Júlia Sylvía Gunnarsdottir and Manuel Piazza have already made history as the first pair team to represent Iceland at the European Championships. Now in their second season together, they hope to make it to the World Championships in Prague. They train between the IceLab in Bergamo, Italy and Júlia’s home city of Reykjavík, Iceland. Here are 26 questions to get to know this groundbreaking pair team!
Favorite Animal
Júlia: Cats 🐱
Manuel: Dogs, of course.
Favorite Book?
Júlia: The Throne of Glass series left the most impact, but I like a lot of books.
Manuel: Child 44
Comfort food?
Júlia: Ice Cream
Manuel: Chocolate (with C)
A Dream you have?
Júlia: I have a lot of weird dreams that I can’t really remember but sometimes if I would wake up in the night, they would continue once I fell asleep again if it was the same night.
Manuel: I don’t remember my dreams much, but as a child, I often had dreams about wolves.
An Embarrassing moment you can laugh about now?
Júlia: When I got my blade stuck in the laces and I face planted in the closing act of a show where I was the main lead for the first time
Manuel: Falling 3 times in a group number of the first show I ever did as a child.
Favorite Food from your country?
Júlia: Lamb soup, there is a very common way to make it in Iceland and it’s always super comforting on a windy day.
Manuel: Spaghetti with seafood. If you ask about Iceland, they have some interesting food, but the fish is great.
Genre of music?
Júlia: Folk pop
Manuel: Rap
Holiday memory?
Júlia: My first Christmas back home after moving to Italy and getting to spend some time with my family.
Manuel: Christmas at home with my family, there’s nothing like it.
Can you play an Instrument?
Júlia: I’ve gotten a bit rusty, but I can play the guitar and was in a band.
Manuel: I used to play the violin, but it’s been years now.
Dream Job as a child?
Júlia: I always wanted to be a singer
Manuel: I wanted to own a farm
Favorite Karaoke song?
Júlia: Shut up and dance
Manuel: Lose Yourself – Eminem
Language you’d like to speak?
Júlia: Korean and, of course, Italian
Manuel: Icelandic
Movie-Night Movie?
Júlia: Harry Potter
Manuel: Any Christopher Nolan movie
Do you have any Nicknames?
Júlia: Lucrezia always calls me sweetie
Niche Interest:
Manuel: Couldn’t come up with anything niche, I do enjoy art and drawing.
One book, TV show, or movie you can recommend?
Júlia: Brooklyn 99
Manuel: 12 Rules for Life
Favorite Podcast?
Manuel: Any podcast with Corey Circelli on it.
Proudest Moment?
Júlia: When we got the scores for Europeans at my first ever pairs competition.
Quote you live by?
Júlia: “Fearlessness is not the absence of fear, it’s the mastery of it” – Emma Watson
Manuel: “I don’t know if you knew, but you get more points if you don’t fall” – usually said after a fall.
Role Model (in skating or in life)?
Júlia: Yuzuru Hanyu in skating
Manuel: Carolina Kostner (in both)
Skating performance you wish you could have seen live?
Júlia: Yuzuru Hanyu Free Program at Worlds in 2017
Manuel: Javier Fernandez Free Program in Boston
Training day essentials?
Júlia: Warm tea after the ice session.
Manuel: Coffee
Who or what do you think is Underrated?
Júlia: Horseback riding
Manuel: Yuzuru Hanyu
Dream Vacation destination?
Júlia: South Korea
Manuel: Japan
Your Whereabouts on a day off?
Júlia: on the couch or at a coffee shop with a good book to read.
Manuel: In the summer, in some pool or at the sea, in the winter, Sundays is mostly for competing.
An eXperience that changed you?
Júlia: Slipping on a butterfly entry
Manuel: Falling in the entry edge of a Loop before taking off
A Year that you would like to visit if you had a time machine?
Júlia: The early 2000s, where it was normal to just spend time outside with friends and not on the phone.
Manuel: Any year of the ancient Greeks, they’re fascinating.
What is your Zodiac sign, and do you believe in the zodiac?
Júlia: I’m a Capricorn, I’d never heard about the big 3 until now, but I always believed there was some sense to the zodiac signs, but I don’t want them to control my life.
Manuel: I’m a Libra, first time I heard about the big 3, I do believe it holds some truth, but I don’t wanna be defined by them.
More:
GOEing into Detail with Júlia Sylvía Gunnarsdottir and Manuel Piazza (Video interview from July 2024)
A to Z with Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel
A to Z with Loïcia Demougeot and Théo Le Mercier
A to Z with Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps
