OLYMPICS: Figure skating-Italy's Rizzo and Grassl cheered despite mistakes after team bronze party

Home support for Italian figure skaters Matteo Rizzo and Daniel Grassl remained strong on Tuesday despite costly errors in the men’s singles short program that dimmed Italy’s hopes of adding another medal, days after the pair helped deliver the country’s historic team bronze.

The crowd at the Milan Ice Skating Arena roared when Rizzo’s and Grassl’s names were announced, raising the volume as both skaters stepped onto the ice for warmups and cheering throughout their performances.

Grassl finished fourth with 93.46 points, more than nine points behind France’s Adam Siao Him Fa in third place. Rizzo, meanwhile, struggled on the landing of his quadruple toe loop and placed 16th with a score of 84.30.

“Too much adrenaline, so a big mistake in terms of points, of course,” Rizzo said. “But overall, I think the performance was great. The audience was great.”

Rizzo skated to an orchestral version of Silverlines by Måneskin frontman Damiano David, with the home crowd loudly spelling out his name before he began his routine.

With the free skate set for Friday, both Italian skaters face a steep climb to reach the podium. The top two positions appear locked up by American Ilia Malinin and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.

Rizzo admitted that refocusing after Italy’s team bronze was difficult both mentally and physically.

“I’m not joking when I say I received more than 10,000 messages,” he said. “I couldn’t keep up — not just because of the time, but because I had to skate the short program and reset my mind. It was a very challenging moment for me,” he added with a smile.

Grassl, however, said he remains optimistic heading into the free skate despite acknowledging that a minor flaw on his quadruple jump likely cost him three to four points.

“I know it is difficult, but I feel really good. Training has gone very well, and I will face it with joy, just like today,” he said.

Grassl also said he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support following Italy’s team-event success, which marked the nation’s return to the Olympic figure skating podium for the first time since Carolina Kostner’s bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games.

“It was really nice — I received many messages, including from famous Italians like ballet dancer Roberto Bolle,” Grassl said.

-Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by Clare Fallon/Reuters