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Bronze For Judge At Dragon Trophy

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Dillon Judge has finished in third place at this weekend’s Dragon Trophy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Judge opened his first competition of 2026 auspiciously by setting a new personal best score of 56.69 points in yesterday’s short programme putting him second place overnight. In his free skating, he began with a triple flip on which he had to step out, but recovered to cleanly land a triple Lutz-double toe loop jump combination. Unlike the short, he did struggle with a number of subsequent jumping passes with a pristine triple Salchow a highlight of his routine. He closed out with a Level 4 change foot combination spin and earned a free score of 94.83 points for a total of 151.52 points.

2025 A Year To Remember For Irish Ice Skating

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2025 got under way with two major ISU events for Team Ireland in January. Sean McAnuff representing Ireland at his fifth European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany with his best finish a 24th place in the 1500 metres. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus took on their second European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia where they ended up in 18th overall.

February saw our Irish skaters get an opportunity to try out 2026 Olympic ice in Milan. Prior to arriving in the Italian city, Irish Wolfhounds Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien competed at the fifth stage of the inaugural ISU Short Track World Tour in Tilburg, The Netherlands. McAnuff advanced to the 500 metres quarterfinals where he dipped under 42 seconds to set a new Irish record. The following week the Irish Wolfhounds got a taste of the Olympic atmosphere at the test event at the Unipol Forum to close out the Short Track World Tour. The following week Dillon Judge was in the same venue for the Road To 26 Trophy figure skating Olympic test event where he placed 12th in the men’s category. It was a busy period for Olympic related competitions as Allie Peterson was in Bakuriani, Georgia where she became only the second Irish skater to participate in a European Youth Olympic Festival coming 19th. Judge and Sophia Tkacheva also took part in the Merano Ice Trophy placing 14th and 23rd in their respective disciplines.

The World was a stage for our athletes in March. Sean McAnuff travelled to Beijing, China for the Short Track World Championships and he broke his own 500 metre Irish record twice during the course of the event. Later on in the month, Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus were in Boston, United States of America for the World Figure Skating Championships finishing in 28th place.

In May Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien attended an Olympic Federation of Ireland Milano Cortina Camp in Dublin for athletes targeting qualification for the 2o26 Olympics.

For the fourth consecutive year the Irish Figure Skating Championships were held at the Dundee Ice Arena with medals contested in four categories.

Ryan McAnuff, the first speed skater to represent Ireland at Europeans and Worlds, announced his retirement from elite competition in July.

Newly crowned Irish Junior Women’s champion Juliana Farrell opened the 2025-2026 season in August for the national team with 18th at the Cranberry Cup International in Norwood, United States of America. Later on in the month Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus bagged a silver medal at International Ice Dance Dordrecht in the Netherlands.

Dillon Judge and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus made their way to Beijing, China in September for the ISU Skate To Milano Olympic Qualifier. Judge finished 24th and Soucisse and Firus ninth at the event and were outside the quota places for figure skating at the 2026 Olympics.

Juliana Farrell was the sole representative for Ireland on this season’s ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating and she came 32nd at the Solidarity Cup in Gdansk, Poland in October. Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien got their quest for Olympic quota places started at back-to-back ISU Short Track World Tour events in Montreal, Canada. Dillon Judge placed 11th at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, Scotland.

It was a hectic November for Dillon Judge as he competed at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Cup of Innsbruck in Austria and the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. He placed 9th, 8th and 7th respectively. Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien concluded this season’s ISU Short Track World Tour with events in Gdansk, Poland and Dordrecht, The Netherlands that saw the Irish Wolfhounds fall short on obtaining quota places in short track speed skating at the 2026 Olympics. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus took on two ISU Challenger Series events in a row finishing 10th at Warsaw Cup in Poland and eighth at Tallinn Trophy in Estonia.

December began with Dillon Judge placing 22nd at the ISU Challenger Series Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. Long track speed skater Thomas Steele made his international debut for Ireland at the European Youth Countrymatch in Heerenveen, The Netherlands setting a new Irish Junior record for the 1500 metres.

Here’s hoping for an even more spectacular year for Irish ice skating in 2026!

 

Judge 22nd At Golden Spin of Zagreb

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Dillon Judge has finished 22nd in the Senior Men’s event at the ISU Challenger Series Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia this weekend.

Judge opened his short programme with a clean triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He stepped out of a double Axel and received Level 2 for a flying camel spin. He then hung on to the landing of a triple Salchow. He concluded with a Level 3 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 4 change foot sit spin. He scored 47.91 points and was in 22nd place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back this evening for the free skating. He began with a double flip and then landed triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He then attempted a triple Lutz and followed with  a Level 2 change foot sit spin and a rotated triple toe loop. Next came a Level 2 flying camel spin before he nailed a triple Salchow. He fell out of another triple Salchow subsequently. He wound up his routine with a Level 3 step sequence and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 80.40 points for the free which gave him a total of 128.31 points.

Judge Seventh At Bosphorus Cup

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Dillon Judge has come seventh in the Senior Men’s event at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye this weekend.

Judge opened his short programme with a clean triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He fell on a triple flip and received Level 1 for a flying camel spin. He then had another fall on a double Axel. He ended with a Level 2 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 3 change foot sit spin. He scored 45.29 points and was in eighth place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back out on the ice earlier today for the free skating. He began by falling on a triple flip and then doubled a planned triple Lutz. He then fell on a triple Lutz before executing a Level 3 change foot sit spin and cleanly landed a triple toe loop. He followed with a Level 1 flying camel spin and fell on a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination. He recorded another fall on a double Salchow-single Axel-double Axel sequence. He completed his routine with a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 63.11 points for the free which gave him a total of 108.40 points.

Judge 8th At Cup of Innsbruck

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Dillon Judge has come eighth in the Senior Men’s event at the Cup of Innsbruck in Innsbruck, Austria this weekend.

Judge had a better showing in his short programme compared to last week’s Denkova-Staviski Cup. He overrotated a triple Lutz, but was able to tack on a double toe loop to make the combination count. He struggled with the landing of a triple flip. He earned positive grade of execution on a Level 2 flying camel spin, but then stumbled out of a double Axel. He ended with a Level 2 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a scheduled change foot sit spin, the latter of which received no value due to not meeting the requirements. He scored 41.45 points and was in seventh place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back out on the ice at the TIWAG Arena for the free skating. He began by doubling a planned triple flip and then eked out a triple Lutz. He then tried a double Lutz-double Axel-double Axel sequence falling on the third jump. He got through a Level 3 change foot sit spin and hung on to the landing of a triple toe loop. He followed with a Level 2 flying camel spin and showed resilence by nailing a triple Salchow. He completed his routine with a Level 2 step sequence and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 78.68 points for the free which gave him a total of 120.13 points.

Judge 9th At Denkova-Staviski Cup

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Dillon Judge has come ninth in the Senior Men’s event at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria this weekend.

Judge had a challenging time in his short programme. He fell on an opening triple Lutz and then also struggled with a triple flip that he was unable to put into combination. He garnered positive grade of execution on a Level 2 flying camel spin, but then stumbled on a double Axel. He closed out with a Level 2 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a scheduled change foot sit spin, the latter of which received no value due to not meeting the requirements. He scored 37.59 points and was in eighth place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back out on the ice at the Winter Sports Palace for the free skating. Once more he fought hard on certain elements. He bailed out of a triple flip landing and then popped a planned triple Lutz to a double. He tried the triple Lutz again which he rotated albeit with a step out. He did receive credit this time for a Level 2 change foot sit spin and cleanly landed a triple toe loop. He once more earned positive marks from the judging panel for his Level 2 flying camel spin. His only fall came on the second part of a double Lutz-double Axel jump sequence. He rounded things out with a Level 3 step sequence and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. He posted 80.61 points for the free which gave him a total of 118.20 points.

Judge 11th At Tayside Trophy

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Dillon Judge has finished 11th in the Senior Men’s event at this weekend’s Tayside Trophy in Dundee, Scotland.

The two-time Irish champion got his short programme off to a positive start with a nice triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. However, he popped a subsequent triple flip into a double and then fell on the entry to a change foot camel spin. He received no credit for either element. He also fell on a double Axel. A change foot combination spin registered as Level 3 while both a step sequence and a flying sit spin were graded Level 2. A score of 37.27 points had him in 11th place overnight.

Judge got his free skating under way inauspiciuusly with a fall on a triple flip. He bounced back with a cleanly landed solo triple Lutz with a double Lutz-double toe loop and a Level 2 flying sit spin to follow. He stumbled out of a triple toe loop and was given a Level 1 for change foot camel spin. He nailed a triple Salchow, but slipped to the ice during a step sequence. He closed out his performance with a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He scored 74.16 points which gave him a total of 111.43 points.

 

Irish Figure Skaters Seeking First Ever Olympic Quota Place

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Dillon Judge (Men’s Singles – Co. Down) and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Ice Dance – Co. Wexford) have arrived in Beijing, China ahead of this weekend’s ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025, the final opportunity for figure skaters to secure quota places for their nations at next February’s Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Soucisse and Firus are the first of the Irish in action when they take to the ice on Friday, 19 September for the Rhythm Dance and again on Sunday, 21 September for the Free Dance along with teams from 18 other countries vying for the four quota places on offer at Milano-Cortina. The three-time Irish champions made a promising start to the season last month at the International Ice Dance Dordrecht event in The Netherlands where they picked up a silver medal. They train with Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Toronto, Canada.

“We are feeling the most prepared we’ve ever been at this time of the season,” Soucisse said. “We have worked very hard and are proud of the training we’ve put in. We’re really looking forward to showing our new programmes!”

“We are super excited for this event and fully prepared,” Firus said. “We look forward to performing both programmes to the best of our abilities and to making history!”

Judge is making his season debut at China’s National Indoor Stadium on Saturday, 20 September in the Short Programme with the Free Skating on 21 September. The two-time Senior Irish champion is going up against 26 other athletes who will all be competing for one of the remaining five quota places for their countries. He is coached by Barbara Luoni in Bergamo, Italy.

“My goal is just to learn and take in the environment,” Judge said. “I go into this event with no pressure as it is my first competition of the season. I know if I’m calm and collected, I will do my best and that’s all I can hope for. I’ve trained better than ever and found a new level of motivation so I’m ready for this season to start.”

ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025 will be streamed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel.

Team Ireland Competition Schedule (Irish Time)

Friday, 19 September

05:15-07:55 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance

 Saturday, 20 September

03:00-06:55 Men Short Programme

 Sunday, 21 September

03:00-06:10 Ice Dance Free Dance

06:45-11:20 Men Free Skating

Three Irish Skaters Beijing Bound For Final Olympic Qualifier

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The final opportunity for figure skaters to earn quota places for their countries at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games is the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025 – Beijing to be held at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China on 19-21 September 2025. Ireland will be represented by Dillon Judge (Men’s Singles) and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Ice Dance).
Dillon Judge is a two-time Irish senior national champion. He is currently coached by Barbara Luoni at Ice Lab in Bergamo, Italy, an ISU Centre of Excellence.
Married couple Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus were the first Irish ice dance partnership to compete at European and World Championships in 2024. They are three-time Irish senior national champions and are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Toronto, Canada.
At the Beijing qualifier, countries seeking to earn quota places will have one entry in each event. There will be five quota places up for grabs in men’s singles and four in ice dance.
Provisional Schedule (Irish time – Subject to change)
Friday, 19 September
ICE DANCE – Rhythm Dance (Begins 04:30am)
Saturday, 20 September
MEN – Short Programme (Begins 03:00am)
Sunday, 21 September
ICE DANCE – Free Dance (Begins 03:00am)
MEN – Free Skating (Follows above)

2025/2026 National Team Members Named

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland has selected the following athletes to represent Ireland in international competitions during the 2025/2026 season:

Figure Skating

Senior Men – Dillon Judge (County Antrim)

Senior Ice Dance – Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus (County Wexford)

Junior Women – Julianna Farrell (County Cork), Eeva O’Brien (County Wicklow)

 

Short Track Speed Skating

Senior Men – Sean McAnuff (County Antrim), Liam O’Brien (County Cavan)

 

Speed Skating

Junior Men – Thomas Steele (County Dublin)