the gold medal at the 2023 Skate Canada International
The 2023 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2023–24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Thunderbird Sports Centre, Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Spor ...
the prior week. In between Grand Prix appearances, Britschgi competed at the 2023 Warsaw Cup, winning the gold medal, his first Challenger title. At the 2023 NHK Trophy
The 2023 NHK Trophy was the sixth event of the 2023–24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan, from November 24–26. ...
, he placed third in both segments to win the bronze medal, a result he described as "amazing."[ This was the first Grand Prix medal for a Swiss skater since Sarah Meier and ]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 ...
's silver medals on the 2007–08 circuit.[
After winning another Swiss national title, Britschgi was assigned to the 2024 European Championships in ]Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
. He finished second in the short program, but errors in the free skate dropped him to fifth overall.[ At the 2024 World Championships in ]Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Britschgi came sixth, despite dealing with a left knee injury. Of finishing in the top six, he said "I never thought that would be possible."[
]
2024–25 season
Britschgi's short program incorporated sign language as part of his performance during a section of the song that quoted Charlie Chaplin's ending speech from his film The Great Dictator
''The Great Dictator'' is a 1940 American political satire black comedy film written, directed, produced by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. Having been the only Hollywood filmmaker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound f ...
. Brischgi said his program was not meant as a specific political statement but as a call for more peace in the world.
He started his season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series
The 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series was held from September to December 2024. It was the tenth season of the ISU Challenger Series, a group of senior-level international figure skating competitions.
Competitions
The International Skating Union ...
, winning silver at the 2024 CS Budapest Trophy
The 2024 CS Budapest Trophy was held on October 11–13, 2024, in Budapest, Hungary. It was part of the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in single skating, men's singles, women's singles, and ice dance.
Entries
The Internati ...
and the 2024 CS Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur
The 2024 CS Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur was held October 16–20, 2024 at the Palais des sports Jean-Bouin in Nice, France. It was part of the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, a ...
.
Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Brischgi finished ninth at the 2024 Grand Prix de France
The 2024 Grand Prix de France was the third event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Angers IceParc in Angers from November 1–3. Medals were award ...
. Following the event, he shared that his preparation for the competition was hindered by a knee injury he had sustained prior.[ Two weeks later, Britsghi would deliver stronger performances at the ]2024 Finlandia Trophy
The 2024 Grand Prix of Finland, Finlandia Trophy was the fifth event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland, from N ...
, where he would place fifth.[
In early December, Britschgi would win his fifth national title at the 2025 Swiss Championships.][ Ahead of the 2025 European Championships in January, held 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 ...
, he struggled with issues with his patellar tendon
The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection whe ...
. At the championships, he was in eighth place after the short program, but he rose to first place to win the championships after the free skate, where he landed two quads and two triple axels. He is the first Swiss man to win the European Championships since Hans Gerschwiler
Hans Gerschwiler (21 June 1920 – 27 September 2017) was a Swiss figure skater. He was the 1948 Olympic silver medalist
Career
Gerschwiler made his international debut at the 1939 European Championships, where he placed 5th. Between 1939 an ...
won in 1947. In the winner's interview afterward, Britschgi expressed surprise at his victory.
Ahead of the 2025 World Championships, held in March in Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, he cut himself during training at Art on Ice
Art on Ice is a Switzerland, Swiss figure skating gala. It combines performances of the world's best figure skaters with those of international music stars. The gala is held annually at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, followed by events in other cit ...
. The cut became infected and had to be operated on, which interrupted his preparations for the championships. He finished in twelfth place overall and won Switzerland a quota in the men's event at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 at sites across Lombardy and North ...
.
Programs
Competitive highlights
Detailed results
Senior level
Junior level
References
External links
*
Lukas Britschgi
at Skating Scores
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britschgi, Lukas
1998 births
Swiss male single skaters
Living people
Sportspeople from Schaffhausen
Figure skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters for Switzerland
21st-century Swiss sportsmen
European Figure Skating Championships medalists