Corey Circelli: Building a Career Across Nations,Disciplines, and Comebacks

For Corey Circelli, figure skating has never been tied to one place or one identity. Born in the

United Kingdom, raised in Canada, and now representing Italy, his career has unfolded between

cultures, languages, and federations. This season is not a reinvention, but a continuation — a

deliberate push forward after injury, driven by equal parts ambition and realism.

Choosing Italy: Strategy Meeting Meaning

Circelli’s decision to skate for Italy was layered rather than emotional or impulsive. Italy offered

a clearer pathway for growing world standing, accumulating opportunities, and shaping his

career on his own terms. At the same time, both of his parents are Italian Olympians, and skating

for Italy carries emotional resonance beyond competition results.

He is acutely aware of the challenge: Italy has only two championship spots. Instead of feeling

intimidated, he sees that limitation as motivation — a clear target rather than pressure.

Corey Circelli in Official Practice session on 11.13.2025 photo by Bailey Li

From Ice Dance to Singles — Finding Identity on the Ice

Circelli’s skating story began unusually. Because his home was far from the rink, his parents

would leave him there all day while they worked. His coach suggested he train in both ice dance

and men’s singles to make the most of the long hours.

The dual-discipline background shaped him: musicality, partnering awareness, edge quality. But

eventually he realized that yearly pattern-dance resets didn’t align with the way he wanted to

develop. Training at Toronto’s Cricket Club — home to stars like Yuzuru Hanyu and Yuna Kim

— also surrounded him with singles legends whose careers defined the kind of skating he wanted

to pursue.

Singles carries a shorter competitive lifespan than dance or pairs, yet that reality motivates him

rather than scares him. He sometimes jokes that if he wanted to “stay in the sport forever,” he

might someday switch to a discipline that’s easier on the body. Separately, he points to Deanna

Stellato-Dudek — who returned to elite competition decades after her singles career and

achieved major results as a pairs skater — as proof that there are many possible “second

chapters” in skating once the men’s singles chapter ends.

A Torn Patellar Tendon — And a Season Built on Uncertainty

This season has been shaped by resilience. In March, Circelli tore his patellar tendon from the

bone — a severe injury that kept him off the ice for months. He didn’t receive medical clearance

to resume full training until only one month before returning to competition.

The comeback has not just been physical, but psychological. Skating under bright lights and in

front of thousands of spectators after barely being able to walk down stairs weeks earlier

required a mindset shift. Learning not to think too far ahead — focusing on a few days at a time

rather than the entire season — kept him grounded rather than overwhelmed.

Corey Circelli in Short Program on 11.14.2025 photo by Bailey Li

Technical Strategy: Ambition With Patience

Quad toe returns quickly for him; the axel demands a longer rebuilding phase. His strategy for

the coming events balances aspiration and caution: quads in both programs, two in the free skate,

and a reintroduction of the axel when it reaches reliable consistency.

He is also restructuring jump layouts to maximize scoring potential while preserving stamina —

including using two different quad types to avoid repetition penalties and placing combinations

in the most energy-efficient locations within the program.

A Season Goal With Personal Meaning

Circelli’s main competitive objective is to secure one of Italy’s three spots for the European

Championships — especially meaningful because this season’s event will take place in the

United Kingdom, the country where he was born. Earning that opportunity would feel like a fullcircle

moment in a career already defined by nations and transitions.

Strong results in the Challenger Series and Italian Nationals will be key not only to qualifying for

Europeans, but also to returning to next season’s Grand Prix selection.

Corey Circelli in Free Skating on 11.15.2025 photo by Bailey Li

Not Restarting — Continuing Forward

Circelli does not view this season as a comeback from misfortune. He sees it as the next step on

the same path he chose years ago — the path of men’s singles, with all of its difficulty, beauty,

and brevity.

With a multinational identity, a dual-discipline foundation, and a sharpened mindset shaped by

rehabilitation, he moves forward with clarity rather than urgency. And he knows exactly what he

wants:

To see how far he can go in men’s singles — without shortcuts, without excuses, and

without losing the joy that began everything.