Daniel Grassl: “On the ice, I feel free”

Daniel Grassl is back. The 22-year-old was banned from competing for a season as he had missed three anti-doping tests. The Italian proved that he is back with a strong Free Skating at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge. In his first interview since the ban, the 2022 European silver medalist speaks about the difficult times he went through and why this involuntary break turned out to be beneficial for him.

How did it feel to compete again?

Daniel: It was tough to come back to the ice after a break of one and a half years. You could see that in the Short Program. I was very nervous and I didn’t know anymore how to compete. But I’m happy that I am more confident now. My training was going really well. I’ve been training again (on the ice) only since July. Therefore, I am pleased with how I skated my Free. I think that I am skating better now.