Filippo Clerici (born 7 March 2001) is an Italian pair skater who currently competes for Finland. With his current skating partner, Milania Väänänen, he is the 2023 Golden Spin of Zagreb gold medalist, 2023 Tayside Trophy bronze medalist, and two-time Finnish national champion.

Filippo Clerici
Milania Väänänen and Filippo Clerici during their free skate at the 2024 World Championships
Full nameFilippo Clerici
Born (2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 23)
Como, Italy
HometownCirimido, Italy
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Figure skating career
Country Finland (since 2022)
 Italy (2013–21)
DisciplinePair skating (since 2020)
Men's singles (2013–20)
PartnerMilania Väänänen (since 2022)
Alyssa Montan (2021–22)
Anna Valesi (2020–21)
CoachLuca Demattè
Ondřej Hotárek
Daniel Aggiano
Rosanna Murante
Skating clubPorvoon Skating Club
Began skating2008
Medal record
Finnish Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Joensuu Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2024 Helsinki Pairs

Personal life

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Clerici was born on 7 March 2001 in Como, Italy. After pairing up with Milania Väänänen in 2022, Clerici began learning how to speak Finnish.[1]

Career

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Early career

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Clerici began figure skating in 2008.[2] He initially competed as a singles skater before switching to pairs in 2020. His first pair partner was Anna Valesi whom he won the 2021 Italian Championships with on the junior level.[3]

The following season, he competed with Alyssa Montan on the junior level, placing eighth at 2021 JGP Slovakia and eleventh at 2021 JGP Austria. They went on to win gold at the 2022 Italian Junior Championships and competed at the 2022 World Junior Championships, finishing eighth. Montan/Clerici's partnership dissolved after the season ended.[4]

Partnership with Väänänen

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2022–23 season

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Clerici considered retiring from competitive figure skating following the end of his previous partnership due to no longer being eligible to compete on the junior level and the increasing level of depth in Italian pair skating. However, Clerici's coaches, Luca Demattè, Ondrej Hotarek, and Rosanna Murante were contacted by Finnish-based Italian skating coach, Maurizio Margaglio, and informed that Finnish pair skater, Milania Väänänen, was searching for a new partner. Following a successful tryout, Väänänen moved to Bergamo so they could train together. They decided to represent Finland.[1]

The newly formed team of Väänänen and Clerici competed only once during the 2022–23 season, winning the 2023 Finnish Champions in December 2022. They were ineligible to compete at spring championship events as they had not attained their technical minimums through international competition in the fall.

2023–24 season

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Väänänen/Clerici performing their short program at the 2024 World Championships

Väänänen and Clerici began their season with the goal of attaining their ISU technical minimum scores to be eligible to compete at the 2024 European Championships and the World Championships.[5] The team mearned their minimums during their international debut at the 2023 Lombardia Trophy, where they finished in seventh place. Following the event, Clerici commented, "We are really happy to have reached the technical point limits for the European Championship and the World Championship... Next we will focus on the levels and the quality of the elements in order to increase our points."[6]

At their next event, the 2023 Finlandia Trophy, Väänänen and Clerici were warmly received by a home audience. They placed sixth in the short program and rose to fourth in the free skate with a new personal best score to finish in fourth place overall. The following week, the team competed at the 2023 Tayside Trophy, where they won their first international medal: a bronze medal.

Selected to compete at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo, Väänänen/Clerici finished eighth. The pair then went on to win gold at both 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb and the 2023–24 Finnish Championships.[7]

At the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, the pair finished in fourteenth place. They went on to compete at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the pair place nineteenth in the short program and seventeenth in the free skate, finishing eighteenth overall. Väänänen/Clerici became the first Finnish pair team to qualify for the free skate at a World Championships.[7][8]

2024–25 season

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Väänänen/Clerici started the season by finishing seventh at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, the pair placed eighth at 2024 Skate America and seventh at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy.[7]

Programs

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Pair skating with Milania Väänänen

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2024–25
[9]
2023–24
[2]

Pair skating with Alyssa Montan

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Season Short program Free skating
2021–2022
[10]

Competitive highlights

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Pair skating with Milania Väänänen (for Finland)

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Competition placements at senior level [11]
Season 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
World Championships 18th
European Championships 14th
Finnish Championships 1st 1st
GP Finland 8th 7th
GP Skate America 8th
CS Finlandia Trophy 4th
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 1st TBD
CS John Nicks Pairs 7th
CS Lombardia Trophy 7th
Tayside Trophy 3rd

Pair skating with Alyssa Montan (for Italy)

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Competition placements at junior level [4]
Season 2021–22
World Junior Championships 8th
Italian Championships 1st
JGP Austria 11th
JGP Slovakia 8th
Bavarian Open 4th
Budapest Trophy 3rd
IceLab Cup 2nd

Pair skating with Anna Valesi (for Italy)

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Competition placements at junior level [3]
Season 2020–21
Italian Championships 2nd

Single skating (for Italy)

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Competition placements at junior level [12]
Season 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
Italian Championships 7th 5th 4th 5th
Cup of Tyrol 9th 4th
Egna Spring Trophy 5th
Halloween Cup 7th
IceLab Cup 4th
Ice Star 11th
Prague Skate 4th 5th
Sofia Trophy 5th 5th

Detailed results

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Pair skating with Väänänen

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System 
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 172.31 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
Short program TSS 60.95 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
TES 34.35 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
PCS 26.70 2024 Skate America
Free skating TSS 111.36 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
TES 59.91 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition
PCS 53.54 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb

References

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  1. ^ a b Coutier, Claire. "Vaananen/Clerici: "We know we can win and compete at higher levels"". A Divine Sport. A Divine Sport. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Milania VAANANEN / Filippo CLERICI: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Anna Valesi / Filippo Clerici". SkatingScores.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Alyssa Montan / Filippo Clerici". SkatingScores.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  5. ^ Viitanen, Kaisa (6 September 2023). "Milania Väänänen ja Filippo Clerici – Kaksi kovaa tahtoa yhteisellä jäällä" [Milania Väänänen and Filippo Clerici – Two strong wills on the ice together] (in Finnish). Finnish Figure Skating Association.
  6. ^ Kellokoski, Nina (11 September 2023). "Milania Väänänen ja Filippo Clerici saavuttivat em- Ja MM-Kilpailuiden tekniset pisterajat" [Milania Väänänen and Filippo Clerici reached the technical point limits of the EC and WC competitions] (in Finnish). Finnish Figure Skating Association.
  7. ^ a b c "Milania VAANANEN / Filippo CLERICI: Competition Results". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Vaananen/Clerici are the first Finnish pair to ever qualify for the free skate at Worlds". X. X. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Milania VAANANEN / Filippo CLERICI: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Alyssa MONTAN / Filippo CLERICI: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Milania Väänänen / Filippo Clerici". SkatingScores.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Filippo Clerici". SkatingScores.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
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