Sophia Schaller
Sophia Schaller is an Austrian figure skater who currently competes in the pairs discipline with Livio Mayr. Together, they are three-time Austrian national champions.
As a singles skater, she is the 2018 Sarajevo Open champion, the 2019 Santa Claus Cup bronze medalist, the 2017 Austrian junior national silver medalist, and a six-time Austrian national medalist.
Personal life
Schaller was born on September 17, 2000 in Salzburg, Austria. Her younger sister, Flora Marie Schaller, is also a competitive figure skater, competing in the women's singles event.Career
Early career
Schaller began figure skating in 2007. Joining the Salzburg Skating Club, she was first coached by Iva Žvachtová before switching to Julia Kiefer and Sandra Riegler prior to the 2016–17 figure skating season. On the junior level, she would win silver at the 2016–17 Austrian Championships and the 2017–18 Austrian Championships in the women's singles discipline.In her first year competing on the national senior level, Schaller would win bronze at the 2018–19 Austrian Championships. The following year, Violette Ivanoff would join Schaller's coaching team and after winning silver at the 2019–20 Austrian Championships, Schaller was selected to represent Austria at the 2020 European Championships and the 2020 World Championships. She would place twenty-sixth and thirty-seventh at these events, respectively.
Continuing on as a singles skater, Schaller would win silver at the 2020–21 Austrian Championships and bronze at the 2021–22 Austrian Championships.
2022–23 season: Debut of Schaller/Mayr
In May 2022, Schaller decided to try pair skating with longtime Salzburg Skating Club-mate, Livio Mayr, after having a tryout session in Paris. Mayr was initially interested in teaming up with Schaller in 2018 when he was first beginning his pairs career, but at the time, Schaller had chosen to prioritize her future in singles. The skaters would attribute their ease adapting to skating together to their long-standing relationship, having known one another since childhood and trained at the same rink for many years. Schaller/Mayr chose to train under Schaller's longtime coaches, Violette Ivanoff and Julia Kiefer, with the addition of former Austrian champion pair skater, Severin Kiefer. It was also announced that the duo would also make trips to Oakville, Ontario, Canada to work with Canadian pair coaches, Bruno Marcotte and Brian Shales.The pair started the season by finishing fourth at the 2022 Tayside Trophy, fourth at the 2022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur, and fourth at the 2022 Ice Challenge. They would then compete on the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series, finishing eleventh at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
In December, Schaller/Mayr won their first national title at the 2022–23 Austrian Championships. They were then selected to compete at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, where they finished in twelfth place. The pair would then conclude their season by finishing fifth at the 2023 Bavarian Open and ninth at the 2023 International Challenge Cup.
2023–24 season
Schaller/Mayr started the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2023 John Nicks Pairs Challenge. Going on to compete on the 2023–24 ISU Challenger Series, the pair would place seventh at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International. They would subsequently win a bronze medal at the 2023 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur and place ninth at the 2023 Warsaw Cup.In December, Schaller/Mayr would win gold at the 2023–24 Austrian Championships for a second consecutive time.
Going on to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, the pair would finish in eighteenth place. They would then go on to place fifth at the 2024 International Challenge Cup.
Making their World Championship debut as a team at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the pair would finish twenty-second.
2024–25 season
Schaller/Mayr began the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, finishing fifteenth at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition, ninth at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, and fifth at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. In mid-December, they would win their third consecutive national title at the 2025 Austrian Championships.The pair went on to compete at the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, where they finished in sixteenth place. They then closed the season with a fifth-place finish at the 2025 International Challenge Cup.