FILE PHOTO: Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Grand Prix de France - Angers, France - November 2, 2024 Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii perform during the Pairs Free Skating REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
MILAN (Reuters) -Italian figure skating pair Niccolo Macii and Sara Conti are dreaming of a standing ovation at the 2026 Winter Games, hoping to channel the emotion of their home crowd in Milan into a medal-winning performance.
The duo, who became Italy's first European champions in pairs figure skating with a gold medal in Finland in 2023, returned to the continental podium with silver in Estonia in 2025.
They also claimed bronze at the World Championships in Boston earlier this year, matching their feat from two years earlier.
Macii, 30, and 25-year-old Conti want to make the most of the fact that the Milano-Cortina Games in February are in their own nation as they prepare for the season ahead, aiming to reach peak form in time for the Olympics.
"We simply want to give our best, to be proud of how we skate, to enjoy ourselves, and hopefully earn a standing ovation, at least after the free programme, maybe even after the short," Conti told Reuters in an interview alongside Macii.
"We want to create an unforgettable memory of these Olympics at home."
Former partners off the ice and both born and raised in Lombardy, the region around Milan, they are not shy about their medal ambitions.
"I don't think it's presumptuous — the possibility is there. Of course, it depends on how we perform, and on a number of things that need to align," said Macii, adding they will feature a modern flamenco piece, Concerto de Espana for the short programme and a cover of popular Italian love song 'Caruso' for the free.
Despite the Games being almost on their doorstep, they are likely to stay at the Olympic Village in Milan to savour the atmosphere.
"I want to enjoy everything, including staying at the village, especially because it's my first Olympics — and you never know if it might be the last — so I really want to take in every moment, while of course staying focused on our competitions," Conti said.
"The village is so close to my home in Milan. I definitely don't mind if I happen to forget something!", Macii joked.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Claudia Greco, editing by Keith Weir and Christian Radnedge)
