It is a tradition in every sport to produce prodigies who excel at a very young age, and there have been many examples of this throughout history. Now, Elyce Lin-Gracey’s name can be added to that list. The U.S. skating sensation took the community by storm last year when she won the Nebelhorn Trophy in September.

As she skated to Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Wadjet, Elyce landed six triple jumps, earning an impressive score of 142.17—a huge personal best, improving her previous record by 16 points. She showed no signs of nerves during that competition. However, things seemed to change in her first Grand Prix a month later. In an interview, Elyce Lin-Gracey admitted to succumbing to the pressure of the tournament.

Elyce Lin-Gracey talks about her woes at her skating Grand Prix debut

In an interview with Olympics.com, Elyce Lin-Gracey described the pressure she felt as she competed in her first Grand Prix merely at the age of 17. Gracey had been watching the competition long before that. But transitioning from a viewer to a competitor is quite a tough ask for someone her age, as nervousness plays a lot of part in it. Additionally, the fact that she lifted the 2024 Nebelhorn Trophy just a month ago in Germany only increased the pressure. She said that all she ever heard were people talking about her performance in that competition and whether she could replicate it in the Grand Prix.

“It’s a lot to try to skate my best after my best performance ever. In practice, I would be performing like Nebelhorn every single day. But when I got here, the nerves are a lot. The pressure. Lights are brighter. The audience was so wonderful here, but it’s like not something that I’m super used to yet,” she said. Gracey, however must combat this in her next outing in Canada on October 25th, or else she would be left with a performance which doesn’t satisfy herself, like Skate America.

The skater scored 183.94 points, which led her to sixth place. While this was a decent outing for a debutant in the competition, it did not satisfy the talented Elyce Lin-Gracey, who felt she made some avoidable mistakes. To ensure a better performance in Canada, she will need to overcome her jitters. However, with the level of expertise guiding her, she has every ability to bounce back.

Elyce Lin-Gracey is learning from the best of the skating world

Elyce Lin-Gracey is receiving advice from top athletes in the sport, including Mirai Nagasu. At just seven years old, Elyce attended a 10-week skating course taught by the Olympic bronze medalist. Although she didn’t know who Mirai was at the time, she enjoyed the classes, where she learned essential skills like three-turns and how to stop properly on the ice. This early experience played a role in her decision to pursue skating professionally. Even now, her former teacher continues to send her encouraging messages, which Elyce describes as very sweet and uplifting.

The other skater who has taken the mantle of advising the 17-year-old is her teammate and national champion Amber Glenn. According to Elyce, it is a privilege to skate with her every day. She also described her as the sweetest person alive and very helpful. “And watching her train hard motivates me to train harder so we can hopefully be at our best for U.S. Nationals because the U.S. Nationals, it’s going to be a really interesting event this year.”

An excellent performance at the US Nationals could secure Elyce Lin-Gracey her first appearance at the ISU World Skating Championships, set to take place in Boston next year. This would give her a shot at the world title, making it an enticing opportunity. If she can overcome her nerves and elevate her skills, there’s no reason why Elyce Lin-Gracey shouldn’t make it.