For the 2025/26 figure skating season, Kyrylo Marsak set personal bests at all three major competitions, and he won Silver at the 2025 Volvo Open Cup in November and Gold at the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy in January. Kyrylo competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague and made his Olympic debut at the Winter Olympics in Milan, where he was the only figure skater representing Team Ukraine, and he finished in the top 10 at the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield. Also this year, Kyrylo became the Ukrainian champion for the fourth time, winning Gold at the 2026 Ukrainian Figure Skating Championships, and during the 2025/26 season, his short program was to Fall on Me by Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli, and was dedicated to Kyrylo’s father. During his time as a figure skater so far, at junior level, Kyrylo was on the Ukraine team at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2022 in Finland. Answering our questions, Kyrylo told us about winning the Gold medal at the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy in January, making his Olympic debut for Team Ukraine at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan, competing at both the World and European Figure Skating Championships and becoming the Ukrainian champion for the fourth consecutive year.
You have just won your fourth consecutive Gold medal at the 2026 Ukrainian Figure Skating Championships; how did you feel becoming Ukrainian champion for the fourth time?
It has been more like defending a title, so there wasn’t much pressure or nerves. I knew I could do it because the season was spectacular. I didn’t need to do anything over, just do my stuff. I just wanted to execute my programs well because both of my parents were present in person, and I needed to skate great for them. It was the first time my dad saw the short program that is dedicated to him, and I delivered them well, which was a truly special moment for me!
How was your time skating in Prague for this year’s World Figure Skating Championships, and how do you feel the competition went?
I was extremely nervous before going on the ice in Prague. The pressure after the Olympic Games was intense; I needed to confirm my success in the short program and redeem myself in the free program after a disaster at the Olympics. Overall, it went really well. I was able to perform my programs in the best way possible at the time, and I’m really satisfied with how it turned out. It was a great culmination to the season for sure.
How did you find the experience making your Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan as the only figure skater for Team Ukraine?
The Olympic Experience was amazing – something I will never forget and something that will guide me through my life. My debut was spectacular, and we couldn’t wish for more. 11th place after the short program is simply unbelievable because nobody could expect such a result from us. 19th overall, the free program maybe wasn’t as good as we hoped, but it’s still the best result for Ukraine in many years. If it had turned out perfectly, there would be nothing to look forward to 🙂
Of course, it was a little sad that I was the only representative from my country in figure skating, which added some pressure. Perhaps having some of my teammates there would have made some moments easier, but it was still important to get through, and this experience will play a big role in my development as an athlete!
What was it like competing at a major international multi-sport competition and staying in the athletes village?
The atmosphere overall in the Olympic Village and around all the facilities was unforgettable. I felt like I was part of something great, something big, and something so few people around the world get to experience. I’m extremely grateful that I was granted such a chance and honour to represent my country at the Olympic Games and be part of that.
How did you prepare for the Olympics and how different was it to your other competitions?
To be honest, we didn’t change our preparation specifically for the Olympic Games. We followed the same routine we used for any other competition during the season and avoided putting extra pressure on ourselves. We had the full plan for the season, and we were following it!
Over the 2025/26 figure skating season, you also won Silver at the 2025 Volvo Open Cup in November and Gold at the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy in January, can you tell us about these?
Yes, those are my international medals from this season. Those competitions are Category B, so they are a bit lower level than Europeans, Worlds or Olympics, but they are still important competitions to me. They are the competitions where you get the confidence, experience and condition.
The Volvo Open Cup 2025 occurred in the first half of the season and was an important part of preparation to the second half of the season. At the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy, I won and skated definitely my best free skating of the season. This boosted my confidence before the Olympics, and the medals from these two competitions helped me move a little higher in the World Ranking, which paid off with a better starting group at the Olympics and Worlds!
What was it like competing at the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, United Kingdom, where you finished in the top 10?
It was an amazing competition. We didn’t expect to be in the top 10 because we were going to the Europeans more like for a test competition before the Olympics and did not put any expectations for it. However, this wonderful season started well, and we updated personal best scores at almost every competition, resulting in a top 8 finish at Europeans, which is more than a great result at such level of development!
You set new personal bests at all three major competitions this season, how was this?
The emotions were going over the limit, to say I am happy about it, it is to say nothing, I guess that’s how the hard work pays off.
Both of your programs in 2025/26 have been meaningful, with your short program to Fall on Me by Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli dedicated to your father; what is it like skating routines that are personal to you?
Yes, it was an extremely personal and extremely special program for me, and it will definitely be remembered as one of my best programs ever. Skating great throughout the season and delivering it well during the Olympics was unforgettable. And that my father was present and had seen it at Ukrainian Nationals meant the world to me!
As a junior skater, you were on the Ukrainian team at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Finland, what are some of your favourite memories from this competition?
It was one of my first not only Olympic-like experiences but also international competitions, it was my third ever international competition and first “big one”. It was such a great experience. It was in some ways like the Olympics, with many different sports and many different athletes – it was great to be a part of.
I couldn’t perform my best at that competition since it was one month since the full-scale war in Ukraine had started. Three weeks of which we were hiding from the rockets in Kyiv, so I couldn’t practice at all, with only one week of preparation for the competition.
What do you enjoy most about representing Ukraine around the world and can you tell us about some of your further stand-out competitions over your career so far?
I most enjoy travelling throughout the world, visiting different countries, engaging with different audiences, and obviously the competitions themselves. I love that adrenaline and those emotions that competitions give you! And I‘m not sure there is anything similar to this in the world.
If we are talking about stand-out competitions in my career so far, I really loved the World Championship in Japan in 2023. Japan is one of my favourite countries ever, and the Japanese audience was just great and so supportive. Olympic qualifiers in China was also a really good experience and a great competition, as were the Olympics themselves, which we have already talked about a lot before.
Where does your love of figure skating come from and how did you get into it?
It wasn’t always there, it came with the process, with time. It wasn’t my choice to be a figure skater. It started when a new ice rink opened in the city where I was born. My sister always wanted to be a figure skater, and my parents also brought me with her.
At first, I didn’t like it at all, and I didn’t want to skate. But over time, I was showing great progress and great jumps, and I fell in love with this sport. It is my safe place, my field where I can put all my emotions, all my thoughts, negative and positive, and create out of that something special.
Do you have any favourite figure skaters (either current or retired) to watch compete, and any other favourite sports?
My all-time favourite skater is Nathan Chen, and I really admire Kaori Sakamoto.
I follow cybersport closely, specifically in Counter-Strike, and I do follow Formula One.
Can you tell us about your typical training day and how will you prepare for the new figure skating season?
My normal day starts from waking up and getting ready for the day, depending on the schedule and whether I need to go to university or training first.
I’m going to university, studying, and then leaving for the practice. I warm up, and on the first ice I go through all the elements that I need. Second ice, I’m working on the programs, doing run-throughs, and learning and improving elements.
After the ice session, we often have an off-ice practice, which may include strength training, rotational work, or overall agility.
Preparation for the new season will start after the May break. We’re going to have a few weeks off practice, and then we’ll begin our preparation by creating new programs, getting into physical shape, working on the new elements, increasing the difficulty of the current ones, and doing all the work you don’t have to do during the season. We will have seven weeks of summer camps featuring an increased quantity of high-intensity practices where the entire foundation for the season will be built.
How do you like to spend your free time?
In the evenings, I like to play video games, sometimes with friends and sometimes alone. Lately, I’m also enjoying making videos and content for my social media!
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