Sophia Schaller

Sophia Schaller
Schaller and Mayr at the 2024 World Championships
Born	(2000-09-17) 17 September 2000 (age 24) Salzburg, Austria
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Austria
Discipline	Pair skating (since 2022) Women's singles (2016–23)
Partner	Livio Mayr
Coach	Bruno Marcotte Severin Kiefer Brian Shales Julia Kiefer Violette Ivanoff
Skating club	Eiskunstlaufverein Salzburg
Began skating	2007
Austrian Championships 2023 St. Pölten Pairs 2024 Feldkirch Pairs 2019 Gmunden Singles 2020 Klagenfurt Singles 2021 Linz Singles 2023 St. Pölten Singles 2018 Vienna Singles 2022 Graz Singles

Sophia Schaller (born 17 September 2000) is an Austrian figure skater. She is the 2018 Sarajevo Open champion, the 2019 Santa Claus Cup bronze medalist, the 2017 Austrian junior national silver medalist, and a six-time Austrian national medalist in singles.

Schaller began competing in pair skating after teaming up with Livio Mayr in 2022.^[1] Together, they are two-time Austrian national champions (2023 and 2024).

Schaller was born on September 17, 2000 in Salzburg, Austria.^[2] Her younger sister, Flora Marie Schaller, is also a competitive figure skater, competing in the women's singles event.^[3]

Schaller began figure skating in 2007. Joining the Salzburg Skating Club, she was first coached by Iva Žvachtová before switching to Julia Kiefer and Sandra Riegler prior to the 2016–17 figure skating season.^[2] On the junior level, she would win silver at the 2016–17 Austrian Championships and the 2017–18 Austrian Championships in the women's singles discipline.^[4]

In her first year competing on the national senior level, Schaller would win bronze at the 2018–19 Austrian Championships. The following year, Violette Ivanoff would join Schaller's coaching team and after winning silver at the 2019–20 Austrian Championships, Schaller was selected to represent Austria at the 2020 European Championships and the 2020 World Championships. She would place twenty-sixth and thirty-seventh at these events, respectively.^[4]

Continuing on as a singles skater, Schaller would win silver at the 2020–21 Austrian Championships and bronze at the 2021–22 Austrian Championships.

In May 2022, Schaller decided to try pair skating with longtime Salzburg Skating Club-mate, Livio Mayr, after having a tryout session in Paris.^[5][6] Mayr was initially interested in teaming up with Schaller in 2018 when he was first beginning his pairs career, but at the time, Schaller had chosen to prioritize her future in singles. The skaters would attribute their ease adapting to skating together to their long-standing relationship, having known one another since childhood and trained at the same rink for many years.^[7] Schaller/Mayr chose to train under Schaller's longtime coaches, Violette Ivanoff and Julia Kiefer, with the addition of former Austrian champion pair skater, Severin Kiefer. It was also announced that the duo would also make trips to Oakville, Ontario, Canada to work with Canadian pair coaches, Bruno Marcotte and Brian Shales.^[8]

The pair started the season by finishing fourth at the 2022 Tayside Trophy, fourth at the 2022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur, and fourth at the 2022 Ice Challenge. They would then compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, finishing eleventh at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.^[9]

In December, Schaller/Mayr won their first national title at the 2022–23 Austrian Championships. They were then selected to compete at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, where they finished in twelfth place. The pair would then conclude their season by finishing fifth at the 2023 Bavarian Open and ninth at the 2023 International Challenge Cup.^[9]

Schaller/Mayr started the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2023 John Nicks Pairs Challenge. Going on to compete on the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series, the pair would place seventh at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International. They would subsequently win a bronze medal at the 2023 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur and place ninth at the 2023 Warsaw Cup.^[9]

In December, Schaller/Mayr would win gold at the 2023–24 Austrian Championships for a second consecutive time.^[9]

Going on to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, the pair would finish in eighteenth place. They would then go on to place fifth at the 2024 International Challenge Cup.^[9]

Making their World Championship debut as a team at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the pair would finish twenty-second.^[9]

Schaller/Mayr began the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, finishing fifteenth at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition and ninth at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.^[9]

Results in the 2022–23 season ^[9]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Oct 15–16, 2022	2022 Tayside Trophy	5	38.06	4	90.51	4	128.57
Oct 19–23, 2022	2022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur	4	43.12	4	84.27	4	127.39
Nov 9–13, 2022	2022 Ice Challenge	4	44.94	4	87.56	4	132.50
Dec 7–10, 2022	2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb	10	47.46	11	85.50	11	132.96
Dec 14–18, 2022	2023 Austrian Championships	1	53.09	1	108.06	1	161.15
Jan 25–29, 2023	2023 European Championships	12	45.40	12	86.90	12	132.30
Jan 31 –Feb 5, 2023	2023 Bavarian Open	8	42.86	3	95.17	5	138.03
Feb 23–26, 2023	2023 International Challenge Cup	7	46.20	9	87.64	9	133.84

Results in the 2023–24 season ^[9]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 6–7, 2023	2023 John Nicks Pairs Challenge	5	52.21	10	83.47	8	135.68
Sep 14–17, 2023	2023 CS Autumn Classic International	8	50.94	7	99.41	7	150.35
Oct 18–22, 2023	2023 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur	3	53.23	3	95.14	3	148.37
Nov 16–19, 2023	2023 Warsaw Cup	9	40.95	8	81.05	9	122.00
Dec 13–17, 2023	2024 Austrian Championships	1	49.57	1	90.43	1	140.00
Jan 10–14, 2024	2024 European Championships	18	42.57	–	–	18	42.57
Feb 22–25, 2024	2024 International Challenge Cup	4	53.29	5	105.17	5	158.46
Mar 18–24, 2024	2024 World Championships	22	49.54	–	–	22	49.54

Results in the 2024-25 season ^[9]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 3–4, 2024	2024 CS John Nicks Pairs Competition	14	42.27	15	81.90	15	124.17

• Sophia Schaller at the International Skating Union