Golden Pairs: Russia and Europe Shine at the Figure Skating Championships

In the spring of 2022, most Russian athletes were suspended from participating in international tournaments, and this suspension has dragged on for quite some time. Our champions are only now beginning to make their presence known again, although many competitions are still held without them. For instance, there is no Russian team, even under a neutral flag, at the European Figure Skating Championships currently taking place in Sheffield, England. This championship is quite notable as the Winter Olympics in Milan begins on February 6, and any victory now can be incredibly important for the international rankings.

The Road to Recognition

Just a few weeks before the start of the Games, the athletes’ nerves are stretched to the limit, and their fans, including those from Russia, are also on edge because there are still teams to cheer for. Special attention is now being drawn to mixed international pairs, and the formula of Russia + Europe could prove to be very successful!

Maria Kazakova and Vladislav Kasinsky – Georgia

Maria Kazakova and Vladislav Kasinsky currently represent Georgia and are doing so quite successfully. However, their path to international recognition was not the easiest. Maria was born in Moscow and until 2017, she competed for Russia. After losing her partner, she joined the Georgian team. Vladislav, born in Volgograd, initially represented Russia and later Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fate brought Kazakova and Kasinsky together. Although they did not qualify for the Olympics in Milan, their journey in figure skating is just beginning.

Evgenia Lopareva and Geoffre Brissaud – France

Evgenia Lopareva, born in Moscow, first stepped onto the ice at the age of four. She started as a single skater but struggled with complex jumps. At 12, she switched to ice dancing. Lopareva always had potential, but the stiff competition in Russia hindered her progress. France, with fewer dance duos, offered better opportunities, leading her to change her citizenship. She has been skating with Geoffre Brissaud since 2022, and in 2025, they became European champions.

Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava – Georgia

Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, representing Georgia, are not only heading to the Olympics in Milan but also aiming to bring home at least one, if not two, medals. The Georgian team has a strong chance of making it to the top three in the team tournament if all skaters perform well. Metelkina and Berulava, who have been skating together for only three years, already have bronze and silver medals from the European Championships. In Sheffield, they are aiming for gold.

Maria Pavlova and Alexei Svyatchenko – Hungary

Maria Pavlova was born in Moscow and moved to Canada with her mother and sister at the age of 10. She trained under the legendary Brian Orser but later returned to Russia. Now, Pavlova and another Russian, Alexei Svyatchenko, represent Hungary. They are coached by Fedot Klimov, the 2014 Olympic silver medalist, and train in Sochi due to the lack of professional rinks in Hungary.

Angelina Kudryavtseva and Ilya Karankevich – Cyprus

The duo of Angelina Kudryavtseva and Ilya Karankevich, formed in 2018, represents Cyprus. They trained in Russia for a long time but moved to Italy in 2022 for easier access to international tournaments. The past two seasons have been challenging due to Kudryavtseva’s injury. In 2023, during a warm-up, she collided with another skater, broke her leg in two places, and suffered ligament damage. Recovery took a long time, but the ice dancers are determined not to give up.

Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov – Spain

Asaf Kazimov began his training in St. Petersburg and moved to Germany with his family in 2012. He changed four partners before meeting Sofia Val in 2022. Val, being Spanish, required the pair to choose a country to represent. Kazimov moved to Madrid, and they faced a year-long “quarantine” period due to changing sports citizenship. Since then, they have placed second in the national championships three times, and their participation in the European Championships is a significant achievement.

For more information on figure skating, visit the International Skating Union.