Athlete of the week
Skater Julia Sauter
Eugen Nasta, 04.02.2025, 13:45
The European figure skating Championships have recently drawn to a close in Estonia’s Tallinn. Four skaters represented Romania. In the women’s singles event, taking the start were Julia Sauter and Ana Sofia Beşchea, while in the dance event, there were Emilia Ziobrowska and Shiloh Judd. Julia Sauter had the best performance coming in 7th. Julia’s performance was the best Romanian result of all time in a European figure skating championship.
Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Julia Sauter the Athlete of the week.
Julia Sauter was born in Weingarten, in Germany’s Baden–Württemberg Land, on June 18, 1997. She has been signed up by Corona Brasov in Brasov. As a junior, Julia competed for Germany. As part of her first participation in a seniors’ European competition, in Stockholm, in 2015, Julia Sauter came in 35th.
In Bratislava, in 2016, Julia came in 27th, then in Ostrava, in 2017, Julia came in 25th. In 2019, in Minsk, a she went past the short-program phase, coming in 14th after the free program. Julia Sauter saw a steady competitional progress one year after the next, so much so that, at present, she is that close to the competitors claiming a position onto the European podium.
In Tallinn, after the short program, she came in 8th. In the free program, Julia Sauter got the tenth best mark in the competition. Eventually, the total earned her the 7th position. We recall that in Lithuania, in 2024, Julia came in 9th.
Julia Sauter’s immediate stated aim is a very good performance in the World Championships scheduled in Boston, the United States, in March 2025. Obtaining a position among the world’s best 24 skaters, after the short program, could secure Julia a place among the skaters vying for a medal, also enabling her to meet the technical criteria for the participation in the Olympic Games scheduled in Italy, in 2026.
According to regulations, in order to compete for Romania, Julia will have to be granted Romanian citizenship. Julia Sauter has said that, for her, being granted the citizenship is still an ongoing process.
