2025 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb

The first installment of the Golden Spin of Zagreb – originally called the Zagreb International Figure Skating Championship (Croatian: Međunarodno prvenstvo Zagreba u umjetničkom klizanju) – was held in 1967 in Zagreb, in what was at the time Yugoslavia.^[2] The competition continued as a Croatian event after Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.^[3] The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points.^[4] The Golden Spin of Zagreb was one of the competitions in the 2014 inaugural season,^[5] and in 2016, it was identified as one of a "core group" of Challenger Series events in recognition of its long-standing tradition.^[6] It has been a Challenger Series event every year since the series' inception, except for 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7] The 2025–26 Challenger Series consisted of eleven events, of which the Golden Spin of Zagreb was the eleventh.^[8]

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on 12 November 2025.^[9]

Men and women competing in single skating first performed their short programs on Thursday, 4 December.^[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[10] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[11]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[11]

Women performed their free skates on Friday, 5 December, while men performed theirs on Saturday, 6 December.^[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,^[10] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.^[12]

Couples competing in pair skating first performed their short programs on Friday, 5 December.^[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[10] the short program has to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[13]

Couples performed their free skates on Saturday, 6 December.^[1] The free skate performance can last no more than 4 minutes,^[10] and has to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.^[14]

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Thursday, 4 December.^[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,^[10] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge.^[15] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.^[15]

Couples then performed their free dances on Friday, 5 December.^[1] The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes,^[10] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.^[15]

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base value and then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from –5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.^[16] Every Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to 5 was assigned a value (a percentage of the element's base value) as shown on the Scale of Values (SOV).^[17] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of 3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of 3 earned 10.40 points.^[18] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.^[17] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.^[19] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.^[20]

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[22] The total elements score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.^[23]