Ean Weiler | |
Birth Date: | 12 September 2007 |
Birth Place: | Winterthur |
Height: | 1.65m (05.41feet) |
Discipline: | Men's singles |
Coach: | Ekaterina Zanta |
Skating Club: | Bülacher Eislaufclub |
Beganskating: | 2018 |
Years Competitive: | 2019–present |
Ean Weiler (born September 12, 2007) is a Swiss figure skater. He is a two-time national novice champion in the men's singles discipline, having won in the under-14 category in 2022 and the under-15 category in 2023. Weiler began figure skating in 2018 at the age of ten and is currently training in Bülach, Switzerland.
Ean Weiler was born on September 12, 2007, in Winterthur, Switzerland, as the only child to mother Corinne Weiler and father Harn-Chieh Kwan who are both of Swiss nationality. Weiler stays in close contact with his stepbrother, meeting regularly for gaming in their freetime. He lives with his family in Wil in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen and visits the local secondary school, while driving with his mother to Bülach for his skating lessons six times a week. Weiler was introduced to figure skating in 2018 during a school trip to Schaffhausen, being inspired by the performance of a schoolmate: "She fascinated me so much that I went home and told my mother that I'd like to start skating as well." In order to improve his performing abilities, Weiler has been taking additional ballet classes once per week.
Weiler began skating in spring 2018 at the age of ten under coach Mark Pepperday in Bülach, Switzerland. Although it is more common among figure skaters to start skating in their early childhood, Weiler managed to pass all required basic tests at his local club in a span of one year. In 2019, he switched to coach Ekaterina Zanta who also became his main choreographer. Weiler launched his competitive career at the 2019 Dreitannen Cup in Olten, where he placed second behind Alan Llorente with a margin of 0.12 points. At the subsequent Ticino Cup in Bellinzona and the Montalin Cup in Chur, he eventually claimed his first two gold medals. In the 2020–21 season, Weiler was competing at intermediate novice level, winning another two local skating events. In May 2021, he was selected for the Swiss national team in the advanced novice category and placed first in all domestic competitions the following season. In February 2022, he participated at the Swiss Championships for the first time, winning gold in the novice under-14 category. In April, he gave his international debut at the Egna Trophy in Italy, where he placed seventh. The previous month, he had been invited to the local ice show Magic on Ice. In the 2022–23 season, Weiler won all events he had competed in, including his second Swiss Championships in the novice under-15 category, finishing more than 50 points ahead of silver medalist Tammaro Wyss with a new best score of 129 points.
Weiler's figure skating idol is two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan who influenced Weiler in his skating style, which notably features some of Hanyu's signature moves, including the Ina Bauer, hydroblading, and the side lunge. In 2022, Weiler's costumes were made by Japanese designer who has been in charge of Hanyu's costumes since the 2014–15 season. Besides Hanyu, Weiler named two-time World champion and coach Stéphane Lambiel as a role model, receiving occational help and guidance from Lambiel's skating school in Champéry. Being asked about his favorite element in figure skating, Weiler noted his personal preference for jumps.