02/15/26 04:39:00
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02/15 16:37 CST Hase and Volodin of Germany seize Olympic pairs lead as
favorites stumble at the Milan Cortina Games
Hase and Volodin of Germany seize Olympic pairs lead as favorites stumble at
the Milan Cortina Games
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
MILAN (AP) --- Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin were the beneficiaries
of another unpredictable night of Olympic figure skating.
The German pair, who have struggled with consistency themselves, made it
through their short program cleanly while all of the other favorites faltered
Sunday night, giving them a comfortable lead going into the free skate at the
Milan Cortina Games.
Performing to "El Abrazo" by French composer Maxime Rodriguez, Hase and Volodin
opened with a brilliant triple twist, landed their side-by-side triple
salchows, and their throw triple loop put an exclamation mark on a program that
earned them 80.01 points.
"Our goal was to go out there and feel like we do in practice and just do our
job," Hase said. "So we tried to do that and then after the program we were
happy that everything worked out. The crowd was amazing. They supported us a
lot. So we are happy overall. But it was just the first part. So tomorrow we
have to do the same again."
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who made a mistake on their throw
triple flip but were otherwise solid, were well behind in second place with
75.46 points as they try to give Georgia its first ever medal at the Winter
Games.
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud of Canada were third with 74.60 in what could be
a tight competition for the podium Monday night.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the world champions from Japan and heavy
favorites to win gold, will have to stage a big comeback after a major mistake
on their lift cost them nearly six points. Miura awkwardly slid off Kihara's
shoulders near the end of the element, and that error was enough to send them
tumbling all the way to fifth place with 73.11 points.
By comparison, Miura and Kihara scored a career-best 82.84 points for the same
program during the team event last weekend.
The defending Olympic champions, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, went long before the
rest of the favorites because the order is based partly on world rankings. And
because they only began a comeback last June after a two-year retirement
brought on by Han's injuries, their ranking had suffered, and they wound up
being the second pair to take the ice.
They also became the first of the favorites to stumble; Sui fell on their
opening triple toe loop and they finished with 72.66 points.
"This is a good memory because this is our third time at the Olympics," Han
said. "We wanted to show what we have now."
Former world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek, the 42-year-old from the Chicago
area, and her Canadian partner Maxime Deschamps weren't even sure they would
compete at these Olympics when she sustained a head injury in a recent practice
fall.
They had a strong program going until Stellato-Dudek's fluke fall at the end of
their reverse lasso lift. They scored just 66.04.
"That has never happened before. It was the first time," Stellato-Dudek said.
"I guess it cost us around 10 points."
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, who helped the U.S. capture team gold last week,
were the top American pair in seventh place with 71.87 points. Emily Chan and
Spencer Akira Howe, a private first class in the U.S. Army, were ninth with
70.06 points.
"Everybody's goal is to go out there and skate clean and nail all the
elements," Howe said. "For me, a big goal has always been getting out there and
feeling good. Because if you can feel good, then you have your best chances of
delivering what you need to do."
The Americans have not won an Olympic pairs medal since 1988, but they appear
to be on an upswing in the discipline. And their top team, national champs
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, isn't even at the Winter Games because the
Finish-born Efimova was not able to secure her American citizenship in time,
which is one of the requirements of the International Olympic Committee.
"There are some amazing pairs teams within the U.S., and I think that you'll
see all three of them at the world championships this year," O'Shea said. "It's
awesome, because pairs in the U.S. is very dear to my heart."
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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