2025 World Figure Skating Championships: Pairs
Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara reclaimed the World title in Boston, Mass., on Thursday night, pocketing their fourth medal at this event. Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin rose from third after the short program to claim the silver, while Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy took the bronze.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara
The three-time World medalists were near-flawless in their dynamic and powerful short program to “Paint it Black.” The only error was an underrotation on the side-by-side triple toes by Miura. They showed a very good level-three triple twist, and the lift, spin and steps were all graded a level four. The throw triple flip was huge, earning 3+ grades of execution (GOE) across the panel, and they scored 76.57 points for first place.
“We have been continuously building on this program all season, and I feel we were the most confident today we’ve been so far,” said Miura. “We were able to avoid any major mistakes and got close to a season’s best, so we were really happy about that. We enjoyed ourselves but stayed calm as well. We always made sure to enjoy ourselves during practice too.”
Kihara noted they missed a few levels, but felt they put out what they’ve been working on all season. However, he was happy with how warm and supportive the audience was.
“This wasn’t the best performance, as this season was very hard for us to enjoy ourselves and perform at the same time, so we are really happy we were able to perform well and have a good time as well,” he said.
The 2025 Four Continents champions attacked their free skate to Benjamin Clementine’s “Adiós,” but it wasn’t error-free. Miura two-footed the triple toe-double Axel-double Axel sequence, as well as the throw triple loop and throw triple flip. However, the lifts were all strong and received a level four with high GOEs. The triple Salchows were also clean, and the team picked up a new season’s best of 143.22 for second place in this segment. With a total score of 219.79, they edged out the Germans by a small margin for first place overall.
“There were small mistakes, but I’m very happy to be here and of course to win the second world title,” said Miura. “The first title two years ago was just happiness, but in the last two years, we had very hard times. We had injury problems, we went through many emotions, and we also have many emotions right now. But still, in the end, we are still very happy.”
“This season, we found the enjoyment towards the end of this season,” said Kihara. “We aim to go with this enjoyment into the next season from the beginning. Something we want to work on is our throw. It has not been as consistent as usual this season, so we are considering maybe changing the order of the elements. We have to discuss with our coaching team to prepare the best possible way for next season.”
Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin
The 2024 World bronze medalists delivered a sophisticated and confident short program to “You Were Mine.” After opening with a level-three triple twist, they landed side-by-side triple Salchows and a solid throw triple loop. The lift, spin and footwork were graded a level four, and they placed third with 73.59 points.
Hase acknowledged they were not at 100% in the performance and that they did a better run-through in practice.
“It felt like a little bit of holding back, but overall, we are very pleased,” she said. “We are in a good position. Everything is very close together, and we are confident for the free skate. ”
“It was a safe skating today,” added Volodin. “It was solid, but sometimes it’s just like that.”
The 2025 European champions delivered an extraordinary performance to The Four Seasons that was near-perfect. The only error came at the end on the final lift which was graded a level three as the team was clearly exhausted. The side-by-side triple toe-double Axel-double Axel sequence and triple toes were solid. The throw triple loop and throw triple Salchow were also very good. They placed first in the free skate with a new personal best of 145.49 points, but the overall score of 219.08 wasn’t enough to reach the top of the podium.
“It was an amazing feeling! I was so zoned out,” said Hase. “I was so anxious to go out and then to put out a skate like this, I don’t have words for that. For one second, we hoped it would be enough (to win), but we did everything in this free skate, and we cannot be ashamed or regret that we held back. We did our maximum in the program. It was a little bit sad not to win the gold so closely. We are so happy with the skate. And next season, I hope we will make it. We are very happy with our season.”
“When you are done, everything comes out,” said Volodin. “It was the best skate of the season. We did everything we could in that skate. We feel good and very happy. Now the season is done. It was the last performance for us, and it was very important. On Monday we will fly to Toronto to get new programs.”
Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii
The 2023 World bronze medalists gave a passionate short program to music from Carmen Suite. Staying in character from beginning to end, the team made no mistakes and received a level four on all elements except for the death spiral. The triple Salchows and throw triple loop were solid, with the throw jump earning high GOEs, and they finished second with 74.61 points.
“I feel very good, very happy with the performance today, and I’m so happy to see a smile on Nic’s face,” said Conti. “He was often so frustrated after our performances, and I’m so happy to see him smile today.”
However, Macii, who said it was “good,” still felt there was room to improve.
“The gap between the couples is very small, especially in the short program, so a small mistake can change all the results,” he pointed out. “She (Conti) was more focused tonight, and I was really tense. But when I am tense, she likes it. She feels more powerful. We enjoyed skating, it was incredible when we saw a lot of people standing up. So really, really happy that people enjoyed our program, and we gave emotions.”
Conti was very proud but mentioned that the attention was “high” and that her legs felt “stiff.”
“But we’re happy to enjoy the moment and the audience because it’s been incredible and to go out on the ice rink with a smile together,” she said.
“For us, it’s not going to be our last free program of the year because we have World Team Trophy in three to four weeks,” Macii revealed. “So, we’re going to skate these programs one more time.”
The two-time European medalists gave their free skate everything they had. Their routine to “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”, dedicated to Conti’s late father, featured a level-four triple twist, lifts, and spin. Conti struggled with the rotations on the first two jumps of the triple toe-double Axel-double Axel sequence, while Macii stepped out of the back end. However, the triple Salchows were clean. Conti put a hand down to save a throw triple Salchow, but the throw triple loop was good. They placed third in this segment and overall (135.86 / 210.47).
“We’re so happy to be back on the world’s podium,” said Conti. “There were some small mistakes today. It was actually quite hard to go out there today after such an incredible performance like the one from Minerva and Nikita.”
“The mental part is the toughest for me,” added Macii. “I feel squeezed by the tension often before going out there. I often feel like I need to throw up. This is really something I need to work on. Sara is much stronger than me in that regard. I want to be able to go out and fight for it. I want to find the feeling inside myself that I know I can do it and not just keep telling myself that over and over again.”
The team added that they plan to use two new programs for next season.
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava
Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava showed a very good level-four triple twist and side-by-side triple Salchows in last season’s short program to “Summertime.” They followed up a solid throw triple flip and level-four lift and spin, but there was a tiny error on the death spiral. They scored 71.68 for fourth place.
The two-time World Junior Champions admitted to having high expectations coming into this event.
“We are going to try to do our best, we are very motivated,” said Berulava, who shared it was their decision to go back to last year’s short program.
“We are happy that we changed the program, because this program is our own, our favorite,” he explained. “We love it very much. The coaching staff said it would be better to change, so we changed it.”
Metelkina agreed, adding: “This program has always been cleaner and, probably, more comfortable in some moments. We had already skated it all last season and we’re more relaxed in it.”
Metelkina also revealed that ChatGPT helped her with her make up.
“I’m really into makeup and used to spend a lot of time searching for tutorials on Pinterest,” she explained. “But now, I found a new life hack! I uploaded a picture of my costume and the music to ChatGPT and asked for makeup suggestions. It gave me really good ideas that I adjusted a little bit, and it turned out amazing!”
The two-time European medalists placed sixth (130.53) in their free skate to “A Necessary End” by Saltillo. The triple twist was excellent and received a level four, as did two lifts and the pair spin. There were mistakes on the jump passes, however. Metelkina stepped out of the end of the triple Salchow-double Axel-double Axel sequence, while Berulava struggled with his landing on the triple toes. Metelkina also put a foot down on the throw triple flip and stepped out of the throw triple loop. With a total score of 202.21, they managed to maintain fourth place overall.
“We are a little bit disappointed. There were a few mistakes,” Berulava noted. “And of course we aimed to skate clean. Actually, we’re happy with the fourth place, considering what we did. It was a long season, but due to the good preparation by our coaches, we are not feeling tired and exhausted. We still feel ready to go, and we’re actually really hoping to make the World Team Trophy.”
“Yes, that would be such a fun event!” said Metelkina. “We really hope that Georgia will qualify, because we have such a good team. We’re such good friends, and we think going there as a team would be a really fun opportunity.”
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada made small errors in their short program to place seventh with 67.32 points. The catch was low on the triple twist and Stellato-Dudek stepped out of the throw triple loop. The spins were also out of synch, resulting in negative GOEs, but the triple toes were good. The footwork also received a level four in their routine to “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé.
“Everything was kind of a bit off today,” Stellato-Dudek observed. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. We were kind of hoping that we could carry the momentum of the great free skate at Four Continents into today. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
“Our preparation was actually very good,” she added. “We felt very good and confident throughout the preparation and also here at the event, so this was definitely nothing to be expected.”
The 2024 World Champions made a few mistakes in their unique free skate set to “Siren’s Song” and selections from Blue Planet II, but Stellato-Dudek smiled throughout. The level-four triple twist was excellent, receiving high GOEs, as did the throw triple Salchow and level-four lifts. The errors came when Stellato-Dudek slightly underrotated and two-footed the front end of the triple toe-double Axel-double Axel, while stepping out of the second. She also struggled a bit with the landing of the triple Salchows and put a hand down on the throw triple loop. They placed fifth in this segment and moved up to fifth place overall (132.44 / 199.76).
“Yesterday was really kind of disappointing, today felt much better,” Stellato-Dudek said. “It was a good bounce back. I’m a little bit disappointed about the toe loop. I haven’t missed one in two years, so that’s kind of upsetting. We were told that this season, going into everything as defending champions would be difficult, but now we actually know what it means.”
“A person who’s been in figure skating for more than 50 years told us that it’s probably a good thing to give that burden of being the defending world champion going into the Olympic season to someone else,” she added. “Now I’m really hungry for next season. I feel like I am better at attacking.”
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
USA’s Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov placed ninth in the short program with 63.70 points. Their routine to “Ameska” and “Uccen” was highlighted by a triple twist, throw triple loop and level four lift.
“It was an amazing atmosphere out there!” said Mitrofanov. “The crowd was absolutely amazing, and the support was so, so good.”
“Of course, it’s a little bit sad that we couldn’t finish our season with our best possible performance,” added his partner. “That’s always what you hope for, but we hope to take the positive energy from today into tomorrow’s free skate and give our best there.”
The 2025 U.S. champions gave an endearing free skate to “Je suis malade” which brought the crowd in Boston to their feet at the end. Efimova struggled on the side-by-side jumps, underrotating and stepping out of the triple Salchow-double Axel-double Axel sequence and putting a foot down on the triple toes. However, all other elements were solid, including a throw triple loop and throw triple Salchow, and they earned a level four on all three lifts and spin. The team posted a new personal best of 135.59 for sixth place, moving up three spots to sixth place overall (199.29).
“The focus we managed to get for the program was something very special,” said Efimova. “I hope I made everyone proud who has had heavy time during this time (since the plane crash). I hope that if the people who we lost were here that they would be proud.”
“This means everything,” added Mitrofanov. “The support from the crowd and the support we received from the Skating Club of Boston. Without them, we would never be here. It was also very important for us to honor those who have been lost, and they will forever be in our hearts.”
The U.S. now has a third spot for a pair team to try to qualify for the Olympics this fall.
“It’s such a big thing to be part of something like that, and we’re incredibly happy to have achieved it,” said Mitrofanov.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea
USA’s Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea showed good unison on the side-by-side triple Salchows, but he had a slight touch down on the free foot. Their short program to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” also featured a level four spin and lift, but Kam put her hand down on the throw triple loop. The two-time Grand Prix medalists posted 68.61 points for fifth place.
“We feel very good,” said O’Shea. “Right after the performance, I said to Ellie, ‘Remember that feeling. I’m so proud of you, no matter what the scores will be like.’ There were a few little messy things here and there, and today we also lost some levels, but overall, we are very proud of ourselves and very happy with what we did today.”
The 2024 Four Continents bronze medalists fought through their free skate, which had several errors. The opening triple twist was graded a level four, as were all three lifts and spin, but the problems came on the jumps. The triple toes seemed good at first glance, but O’Shea slightly two-footed his landing. Kam stepped out of the throw triple flip, putting a hand down, and later fell on the throw triple loop. She also stepped out of the triple Salchow-double Axel sequence. But they had the fifth highest component scores in their routine to “Concealed Passion” and “Stand by Me.” They placed seventh in this segment and slipped to seventh overall (126.77 / 195.38).
“We are very happy with what we accomplished this week, together alongside Alisa and Misha,” said O’Shea. “We secured the three spots for Worlds next year and the third potential Olympic spot. It means a lot to us. The past week has been quite difficult, though. Last Friday, I injured my foot, and I was under constant medical supervision from our team, which really helped. Of course, keeping Ellie safe and prioritizing safety was the top concern. Luckily, it wasn’t bad, so withdrawing was never an option. Still, it wasn’t the easiest. Now, we hope to have some time to heal, and we’re excited for the Olympic season ahead.”
“We were excited to give another Team USA the chance to go to that qualifier,” added Kam. “We really hope that whoever is chosen sees it as an honor and an opportunity, not just pressure.”
Rounding out the top 10
Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary placed eighth overall (193.29), followed by Australia’s Anastasia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (188.24) and Uzbekistan’s Ekaterina Geynish and Dmitrii Chigirev (183.01).
This was the third appearance at this event for the Australians who placed 10th last year. Both skaters agree this was a tough season.
“We missed a lot of competitions, but luckily, we’re healthy again now,” said Golubeva.
Both shared that they feel really sad about letting go of this free program.
“I loved it so much,” said Golubeva. “I think it’s our favorite program that we’ve ever skated together.”
Looking ahead, they revealed that next Tuesday, they will already begin working on choreography for their new free skate. They plan to keep their short program for next season. Additionally, Golubeva is currently in the process of obtaining her Australian citizenship, and they are confident that she will receive it in time later this year.
Geynish and Chigirev, who have been nominated for the 2025 ISU Figure Skating Awards for the “Best Newcomer” are happy to have qualified for an Olympic spot.
“This is every athlete’s dream,” said Chigirev. “This was our goal at the beginning of the season, and while we are thrilled, we are not surprised. Looking ahead to next season, our focus will be on improving our pair elements. We want them to be solid, secure, and as flawless as possible.”
They will keep their free program for next season but are searching for something new for the short.
“We feel that our short program this season wasn’t the best choice for our first international season,” said Chigirev. “Right now, our coaches are searching for the right music, and we are excited to explore new possibilities.”
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