# Luc Maierhofer

Luc Maierhofer (born 24 May 2002) is an Austrian figure skater who currently competes in the pairs discipline with Gabriella Izzo. Together, they are the 2025 Austrian national silver medalists and the 2024 Ice Challenge champions.
With previous partner, Giorgia Ghedini, he is the 2023 Austrian junior national champions.
As a singles skater, he is the 2019 Golden Bear of Zagreb silver medalist and the 2022 Austrian national champion. On the junior level, he is the 2016 Dragon Trophy champion, the 2016 Skate Helena silver medalist, and a two-time Austrian junior national champion (2016, 2019).

## Personal life

Maierhofer was born 24 May 2002 in Vienna, Austria. His brother, Johannes Maierhofer, and half-sister Belinda Schönberger have also competed in figure skating. He is currently a student at the University of Innsbruck.

## Career
### Single skating career
#### Early career

Maierhofer began learning to skate in 2008. Early in his career, he was coached by Sergei Gromov. He competed in the advanced novice ranks from autumn 2012 through March 2015.

#### 2015–16 season

Coached by Julia Lavrenchuk in Vienna, Maierhofer made his junior international debut on the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing sixteenth at 2015 JGP Slovakia and eleventh at 2015 JGP Austria.
In December, Maierhofer won his first junior national title at the 2016 Austrian Championships. He went on to win silver at 2016 Skate Helena, gold at the 2016 Dragon Trophy, and finish fifth at the 2016 Hellmut Seibt Memorial.
Selected to compete at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Maierhofer placed thirtieth in the short program but did not advance to the final segment. Following that season, Maierhofer relocated to Egna, Italy, to be coached by Lorenzo Magri.

#### 2016–17 season

Maierhofer started the season by competing on the 2016–17 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing nineteenth at 2016 JGP Slovenia and twenty-first at 2016 JGP Germany. He then ended the season by finishing fourth on the junior level of the 2016 Golden Bear of Zagreb.

#### 2017–18 season

Maierhofer began the season by competing on the 2017–18 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing fourteenth at 2017 JGP Austria and seventeenth at 2017 JGP Italy. Between the two events, Maierhofer made his senior international debut at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where he would finish twenty-sixth. Continuing to compete on the senior level, Maierhofer finished fifth at the 2017 Golden Bear of Zagreb, sixth at the 2018 Mentor Toruń Cup, and eleventh at the 2018 International Challenge Cup.
Going on to compete at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Maierhofer would finish forty-first in the short program and failed to advance to the free skate segment. He would then finish the season by placing seventh on the senior level of the 2018 Egna Spring Trophy.

#### 2018–19 season

Beginning the season by competing on the 2018–19 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Maierhofer finished tenth at 2018 JGP Slovakia and ninth at 2018 JGP Austria. He subsequently went on to compete on the senior level, finishing fifth at the 2018 Golden Bear of Zagreb and the 2018 CS Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy, seventh at the 2018 Warsaw Cup, and sixteenth at the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
At the 2019 Austrian Championships in December, he won the junior men's title and finished second to Maurizio Zandron in the senior category. He was assigned to the 2019 European Championships because the Italian-born Zandron was not yet eligible to represent Austria in ISU events. Maierhofer qualified to the final segment at the European Championships, which took place in January in Minsk, Belarus. He placed twenty-first in the short program, nineteenth in the free skate, and twentieth overall.
In March, Maierhofer advanced to the free skate at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. He finished 18th after placing 14th in the short and 21st in the free. Later that month, he competed at the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. Ranked twenty-sixth in the short program, he did not advance to the free skate segment.

#### 2019–20 season

Maierhofer began his final season as a junior-level singles skater by competing on the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing thirteenth at 2019 JGP Croatia and eighth at 2019 JGP Italy.
Going on to compete on the senior international level, Maierhofer finished sixth at the 2019 CS Ice Star. He subsequently won silver at the 2019 Golden Bear of Zagreb, gold at the 2019 Open d'Andorra. In February, he placed ninth at the 2020 Bavarian Open and eleventh at the 2020 Tallink Hotels Cup.
Selected to compete at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Maierhofer finished twenty-fifth in the short program and failed to advance to the free skate.

#### 2020–21 season

During the season Maierhofer competed at two competitions: the 2021 Austrian Championships and the 2021 International Challenge Cup. He would finish second and eleventh, respectively, at these events.

#### 2021–22 season

Maierhofer began the season by competing on the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, finishing sixteenth at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy. He withdrew from the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, but would go on to place eighteenth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy and eleventh at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria. He would then win silver at the 2021 Open d'Andorra.
In December, Maierhofer won the senior men's national title at the 2022 Austrian Championships. He would then win silver at the 2022 Bavarian Open and the 2022 Merano Cup before closing the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2022 International Challenge Cup.

#### 2022–23 season

Maierhofer started the season by finishing fourth at the 2022 Volvo Open Cup. Going on to compete at the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, he placed twelfth at the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and tenth at the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.
In December, he won the silver medal at the 2023 Austrian Championships. Selected to compete at the 2023 Winter World University Games, Maierhofer finished twentieth at the event.
After winning gold at the 2023 Dragon Trophy, Maierhofer finished the season by finishing thirteenth at the 2023 International Challenge Cup.

#### 2023–24 season

Maierhofer competed at two competitions during this season: the 2024 Austrian Championships and the 2024 Bavarian Open. He finished second and fourth, respectively, at these two events.

### Pair skating career
#### 2022–23 season: Start and end of Ghedini/Maierhofer

In late 2022, it was announced that while continuing to compete as a singles skater, Maierhofer would also compete in pair skating, having teamed up with Giorgia Ghedini. The pair trained at in Egna, Italy and were coached by Daniel Aggiano at the Young Goose Academy.
Together, the team won gold at the 2023 Austrian Junior Championships and silver on the junior level of the 2023 International Challenge Cup.

#### 2024–25 season: Start of Izzo/Maierhofer

In July 2024, Maierhofer announced that he had teamed up with former American singles skater Gabriella Izzo and that they would be competing for Austria. It was subsequently announced that the pair would be coached by Severin Kiefer in Salzburg while also making trips to Norwood, Massachusetts, to work with Izzo's coaches, Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva.
The pair made their international debut in November, winning the gold medal at the 2024 Ice Challenge. There, the pair also received the required minimum technical element scores to compete at the European and World Championships. They went on to compete on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, finishing tenth at the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup and ninth at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
In mid-December, Izzo/Maierhofer won the silver medal at the 2025 Austrian Championships behind Schaller/Mayr. They were subsequently named to the 2025 European Figure Skating Championships team, but later had to withdraw due to illness.

## Programs
### Pair skating with Izzo

| Season | Short program | Free skating |
| 2024–25 | Maybe I Maybe You by Scorpions choreo. by Renée Roca | Phantasia by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Julian Lloyd Webber, & Sarah Chang The Music of the Night (from The Phantom of the Opera) by Andrew Lloyd Webber performed by Michael Crawford choreo. by Drew Meekins |

### Singles skating

| Season | Short program | Free skating |
| 2022–23 | She Was Waiting For Her Mother at the Station in Torino and You Know I Love You Baby But It's Getting Too Heavy to Laugh by Shawn Phillips choreo. by Benoît Richaud | Atonement by Dario Marianelli choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2021–22 | She Was Waiting For Her Mother at the Station in Torino and You Know I Love You Baby But It's Getting Too Heavy to Laugh by Shawn Phillips choreo. by Benoît Richaud | Atonement by Dario Marianelli choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2019–20 | Notte Stellata by Il Volo choreo. by Benoît Richaud | Across the Sky Instrumental by Rag'n'Bone Man Iron Sky by Paolo Nutini choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2018–19 | Paxi Ni Ngongo by Bonga choreo. by Benoît Richaud | What a Wonderful World performed by OneRepublic Jump, Jive an' Wail by Louis Prima choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2017–18 | The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart choreo. by Benoît Richaud | Oblivion Libertango by Astor Piazzolla choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2016–17 | The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart choreo. by Benoît Richaud | The Godfather by Nino Rota choreo. by Benoît Richaud |
| 2015–16 | Larrons en foire by Raphaël Beau Diabolique by Raphaël Beau John Grey by Matvey Blanter choreo. by Alexei Vasilievski | Limelight Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin choreo. by Alexei Vasilievski |

## Competitive highlights

* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* WD – Withdrew from competition

### Pair skating with Gabriella Izzo

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2024–25 |
| World Championships | TBD |
| European Championships | WD |
| Austrian Championships | 2nd |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 9th |
| CS Warsaw Cup | 10th |
| Ice Challenge | 1st |

### Pair skating with Giorgia Ghedini

Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2022–23 |
| Austrian Championships | 1st |
| Challenge Cup | 2nd |

### Single skating

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
| World Championships | | 26th | | | | | |
| European Championships | | 20th | | | | | |
| Austrian Championships | WD | 2nd | | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd |
| CS Alpen Trophy | | 5th | | | | | |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | | | | 18th | | |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | | 16th | WD | | | | |
| CS Ice Challenge | | | | | 11th | 12th | |
| CS Ice Star | | | 6th | | | | |
| CS Lombardia Trophy | | | | | 16th | | |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 26th | | | | | | |
| CS Warsaw Cup | | 7th | | | | 10th | |
| Bavarian Open | | | 9th | | 2nd | | 4th |
| Challenge Cup | 11th | | | 11th | 8th | 13th | |
| Dragon Trophy | | | | | | 1st | |
| Egna Spring Trophy | 7th | | | | | | |
| Golden Bear of Zagreb | 5th | 5th | 2nd | | | | |
| Mentor Cup | 6th | | | | | | |
| Merano Cup | | | | | 2nd | | |
| Open d'Andorra | | | 1st | | 2nd | | |
| Tallink Hotels Cup | | | 11th | | | | |
| Volvo Open Cup | | | | | | 4th | |
| World University Games | | | | | | 20th | |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 |
| World Junior Championships | 30th | | 41st | 18th | 25th |
| Austrian Championships | 1st | | | 1st | |
| JGP Austria | 11th | | 14th | 9th | |
| JGP Croatia | | | | | 13th |
| JGP Germany | | 21st | | | |
| JGP Italy | | | 17th | | 8th |
| JGP Slovakia | 16th | | | 10th | |
| JGP Slovenia | | 19th | | | |
| Dragon Trophy | 1st | | | | |
| Golden Bear of Zagreb | | 4th | | | |
| Hellmut Seibt Memorial | 5th | | | | |
| Skate Helena | 2nd | | | | |

## Detailed results
### Pair skating with Gabriella Izzo

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 150.60 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Short program | TSS | 51.68 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Short program | TES | 27.67 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Short program | PCS | 24.01 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Free skating | TSS | 98.92 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Free skating | TES | 54.68 | 2024 CS Warsaw Cup |
| Free skating | PCS | 46.59 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
Results in the 2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 5–10, 2024 | 2024 Ice Challenge | 3 | 51.69 | 1 | 112.13 | 1 | 163.82 |
| Nov 20–24, 2024 | 2024 CS Warsaw Cup | 15 | 38.87 | 8 | 95.13 | 10 | 134.00 |
| Dec 4–7, 2024 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 9 | 51.68 | 9 | 98.92 | 9 | 150.60 |
| Dec 11–15, 2024 | 2025 Austrian Championships | 2 | 47.46 | 1 | 111.57 | 2 | 159.03 |