Raffaele Francesco Zich (born 23 June 2006) is an Italian figure skater. He is the 2022 JGP Poland I bronze medalist and 2022 European Youth Olympic silver medalist.
Personal life Zich was born 23 June 2006 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and resides in Turin, Italy. His grandfather, , is the former rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin.
Career
Early years Zich began learning to skate in 2009. He became interested in the sport after accompanying his sister, Eleonora, to the ice rink. During his early years, he was coached by Claudia Masoero before eventually going on to train under Renata Lazzaroni and Edoardo De Bernadis at Ice Club Torino. He competed for two seasons in the advanced novice category, winning the Italian novice men's title in March 2018.
His junior international debut came in October 2019 at the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Egna, Italy, where he twenty-first.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of many international events in the 2020–21 season. In April 2021, Zich won the Italian junior national title.
2021–22 season Zich competed in both the junior and senior ranks, making his senior international debut in October at the 2022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur. He finished fourth in the senior category in December at the 2022 Italian Championships.
He was assigned to the 2022 World Junior Championships, which took place in April in Tallinn, Estonia. He was ranked fifteenth in the short and thirteenth in the free skate and finished fifteenth overall.
2022–23 season In October, Zich competed at consecutive 2022–23 ISU Junior Grand Prix events in Gdańsk, Poland. He won bronze at his first assignment and placed thirteenth the following week. Going on to compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, Zich placed eleventh at the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and fifteenth at the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.
In December, Zich placed sixth at the 2023 Italian Championships. He subsequently won the silver medal at the 2023 Sofia Trophy. Selected to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Zich finished the event in twenty-second place.
2023–24 season Zich started the season by winning gold on the junior level at the 2023 Latvia Trophy. He then went on to place fourth at the 2024 Italian Championships.
Selected to compete at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Zich finished the event in sixth place. Two weeks following that event, Zich won the silver medal on the junior level at the 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup. He then finished the season by placing twenty-ninth at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.
2024–25 season Zich began the season by 2024 JGP Slovenia, where he finished in tenth place. Going on to compete at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy, Zich placed thirteenth at that event. The following month, he finished sixth at the 2025 Italian Championships. Selected to compete at the
In late January, it was announced that Zich had left longtime coaches Renata Lazzaroni and Edoardo De Bernadis to train under Stéphane Lambiel and Angelo Dolfini in Champéry, Switzerland. That same month, he competed at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, where he placed thirteenth. He subsequently won the bronze medal at the 2025 Bavarian Open.
Selected to compete at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Zich placed twenty-first.
2025–26 season Although assigned to compete at the 2025 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, Zich withdrew from the event on the day of the short program.
2026–27 season Zich opened the new season placing 16th at the 2026 Kinoshita Group Cup.
Programs Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2024–25 Anybody Seen My Baby? Living in a Ghost Town Clouds, The Mind of the (Re)Wind
The Silence of the Lambs (Main Title) Bad Moon Rising Dear Clarice Apéritif 2023–24 Autumn Moon The Silence of the Lambs (Main Title) Bad Moon Rising Dear Clarice Apéritif 2022–23 Deceit and Betrayal Summer 2 Swing Shift New Girl Good News 2021–22 Piano Concerto Trailerized So Close I Found Land Of All 2019–20 I Feel Like I'm Drowning Grand Guignol Assassin's Tango
Competitive highlights
Detailed results
Senior level
Junior level
References
External links