Reigning world champions Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu kicked off their Olympic season by competing at the ISU Challenger Series Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy. 

Malinin, 20, won the men’s competition with a total score of 306.65, continuing an undefeated streak that has seen the three-time U.S. champion crowned with two world, and three Grand Prix Final titles. 

With a 13-point lead after the short program, Malinin’s free skate, titled, “A Voice,” had a few uncharacteristic wobbles, and he chose not to showcase his career-defining quadruple Axel. 

In second place, Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama laid out two strong performances, starting his season with 285.91. Kagiyama suffered what appeared to be a leg cramp mid-way through his short program, causing the Beijing Olympic silver medalist to pause for several seconds following a combination spin. He was able to rally, landing a perfectly executed triple Axel just moments later. 

Kagiyama's free skate to “Turandot,” gave him the highest program component scores of the competition: 90.74 to Malinin’s 88.55.

Italian 2024 national champion and 2025 European silver medalist, Nikolaj Memola, took bronze on home ice, ahead of Japan’s Shun Sato, who finished in 4th place, up from 8th after the short program. 

Two-time European champion and 2024 world bronze medalist, Adam Siao Him Fa, put out two ambitious programs, but with several costly mistakes, the French national champion finished in fifth place at the early season event.

U.S. Olympic hopeful Maxim Naumov completed two very solid performances, finishing in ninth of 16 total competitors.

In the women’s event, Liu debuted a strong new short program skated to, 'This is How it Feels,' by Laufey and d4vd, finishing that segment in first place with 69.62, only slightly ahead of U.S. bronze medalist Sarah Everhardt, who earned 69.16. However, Liu’s free skate, performed to a medley by Lady Gaga, failed to deliver a similar result, landing the 2025 world champion in fourth place overall.

Rion Sumiyoshi rallied from third to win the event with 209.59 – a promising start for the skater who will have a tough fight for a spot at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics given Japan’s strong field of skaters. 

In second place, Sumiyoshi’s teammate, Ami Nakai, nearly put out a clean free skate – posting the highest Total Element Score of the competition – after finishing the short program in fifth place.

Rounding out the podium finishers with a solid total score of 199.91, Everhardt proved the competition for the U.S. women’s three Olympic spots is far from decided.

U.S. ice dancers Eva Pate/Logan Bye and Katarina Wolfkostin/Dimitry Tsarevski both finished on the podium in first and third, respectively, with Czechia’s Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek coming in second. 

The pairs event proved particularly strong, despite not being part of the Challenger Series at this event. Locals Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii – two-time world bronze medalists and 2023 European champions – took first place, teammates Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini, 2024 national Italian champions, came in second, and Czechia’s Anna Valesi and Martin Bidar finished in third.