In one of the closest battles in recent memory, Minerva Fabienne Hase & Nikita Volodin (GER) lead the pairs field at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships — but only just. After the short program on Wednesday at the Tipsport Arena in Prague, they sit only 0.33 points ahead of rivals Anastasiia Metelkina & Luka Berulava (GEO) as the fight for a maiden world title heats up.
“Every Element Counts”
Germany’s Hase and Volodin posted a strong score of 79.78, earning narrow advantage over the Georgian duo, who scored 79.45 with a season-best performance.
“We just focused on clean execution,” Hase said afterward. “In a race this tight, every point matters.”
Metelkina agreed, adding:
“We left everything on the ice. The free skate will be decisive.”
Those quotes reflect the intensity and focus of two teams chasing their first world gold medal together.
Numbers That Matter
Hase/Volodin (GER) — 79.78 points
Metelkina/Berulava (GEO) — 79.45 points
Difference: 0.33 points — roughly the value of a small step-out on a jump element. This margin is tiny by pairs skating standards — less than the deduction for a single fall.
Both teams entered Prague 2026 with strong seasons:
Hase & Volodin, Olympic bronze medalists and consistent podium finishers, have shown remarkable resilience and technical polish throughout the season. Metelkina & Berulava cruised to European gold earlier in 2026, marking Georgia’s first continental title at this level. Their blend of athleticism and dramatic presentation has been a signature of their campaign.
What’s Next?
The Free Skate — set for Thursday — will decide who lifts the World Championship title. With such a razor-thin margin, it promises to be a thriller:
A clean free performance could vault either team into gold medal glory.
Any mistake — even minor — could flip the standings.
Figure skating fans are buzzing on social platforms about the pair standings and technical tensions heading into the free skate — illustrating just how unpredictable and exciting this season has become at the elite level.
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