Croatian-Italian figure skater
Jari Kessler (born 29 November 1996) is a Croatian and Italian figure skater. For Croatia, he is the 2020 NRW Trophy champion, 2022 Jegvirag Cup silver medalist, 2022 Merano Ice Trophy bronze medalist, and four-time Croatian national champion (2020, 2023–25). He represented Italy until spring 2019, winning three senior international medals.
Personal life.
Kessler was born in Cles, Italy. He played pond hockey before switching to figure skating.
Career.
Early career and skating for Italy.
Kessler began figure skating in 2009. His first skating coach was Ludmila Mladenova. Originally competing for Italy, he moved up to the junior ranks for the 2012–13 figure skating season. He would eventually make his senior international debut in January 2016, at the Mentor Toruń Cup in Poland.
Kessler's first senior medals came in the 2017–18 season. He won bronze at the Mentor Toruń Cup, in January, and another bronze at the Egna Spring Trophy, in April.
In October 2018, he took bronze at the Golden Bear of Zagreb in Croatia. The Egna Spring Trophy in March 2019 was his final competition for Italy.
2019–20 season.
Kessler competed at the 2020 Croatian Championships where he won his first national title.
2020–21 season: International debut for Croatia.
Coached by Lorenzo Magri, Angelina Turenko, Alisa Mikonsaari, and Eva Martinek, Kessler made his international debut for Croatia at the 2020 CS Budapest Trophy, where he placed seventh. In November, he would win gold at the NRW Trophy in Germany. He subsequently finished the season with a twelfth-place finish at the 2021 International Challenge Cup.
2021–22 season.
Kessler started the season by competing on the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, finishing fifteenth at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn, thirteenth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria, and nineteenth at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. He also finished seventh at the 2021 Budapest Trophy which took place between the first two Challenger Series events.
In January, Kessler competed at the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, finishing thirty-first in the short program, failing to advance to the free skate segment. In February, he took bronze at the Merano Ice Trophy, silver at the Jegvirag Cup, and placed fifth at the 2021 Bellu Memorial.
2022–23 season.
Kessler began the season by competing at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where he finished sixth. He would then go on to win gold at the 2023 Croatian Championships.
Going on to compete at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, Kessler qualified for the free skate segment after finishing nineteenth in the short program. He would also finish nineteenth in the free skate and nineteenth overall.
In February, Kessler won the bronze medal at the 2023 Dragon Trophy, finished fourth at the 2023 Tallink Hotels Cup, and won gold at the 2023 Bellu Memorial.
Making his World Championship debut at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Kessler finished thirty-first.
2023–24 season.
Kessler started the season by winning bronze at the 2023 Tirnavia Ice Cup and at the 2023 NRW Trophy. In December, Kessler placed eleventh at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb before winning his third national title at the 2024 Croatian Championships.
One month later, Kessler competed at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, where he placed twenty-seventh in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment.
Kessler subsequently competed at the 2024 Bavarian Open and the 2024 Merano Cup, finishing ninth and seventh, respectively.
Selected to compete at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Kessler would finish in twenty-ninth place.
2024–25 season.
Kessler began the season with a twelfth-place finish at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.
References.
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