The Italian Matteo Guarise can be called an extraordinary greenhouse skater. Having started to practice figure skating at age 22, in a short time he became a favorite of the public. Spectators are always looking forward to his demonstrations, despite the fact that Matteo has no big victories.
Biography: early years
Matteo Guarise was born on September 15, 1988 in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast. At the age of six, he first appeared on skates. A simple hobby quickly grew into something more. Matteo began to train hard. In roller skating, he achieved great results. So, in 2008, Guarize became the world champion in a duet with Sarah Venrucci.
After the coveted victory, Matteo decided to try himself in another sport. The choice fell on figure skating. Then he was almost 22 years old, but this did not bother the Italian. He followed in the footsteps of the Italian duo Federico Delhi-Esposti and Marika Zanforlin, who also initially very successfully skated, and then stood on the ice.
Matteo believed in his success in figure skating. In an interview, the Italian noted that skates and skates are similar. And everything that can be done on skates can be done on skates, but there are some nuances.
Career
Matteo came to figure skating in 2009. He decided to train with Russian coaches. To do this, the Italian went to St. Petersburg. At that time, in the group of the famous coach Oleg Vasiliev there were girls who dreamed of pairing, but there were no suitable candidates due to a shortage of partners. Vasiliev decided to pair Matteo. The choice fell on Elena Yarkhunova. The girl was four years younger than Matteo. In just a month, the couple mastered and brilliantly performed all the elements from the set of greenhouse skaters.
An international duo began performing under the Italian flag, since it is not so easy to break into the figure skating elite in Russia. Soon the guys moved to Italy. There they trained under the supervision of Lucia Civardi and Paola Mezzadri.
Matteo and Elena did not perform together for long. In 2011, the couple broke up. Guarize began to look for a partner again. He chose between Kaela Pflumm and Caitlin Jankouskas. As a result, Matteo began to speak with Nicole Della Monica.
Their first major start was the 2012 Italian Championship. However, the guys unexpectedly left the race after a short program.
In the same year, Matteo and Nicole became third at the Bavarian Open international championship. In addition, they were able to gain the technical minimum that allowed them to take part in ISU competitions. At the 2012 World Championships, the couple was able to rise only to 15th place.
At the European Championship 2013, the guys became ninth. At the Sochi Olympics in 2014, Matteo and Nicole performed unsuccessfully, they took 16th place.
In 2015, the guys became champions of Italy. In the next four seasons, they did not give the national championship to anyone. With performances in the international arena, it was not so simple. In 2015, the couple took 11th place in the world championship and 6th in the European.
Matteo and Nicole also actively participated in various competitions. So, in 2016 they became the first in such a prestigious tournament as the “Golden Horse of Zagreb”. In a bitter struggle, the guys became the second. But after a few hours, the panel of judges nevertheless put them in first place.
In the 2017 season, the couple performed very well at the World Cup. The guys managed to take 5th place. At the European Championships they became sixth. They have improved previous achievements in the short program.
At the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, the couple became the 10th in the individual competition. And in team competitions, they were in fourth place. After the Olympics, Matteo admitted in an interview that he set a goal - to ride another Olympic cycle, during which he will strive to reach his maximum in order to give fans of figure skating as much emotions as possible.
In the 18/19 season, Matteo and Nicole significantly improved their previous athletic performance. They became the fourth at both the World Championships and the European Championships. They also managed to win silver at the Russian and Finnish Grand Prix Stages. In both tournaments, there were Russian couples ahead of them.
In the Grand Prix finals, Italians were in fifth place. By the way, Matteo and Nicole became the first duet from Italy to qualify for the final of the Grand Prix. In an interview, Matteo admitted that fifth place for him and his country can be considered a great achievement and contribution to the history of Italian figure skating.
Demonstration performances of this pair deserve special attention. Matteo and Nicole usually stage a real show - with original costumes, spicy nudity and an overwhelming charisma, which is sometimes lacking in a race for treasured points.
In his free time from figure skating, Matteo tried himself as a model. So, he is a model of Giorgio Armani Fashion House. He has starred for the fashion editions of Wing, and has also worked at fashion shows.
