Exciting reveals at the Pairs Short Program event at Olympics 2026: Stellar performances by skaters Minerva Hase, Nikita Volodin, and Riku Miura wowed spectators and judges with electrifying routines and remarkable feats on the ice.

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As the figure skating world turns its attention toward Milan-Cortina 2026, the pairs discipline is entering one of its most unpredictable Olympic cycles in recent memory. The retirement of reigning Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong has left the top of the field wide open, while the continued absence of Russian pairs teams from international competition has reshuffled the medal picture entirely. Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps have emerged as the team to beat after capturing the 2024 World Championship title, with Stellato-Dudek’s remarkable return to elite competition after more than a decade away adding a compelling narrative to their technical consistency. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara remain formidable contenders, known for their speed and intricate choreography, though they will need to stay healthy through a demanding quadrennial schedule.



European hopes rest partly on Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, who could benefit enormously from skating on home ice, while the United States continues its search for a pair capable of cracking the upper echelon after years of medal drought. Coaches and analysts have noted a gradual shift toward more ambitious technical content, with several teams experimenting with throw quadruple jumps and difficult side-by-side jump combinations in an effort to close the gap on the discipline’s highest scorers. Whether those risks translate to Olympic success will depend heavily on execution under pressure, but the field’s parity suggests that the pairs event in Cortina could produce one of the most closely contested finals in years.

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