Lara Naki Gutmann: “I need novelty in my skating – it motivates me. Without that creative component, I wouldn’t be able to do this sport.”
Lara Naki Gutmann on Her Breakthrough and Continued Growth in Figure Skating
original source: oasport.it dd. 20th Octobre 2025 by Fabrizio Testa
Italian figure skater Lara Naki Gutmann reflects on her strong start to the 2025–2026 season, highlighted by a personal best and a victory at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial, as she gears up for Skate Canada and Skate America with high ambitions. Here’s a translation of her comments from the interview posted on OAsport.
Q: Lara, you recently claimed a very important victory at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial with a personal best score and shared the podium with Anna Pezzetta and Sarina Joos…
Lara Naki Gutmann: I’m super satisfied – I performed two excellent programs. From a technical standpoint, they were even better than at the Lombardia Trophy. In Bergamo, it was the first competition of the season, and I just wanted to present my programs, but I had a bit more uncertainty. At Nepela, I felt much more comfortable, and I’m very happy. I think I skated especially well in the short program.
There were many strong competitors in both the women’s and men’s categories it felt almost like an Italian Championship. It was similar to last year but reversed: in 2024, the Italian men swept the podium, and this year, we women did the same.
Q: Your performances have significantly improved in both consistency and points recently. What has triggered this transformation?
Lara Naki Gutmann: It’s really a combination of many things, all the result of years of training on a steady path. When I was in high school, I trained less, obviously. After graduating, I was able to increase my training hours, and skating more often made a real difference.
I also started working individually off the ice, focusing on building my physical strength, which made me feel much better physically. But if I had to pinpoint one major ‘click,’ it’s the mental work I’ve done. I found a routine that works for me, and I’ve learned to believe in myself 100%, both in training and in competition. That’s allowed me to approach competitions more effectively.
Q: Your growth has been inspiring, especially as you’ve consistently been part of the sport during a challenging period for Italian women’s figure skating after Carolina Kostner’s retirement. How did you experience that time?
Lara Naki Gutmann: I’m happy that I’ve been a consistent presence. But honestly, I didn’t feel it as much. I’m part of the generation that grew up watching Carolina. When she retired, there was a big gap, but I was too young to fully understand its significance. I’ve always focused on my own path, working hard on myself. That said, it was a major shift – Carolina is Carolina. She was the pinnacle of the sport.
Q: In November 2024, you earned your first Grand Prix medal at the Finlandia Trophy. Was that moment a turning point?
Lara Naki Gutmann: I’m not sure if it was the turning point – I wasn’t thinking about winning a medal. I just wanted to do my best and skate well without focusing on the results. In that moment, I realized it was possible when I saw the score with my own eyes.
Winning my first Grand Prix medal after Carolina’s era meant so much to me. It was incredible. The emotions were overwhelming. Carolina was there, and she was so kind to me. I think she really helped me. She opened my eyes, making me realize that I can make my mark even on the world stage.”
Q: In addition to winning the first women’s Grand Prix, you’re also the first to have surpassed the important 200-point threshold, a feat achieved in the past only by Carolina Kostner…
Lara Naki Gutmann: My team and I have worked so hard. I never really thought about reaching 200 points until after the Grand Prix last year, when I realized it could be a goal. I achieved it at the World Team Trophy and again at the Nepela Memorial.
Starting the season strong with two new programs wasn’t guaranteed, especially after having a well-received short program like Squid Game last year. Returning to the Lombardia Trophy and almost hitting my best score from the past season was a great feeling.
Q: You’ve developed a distinct personality in your skating, often bringing complex stories to life and making them accessible. How have you refined this?
Lara Naki Gutmann: I’ve worked a lot with Prisca Picano, a Milan-based étoile ballerina, focusing on body movements and expression while building the narrative behind my programs. For example, my Hitchcock-inspired program from last season had a similar storytelling approach to The Shark. We always aim to communicate something meaningful.
I need novelty in my skating – it motivates me. Without that creative component, I wouldn’t be able to do this sport. I’ll never truly let go of Squid Game; I’m thinking of keeping it for exhibitions.
Q: You mentioned Stephane Lambiel earlier. What kind of work do you do with him?
Lara Naki Gutmann: I still go to Champery in the summer to train with Stephane Lambiel, and I try to visit during the season when I can. But between Skate Canada and Skate America, it’ll be difficult this time since he’ll also be traveling for three weeks. I’ve been working with Stephane for about ten years, and he’s an incredible artist. The rest of his team is very talented too. It was at a Champery camp that I first met Ghislain Briand, the Canadian coach I’ve now worked with twice.
Ghislain focuses heavily on jump biomechanics. He shows me many videos and analyzes jumps in detail, helping me organize my practice with targeted repetitions. I never train as efficiently as I do when I’m working with him. He’s very well-known, having previously worked with Yuzuru Hanyu at Brian Orser’s school. I think he’s helped me tremendously improve the quality of my jumps. I’m planning to work with him again between Skate America and Skate Canada.
Q: Now you’ll be busy in North America with the Skate Canada-Skate America double. Have you set any specific goals?
Lara Naki Gutmann: We structured the season with these two back-to-back events because the Grand Prix takes up so much time. My main goal is to continue the progress I’ve made so far. I skated better in Slovakia than in Lombardia, and now I want to refine my programs even further and focus on the details. From a technical perspective, I want to keep improving because both points and ranking matter.
Q: Talking about Milan-Cortina seems almost superfluous, because it’s clearly every athlete’s dream…
Lara Naki Gutmann: I competed in Beijing, but only in the team short program. Competing at an Olympics at home would be completely different. I started skating after watching the Turin Olympics, and the chance to compete in a home Games and inspire future generations the way Carolina [Kostner] inspired me would be immensely emotional. Considering the potential of our team event, I’m excited about what we could achieve—but there’s work to do. Let’s see what happens.
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