Little Falls — Olga Mikutina She took a lap around Montclair State University’s ice rink, slow at first to test how the blade would cut into the new sheet, then faster.
The music started and stopped. Skaters hurried past, dancing alone or in pairs. Some wore the blue and white of Israel. “Deutschland” was peeking out from under a black ponytail. Some, like Mikutina, wore plain black. Someone jumped and spun while she continued to warm up.
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Miktina paused for a moment, tilting her head in anticipation. Finally, her song came out of one of the speakers, and it was her moment in the spotlight.
February 17, 2026. Milan, Italy. Olga Mikutina (10) from Austria will compete in the women’s figure skating short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held at the Milan Ice Skating Stadium. Required credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
At that moment, the glow was imaginary. But on February 17, Miktina got the chance to skate on the world’s biggest stage, and she rose to the occasion.
Montclair State University business administration students submitted a clean program Austrian women’s singles representative At the Olympics. She scored 61.72 points and advanced to the free skate on February 19th (2 p.m., Peacock).
She hadn’t even finished packing before the final practice on February 10th. She carried two bags of Austrian team gear, a white stripe surrounded by two red horizontal stripes framed by the national flag. However, she still had to opt for makeup and wrap white skates with her name engraved on the blades. She intended to put them in checked baggage on a direct flight from Newark to Milan.
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This will be the second Olympics for 22-year-old Mikutina. Mikutina’s coach nicknames her “Thumbelina,” after the petite but adventurous protagonist. andersen’s fairy tale.
“I have both Ukraine and Austria in my heart,” said Mikutina, who was born in Ukraine and moved to her new homeland in 2017.
“I want to continue to discover my potential, develop my abilities, learn new elements and perfect my skating. I really want to enjoy the process, feel free on the ice, remain focused on the competition and perform with strong energy.”
more: Meet all of New Jersey’s athletes heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics
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“Ryogoku in my heart”
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Myktina was on the ice at the age of four. Her father, Roman Mikutina, was an ice hockey player. Olga and her mother, Viktoria Mikutina, often went to watch his matches.
Olga started with one-hour group lessons twice a week. That quickly grew to three sessions and then individual coaching. She competed for the first time at the age of 6, finished in first place and continued to win.
At the age of 13, she moved with her mother to Feldkirch, a town of about 40,000 people in southern Austria. She began training with Elena Romanova, a Russian coach who worked with Olympic athletes. Although Mikutina did not spend as much time on the ice as Ukraine, he continued to perform well.
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In 2016, Miktina began representing Austria in Junior Grand Prix events and Junior World Championships. She obtained an Austrian passport in 2020 and placed eighth at the world championships the following year, saying she “became a huge sensation.”
A five-time Austrian national champion, Miktina finished 14th at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and went on to compete in events in Europe and around the world. Her personal best scores (67.18 points in the short program and 131.59 points in the long program) were recorded at the 2021 World Championships.
“I immediately realized that Olga had great potential,” Romanova said in an email translated from Russian. “Olga is a very versatile athlete and we tried to develop all her talents. Now Olga has turned into a wonderful young woman. She is very friendly, sociable, hardworking and yet very responsible.”
Check out the photos from Olga Mikutina’s last practice before leaving for Milan and scroll down for the rest of the story.
On the ice with classes at Montclair State University
Seeking new experiences and a quality education, Miktina decided to “try life” in the United States for college. Google led her to Montclair State University, which had an excellent business administration program and links on campus. She also looked at schools in Boston and Miami.
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Miktina is taking five classes this semester, two online and one less than usual due to her international travel schedule. Her fun class is “Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism,” which she has experienced first-hand. She has also taken “Fundamentals of Speech” as part of her general education. Mikutina already speaks Russian, Ukrainian, German and English fluently. She also studied French and Latin.
For January european championship And for the Olympics, her training increased to 20 hours a week at Montclair State University. Hackensack Ice House – Usually done in 2 hour sessions per day. Romanova emailed her plans from Austria to Roman Serov, a coach based in Mikutina and New Jersey. Mikutina sends the video back to Romanova and they analyze it together online.
more: Get the latest on New Jersey athletes at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics
To help pay for her training, Miktina works part-time at an IT service desk in Montclair. She also found time to spend with her boyfriend. Michal Nosovitsky, Ukrainian-born Israeli ice dancer. He also kept a close eye on her while she trained with partner Shira Ichilov in the final practice before departure.
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“One of the things I learned from sports is how to keep track and be disciplined,” said Mikutina, who will graduate in December. “What must be done and by what time?” [how to] Plan your day. That way you won’t waste your time. You have everything in place. ”
Olga Mikutina of Austria performs during the women’s free skate at the ISU European Championships on January 16, 2026 in Sheffield, England.
Olympic goals
In recent years, Miktina has become more involved in creating the skating program. It took a long time to search for and finally choose the music for her long program. “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica. She and Romanova collaborate with a Czech-based choreographer; american costume designer.
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Miktina said the short program is set up as follows. “Reckoning Song (One Day)” by Asaf Avidan In a long program that “tries to show that every moment counts”, she portrays a woman “trying to break free from the chains, but it’s her fear”. It’s very personal for Miktina.
Although a photo of an Olympic medal is at the center of her vision board, Mikutina has set a more modest goal: a clean program in Milan.
“I want to enjoy it all,” she said. “I am very proud to have been selected. [for the Olympics] There is also the possibility that he will represent his home country. I’m ready. You just have to focus, push yourself, have passion and love for the sport and give the best result and performance that you can. ”
This article originally appeared in the Morristown Daily Record. Montclair State University’s Olga Mikutina to represent Austria at 2026 Olympics