On a night brimming with anticipation and nerves at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, the pairs figure skating short program at the Milan Cortina Olympics delivered a dramatic shake-up that no one saw coming. Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin dazzled the crowd with a passionate tango, seizing the lead with a personal best score of 80.01 points and throwing the competition wide open for the free skate. Meanwhile, Japanese favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara—two-time world champions and the first Japanese pair ever to claim a world title—found themselves in an unfamiliar fifth place after a costly error on their lasso lift left them nearly seven points adrift of the top.
Hase and Volodin’s Olympic debut could hardly have gone better. Skating with a blend of precision and flair, the German duo not only topped their previous best by three points but also established a five-point cushion heading into Monday’s free program. “Our goal was to go out there and feel like we do in practice,” Hase told reporters. “So we tried to do that. After the program, we were happy that everything worked out.” Their calm under pressure was palpable, and their flawless execution stood in stark contrast to the struggles that befell some of the event’s biggest names.
The German pair’s achievement is just the latest chapter in a storied history of success for their country in this discipline. Germany claimed its first Olympic pairs gold in 1908 and has been a perennial podium presence since, with memorable wins including the 2018 title secured by Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot. For Hase, the triumph was especially sweet after a difficult experience at the Beijing Games four years ago, where a COVID-related withdrawal and a challenging free skate left her far from the podium. This time, she and Volodin made the most of their opportunity, thrilling the crowd and judges alike.
Trailing the Germans were Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who posted a solid 75.46 points to sit in second place, despite a minor error on their throw. Canada’s Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud were a surprise third with 74.60, edging out several more established contenders. The competition was fierce, with only the top 16 of 19 pairs advancing to the free skating program scheduled for February 16, 2026.
For Japan’s Miura and Kihara, the night was a test of both skill and mental fortitude. Arriving in Milan as reigning world and Grand Prix Final champions, the pair had helped Japan secure silver in the team event earlier in the Games and were widely tipped as gold-medal favorites. Their rise has been nothing short of meteoric: before their world silver in 2022, Japan had gone more than a decade without a major international pairs medal. Their journey has been marked by resilience, with Kihara battling recurring back injuries and Miura skating through a dislocated shoulder at the 2025 Japan Championships.
But on this night, the pressure of the Olympic stage seemed to take its toll. After executing their opening triple twist and triple toe jumps with characteristic poise, disaster struck on what was meant to be a Level 4 lasso lift. Miura slipped awkwardly off Kihara’s shoulders, resulting in a Level 2 credit and a minus-2.30 grade-of-execution penalty. The error slashed their score to 73.11—well below their personal best and almost seven points behind Hase and Volodin. “I made a big mistake on the lift, but I was able to keep my composure and complete the throw after that, so I think that really helped me become a lot stronger mentally,” Miura reflected afterwards, speaking through a translator.
Kihara, appearing in his fourth Olympic Games, was quick to shoulder responsibility but remained upbeat about their chances in the free skate. “We haven’t watched film yet but we have to regroup tomorrow and do the absolute best we can. That’s all we can do,” he said. “I’m not sure what happened, but it is what it is. We have to think positive. But it’s not like we’re in bad form so tomorrow, we hope to be our usual selves. We’ll be back. I guarantee that.” Miura echoed his sentiments, noting, “Our nerves were fine. Our twists, jumps, we nailed all our other elements, so we just have to make sure we don’t make a similar mistake [Monday].”
The significance of Miura and Kihara’s performance cannot be overstated. Their presence at the top has symbolized Japan’s resurgence in pairs skating—a discipline long dominated by Russia, Germany, and North America. Until their breakthrough at the 2022 World Championships, Japan had rarely figured in the Olympic pairs conversation, often not even fielding a team. Their silver in the team event and their world titles in 2023 and 2025 have inspired a new generation of Japanese skaters and ignited hopes of a historic first Olympic pairs medal for the country.
Elsewhere in the standings, Beijing 2022 gold medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, who came out of retirement in June 2025, finished sixth with 72.66 points after Sui touched the ice on their opening triple toe loop. Italy’s home crowd favorites Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii delighted fans with a score of 71.70, good enough for eighth, while the much-anticipated Olympic debut of 42-year-old Deanna Stellato-Dudek and partner Maxime Deschamps of Canada was marred by errors, leaving them well off the pace at 66.04.
For some, the night’s results were a reminder of just how quickly fortunes can change in the high-wire world of Olympic figure skating. As John Powers of the Boston Globe observed, “That’s what one bad mistake in the short program can do since there are only seven required elements. Seven points is a considerable hole to climb out of.” Yet, as history has shown, comebacks are always possible—especially in a sport where artistry, athleticism, and nerves collide under the world’s brightest lights.
With the free skate looming, all eyes will be on whether the German leaders can maintain their form and whether Miura and Kihara can stage a dramatic rally. As Hase wisely noted, “It was just the first part. So tomorrow we have to do the same again.” The competition is far from over, and with Olympic dreams hanging in the balance, Monday’s free skate promises even more drama, redemption, and perhaps a few surprises yet to come.
For now, the pairs event at Milano Cortina 2026 remains wide open, with Germany in command, Japan looking for redemption, and the rest of the field hungry for their own place in Olympic history.