Superb! Julia Sauter made a free program without a mistake and is waiting for the evolution of the other skaters!
Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Thursday, February 19, 2026, 9:36 p.m. / Updated Thursday, February 19, 2026, 9:56 p.m.
Julia Sauter (28 years old) achieved the best score of his career in the free program, but also in the total. The final position is determined after the rest of the skaters progress.
UPDATE 21:50. In the middle of the competition, Julia Sauter takes the fifth place, being overtaken by Amber Glenn (214.91), by Jia Shin (206.68), by Lara Naki Gutmann (195.75), by Iida Karhunen (192.79). There are still 12 skaters to enter the competition, divided into two value groups.
UPDATE 21:20 Julia Sauter scored a season-best and career-best 127.80 for her free program.
His program was appreciated by the public in the ice rink in Milan. With a season and career-best total of 190.93, the 28-year-old skater was in second place. The scores made her exclaim, “Oh my God!”
She will find out around midnight where she will end the competition after the remaining 15 skaters have completed their evolution.
THE INITIAL NEWS. Julia Sauter earned her spot in the free program after a flawless performance in the short on Tuesday, which earned her a season-best and career-best score of 63.13 points. She was 16th out of 29 competitors.
The skater born in Germany, but competing for Romania since 2013, is living her dream, and on Thursday evening she will enter the ice for the ninth time, around 21:00, with the free program starting at 20:00.
Julia Sauter financed her dream through fundraising on crowdfunding platforms, multiple jobs, had to overcome moments of anxiety, changes of coaches, problems with Romanian citizenship, which she obtained at the end of last year, and much more.
She spoke after the short program about fulfilling this dream: “What really impresses me about the Olympics is how everything works behind the scenes. It's the only time I get to experience this and I'm really trying to enjoy my time here.”
In the history of the Winter Olympics, Romania has only been represented in the women's event by Beatrice Huștiu in 1968, 28th place, and by Roxana Luca, Julia's current coach, in 2022 and 2006, with her occupying 23rd and 26th places.
Julia Sauter, the best score achieved this year at the European Championships
Julia Sauter's best score for the free program is 121.84, achieved this year at the European Championships in Sheffield. His best total is 174.37, also achieved at this year's European competition, where he placed eleventh. She will skate to a medley of “That Home,” “Rain In Your Black Eyes,” “To Build a Home” on Thursday night.
Julia Sauter chose a purple dress for the free program PHOTO Imago Images
At the top, after the short program, the first three places were occupied by the Japanese Ami Nakai (78.71), Kaori Sakamoto (77.23) and the American Alysa Liu (76.59).
