Conor Stakelum Achieves European Qualifying Score At Nebelhorn Trophy

This evening Irish figure skater Conor Stakelum (24) participated in the free skating segment of the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy, the designated 2018 Winter Olympic Games final qualifying event, in Oberstdorf, Germany where he finished 25th overall with a total score of 139.97.

While he did not obtain an Olympic berth for Ireland in PyeongChang, South Korea next February, Stakelum achieved his secondary goal of making the minimum technical score to be able to take part in the European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia in January 2018. He is the first Irish male figure skater ever to earn the minimum technical scores necessary to compete at the European Championships. 2012 was the last time an Irish skater represented Ireland at the European Championships when Clara Peters took 28th place in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

“I am really pleased with how hard I fought in the free skating today,” Stakelum said. “Given how high the standard of skating was here in Germany this week, I am proud of how I performed and look forward to building on what I have achieved here towards Beijing 2022.”

Stakelum has had a very successful few weeks on and off the ice as he recently graduated with a first class honours degree in microbiology from University College Dublin.