The press in Germany reacts regarding the result of the Romanian skater Julia Sauter: "she had a clean program and executed the jumps flawlessly on the ice in Milan."

The Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina will take place between February 6 and 22, 2026, and the skater Julia Sauter had a remarkable performance in the women's free skating program. Born in Germany, Sauter competed for Romania after being rejected by the German Skating Federation. With a total of 190.93 points, she finished the competition in 17th place, setting a new record for Romania in this sport, surpassing the previous performance of Roxana Luca, who placed 23rd in 2002. Sauter had an impeccable routine, receiving 127.8 points for her free program. She obtained Romanian citizenship last year and was the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony, marking a historic moment for Romanian women's skating. Reactions from Germany were critical, highlighting that no German skater competed in the free program: "No German skater competed in the women's free skating event – at least not for Germany. Julia Sauter from Ravensburg, representing Romania, qualified for the event in 16th place at her Olympic debut. In her teenage years, Sauter did not see many career opportunities within the German Skating Union (DEU) and changed her federation at the advice of a coach... And the 28-year-old athlete delivered a very clean program in the free event. She executed her jumps impeccably on the ice in the Milan arena, and her expression and choreography were so well balanced that she received 127.8 points from the judges for her performance."