Nicole Della Monica facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicole Della Monica
Della Monica and Guarise at the 2012 World Championships
Personal information
Country represented	Italy
Born	(1989-06-03) 3 June 1989 (age 36) Trescore Balneario, Bergamo
Home town	Albano
Height	1.56 m (5 ft 1 in)
Partner	Matteo Guarise Yannick Kocon
Began skating	1995
Retired	April 19, 2022

Nicole Della Monica (born June 3, 1989) is a retired Italian pair skater. A pair skater is someone who performs with a partner. They do amazing lifts, throws, and spins together.

Nicole was a nine-time Italian national champion. She won seven titles with her partner Matteo Guarise (from 2016 to 2022). She also won two titles with her earlier partner Yannick Kocon (in 2009 and 2010).

Nicole represented Italy at three Winter Olympics: in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. She retired from competitive skating on April 19, 2022.

Nicole's Skating Journey

Nicole Della Monica started her skating career as a single skater. This means she skated by herself, not with a partner. In 2005, she won a bronze medal at the Italian National Championships.

Skating with Yannick Kocon

In 2007, Nicole started pair skating with Yannick Kocon. They both used to be single skaters. Together, they became Italian national champions in 2009 and 2010.

They even competed for Italy at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Their partnership ended in January 2011 because Nicole had a knee injury.

Skating with Matteo Guarise

Starting a New Partnership

Nicole teamed up with Matteo Guarise in late 2011. Matteo was a former world champion in roller skating. They trained in a town called Zanica.

Their first international competition was the 2012 Bavarian Open, where they won a bronze medal. They then competed at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, finishing fifteenth.

Olympic Dreams and Challenges

Nicole and Matteo continued to improve. They placed ninth at the 2013 European Figure Skating Championships and fourteenth at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. Their performance helped Italy get two spots for the 2014 Olympics.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Matteo had a knee injury just before the event. Despite this, they competed and finished sixteenth. Matteo had surgery and recovered quickly.

Climbing the Ranks

In the 2014–15 season, they competed in big events called the Grand Prix series. They finished fifth at the 2014 Cup of China and sixth at the 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard. They also placed sixth at the 2015 European Figure Skating Championships.

The 2015–16 season was a big one for them. They won their first national title together in Italy. They also earned a bronze medal at the 2015 Ice Challenge, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. They finished sixth at the 2016 European Figure Skating Championships.

Winning More Titles

In the 2016–17 season, Nicole and Matteo won two Challenger Series events: the 2016 CS Lombardia Trophy and the 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. They also won their second Italian national title.

The 2017–18 season brought them their first Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the 2017 Internationaux de France. Nicole was very happy with their performance. They won their third Italian national title and placed sixth at the European Championships. They competed in their second 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, finishing tenth. They ended the season with a strong fifth place at the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships.

Making History

The 2018–19 season was historic for them. They won two silver medals at Grand Prix events: the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki and the 2018 Rostelecom Cup. This made them the first Italian pair team to qualify for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. They finished fifth at the Final.

They won their fourth Italian national title. At the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships, they earned a small bronze medal for their short program. They finished fourth overall, just missing a medal. At the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships, Matteo had a collision during warm-ups, which affected their performance. They finished eighth.

Final Seasons and Retirement

Nicole dislocated her shoulder in the summer of 2019, which delayed their training. They still won a silver medal at the 2019 Icelab International. They won their fifth Italian title and placed fourth at the 2020 European Figure Skating Championships. The 2020 World Figure Skating Championships were cancelled due to the pandemic.

In the 2020–21 season, they placed eighth at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships. They won their sixth Italian national title in the 2020–21 season.

For their final season, 2021–22, they won the gold medal at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy. They also won their seventh consecutive Italian national title. They competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. They placed seventh in the team event and thirteenth in the pairs event.

On April 19, 2022, Nicole Della Monica announced her retirement from competitive figure skating. She decided to retire to start a family.

Skating Music

With Matteo Guarise

With Yannick Kocon

As a Single Skater

Images for kids

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  Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise in 2017

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  Della Monica and Kocon at the 2009 European Championships.