U.S. Pairs Skaters Achieve Career-Best at Worlds, Provisional Olympic Milestone

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov's sixth-place finish helps the U.S. qualify three pairs teams for the 2026 Winter Olympics, pending final confirmation, while their Olympic eligibility remains uncertain.

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov achieved career-best scores at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, finishing fourth in the free skate and sixth overall.
Their performance, combined with the seventh-place finish of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, provisionally secured three U.S. pairs spots for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a feat last accomplished in 1994.
Efimova and Mitrofanov’s Olympic eligibility is uncertain due to Efimova’s Finnish citizenship, and they are exploring options to resolve this issue.
The pair received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd, where they train at the Skating Club of Boston, which is still mourning the loss of six members in a January plane crash.
Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their second consecutive World Championship pairs title in a tight competition, with Germany and Italy rounding out the podium.