# Raffaele Francesco Zich

Raffaele Francesco Zich (born 23 June 2006) is an Italian figure skater. He is the 2022 JGP Poland I bronze medalist and 2022 European Youth Olympic silver medalist.

## Personal life

Zich was born 23 June 2006 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and resides in Turin, Italy. His grandfather, Rodolfo Zich [it], is the former rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin.

## Career
### Early years

Zich began learning to skate in 2009. He became interested in the sport after accompanying his sister, Eleonora, to the ice rink. During his early years, he was coached by Claudia Masoero before eventually going on to train under Renata Lazzaroni and Edoardo De Bernadis at Ice Club Torino. He competed for two seasons in the advanced novice category, winning the Italian novice men's title in March 2018.
His junior international debut came in October 2019 at the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Egna, Italy, where he twenty-first.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of many international events in the 2020–21 season. In April 2021, Zich won the Italian junior national title.

### 2021–22 season

Zich competed in both the junior and senior ranks, making his senior international debut in October at the 2022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur. He finished fourth in the senior category in December at the 2022 Italian Championships.
He was assigned to the 2022 World Junior Championships, which took place in April in Tallinn, Estonia. He was ranked fifteenth in the short and thirteenth in the free skate and finished fifteenth overall.

### 2022–23 season

In October, Zich competed at consecutive 2022–23 ISU Junior Grand Prix events in Gdańsk, Poland. He won bronze at his first assignment and placed thirteenth the following week. Going on to compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, Zich placed eleventh at the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and fifteenth at the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.
In December, Zich placed sixth at the 2023 Italian Championships. He subsequently won the silver medal at the 2023 Sofia Trophy. Selected to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Zich finished the event in twenty-second place.

### 2023–24 season

Zich started the season by winning gold on the junior level at the 2023 Latvia Trophy. He then went on to place fourth at the 2024 Italian Championships.
Selected to compete at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Zich finished the event in sixth place. Two weeks following that event, Zich won the silver medal on the junior level at the 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup. He then finished the season by placing twenty-ninth at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.

### 2024–25 season

Zich began the season by 2024 JGP Slovenia, where he finished in tenth place. Going on to compete at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy, Zich placed thirteenth at that event. The following month, he finished sixth at the 2025 Italian Championships. Selected to compete at the
In late January, it was announced that Zich had left longtime coaches Renata Lazzaroni and Edoardo De Bernadis to train under Stéphane Lambiel and Angelo Dolfini in Champéry, Switzerland. That same month, he competed at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, where he placed thirteenth. He subsequently won the bronze medal at the 2025 Bavarian Open.
Selected to compete at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Zich placed twenty-first.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–25 | Anybody Seen My Baby? Living in a Ghost Town by The Rolling Stones choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis | Clouds, The Mind of the (Re)Wind by Ezio Bosso choreo. by Stéphane Lambiel The Silence of the Lambs (Main Title) (from The Silence of the Lambs) by Howard Shore & Munich Symphony Orchestra Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Ritual ft. Peter Dreimanis Dear Clarice (from Hannibal) by Anthony Hopkins & Hans Zimmer Apéritif (from Hannibal) by Brian Reitzell choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis | |
| 2023–24 | Autumn Moon by Eternal Eclipse | The Silence of the Lambs (Main Title) (from The Silence of the Lambs) by Howard Shore & Munich Symphony Orchestra Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Ritual ft. Peter Dreimanis Dear Clarice (from Hannibal) by Anthony Hopkins & Hans Zimmer Apéritif (from Hannibal) by Brian Reitzell choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis | |
| 2022–23 | Autumn Moon by Eternal Eclipse | Deceit and Betrayal by Audiomachine Summer 2 by Max Richter, Daniel Hope choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis Swing Shift by Ahn Trio | New Girl by FINNEAS Good News by Apashe choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis |
| 2021–22 | Piano Concerto Trailerized by Michael Afanasyev choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis | So Close by Ólafur Arnalds I Found by Amber Run Land Of All by Woodkid choreo. by Edoardo De Bernardis | |
| 2019–20 | I Feel Like I'm Drowning by Two Feet choreo. by Alessandro Piccoli, Luca Mantovani | Grand Guignol by Bajofondo Assassin's Tango (from Mr. & Mrs. Smith) by John Powell choreo. by Alessandro Piccoli, Luca Mantovani | |

## Competitive highlights

* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| Italian Championships | 4th | 6th | 4th | 6th |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 21st | | | |
| CS Ice Challenge | 19th | 11th | | |
| CS Tallinn Trophy | | | | 13th |
| CS Warsaw Cup | 18th | 15th | | |
| Sofia Trophy | | 2nd | | |
| Trophée Métropole Nice | 13th | | | |
| Winter University Games | | | | 13th |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| Winter Youth Olympics | | | | | 6th | |
| World Junior Championships | | | 15th | 22nd | 29th | 21st |
| Italian Championships | 6th | 1st | | | | |
| JGP Italy | 21st | | | | | |
| JGP Poland I | | | | 3rd | | |
| JGP Poland II | | | | 13th | | |
| JGP Slovenia | | | 14th | | | 10th |
| Challenge Cup | 7th | | | | | |
| Egna Trophy | | 3rd | | | | |
| European Youth Olympic Festival | | | 2nd | | | |
| Golden Bear of Zagreb | 6th | | | | | |
| Latvia Trophy | | | | | 1st | |
| NRW Trophy | | | 2nd | | | |
| Skate Celje | 2nd | | | | | |
| Sofia Trophy | 6th | | | | | |
| Tallink Hotels Cup | | | | | 2nd | |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 200.73 | 2022 JGP Poland I |
| Short program | TSS | 70.02 | 2022 JGP Poland I |
| Short program | TES | 36.11 | 2022 JGP Poland I |
| Short program | PCS | 34.91 | 2022 JGP Poland I |
| Free skating | TSS | 131.53 | 2022 CS Ice Challenge |
| Free skating | TES | 63.66 | 2022 CS Warsaw Cup |
| Free skating | PCS | 72.10 | 2022 JGP Poland I |

### Senior level

Results in the 2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 20–24, 2021 | 2021 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur | 11 | 58.25 | 15 | 100.17 | 13 | 158.42 |
| Nov 11–14, 2021 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria | 17 | 64.69 | 19 | 118.35 | 19 | 183.04 |
| Nov 17–20, 2021 | 2021 CS Warsaw Cup | 23 | 61.96 | 16 | 127.57 | 18 | 189.53 |
| Dec 4–5, 2021 | 2022 Italian Championships | 4 | 63.72 | 4 | 134.23 | 4 | 197.95 |
| Dec 7–11, 2021 | 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 19 | 64.21 | 22 | 120.97 | 21 | 185.18 |
Results in the 2022–23 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 9–13, 2022 | 2022 CS Ice Challenge | 10 | 61.90 | 10 | 131.53 | 11 | 193.43 |
| Nov 17–20, 2022 | 2022 CS Warsaw Cup | 18 | 62.20 | 13 | 128.43 | 15 | 190.63 |
| Dec 15–18, 2022 | 2023 Italian Championships | 6 | 62.92 | 6 | 104.68 | 6 | 167.60 |
| Feb 3–7, 2023 | 2023 Sofia Trophy | 1 | 71.36 | 2 | 125.60 | 2 | 196.96 |
Results in the 2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 22–23, 2023 | 2024 Italian Championships | 4 | 67.39 | 4 | 128.21 | 4 | 195.60 |
Results in the 2024-25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 11-17, 2024 | 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy | 12 | 64.73 | 13 | 124.69 | 13 | 189.42 |
| Dec 19–21, 2024 | 2025 Italian Championships | 6 | 73.62 | 6 | 120.32 | 6 | 193.94 |
| Jan 16–18, 2025 | 2025 Winter World University Games | 9 | 69.66 | 12 | 129.50 | 13 | 199.16 |

### Junior level

Results in the 2019–20 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 2–5, 2019 | 2019 JGP Italy | 21 | 45.56 | 21 | 82.99 | 21 | 128.55 |
| Oct 24–27, 2019 | 2019 Golden Bear of Zagreb | 4 | 46.55 | 6 | 61.96 | 6 | 108.51 |
| Nov 22–24, 2019 | 2019 Skate Celje | 1 | 48.67 | 3 | 89.71 | 2 | 138.38 |
| Dec 12–15, 2019 | 2020 Italian Championships (Junior) | 5 | 47.55 | 6 | 81.17 | 6 | 128.72 |
| Feb 12–18, 2020 | 2020 Sofia Trophy | 5 | 50.87 | 6 | 88.59 | 6 | 139.46 |
| Feb 20–23, 2020 | 2020 International Challenge Cup | 7 | 53.22 | 7 | 96.92 | 7 | 150.14 |
Results in the 2020–21 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Apr 9–11, 2021 | 2021 Italian Championships (Junior) | 2 | 54.21 | 1 | 123.27 | 1 | 177.48 |
| Apr 29 – May 2, 2021 | 2021 Egna Spring Trophy | 2 | 63.66 | 3 | 111.30 | 3 | 174.96 |
Results in the 2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 22–25, 2021 | 2021 JGP Slovenia | 15 | 46.16 | 11 | 87.36 | 14 | 133.52 |
| Nov 4–7, 2021 | 2021 NRW Trophy | 2 | 56.91 | 2 | 104.92 | 2 | 161.83 |
| Mar 20–25, 2022 | 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival | 2 | 69.08 | 3 | 118.75 | 2 | 187.83 |
| Apr 13–17, 2022 | 2022 World Junior Championships | 15 | 65.19 | 13 | 130.15 | 15 | 195.34 |
Results in the 2022–23 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 28 – Oct 1, 2022 | 2022 JGP Poland I | 3 | 70.02 | 5 | 130.71 | 3 | 200.84 |
| Oct 5–8, 2022 | 2022 JGP Poland II | 18 | 51.85 | 6 | 119.37 | 13 | 171.22 |
| Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2023 | 2023 World Junior Championships | 18 | 62.48 | 22 | 102.71 | 22 | 165.19 |
Results in the 2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 8–10, 2023 | 2023 Latvia Trophy | 1 | 71.57 | 1 | 125.16 | 1 | 196.73 |
| Jan 27 – Feb 1, 2024 | 2024 Winter Youth Olympics | 6 | 66.05 | 7 | 123.79 | 6 | 189.84 |
| Feb 15–18, 2024 | 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup | 1 | 77.59 | 2 | 133.79 | 2 | 211.38 |
| Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | 29 | 59.48 | — | — | 29 | 59.48 |
Results in the 2024-25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 2-5, 2024 | 2024 JGP Slovenia | 11 | 64.67 | 9 | 125.02 | 10 | 189.69 |
| Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2025 | 2025 World Junior Championships | 13 | 69.53 | 23 | 97.46 | 21 | 166.99 |