In the history of pair skating at the Olympics, Japan has never won a medal. Four years ago, Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara came in as the ones to watch for the future. And now at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the future has arrived. They have medaled at all four post-Beijing Worlds, including two titles, and they are certainly the favorites in a very talented pairs field. If their Team Event performances were any indication, a historic gold medal could very much be in the works for them this week.
Winter Olympics predictions
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GOLD Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara JPN - Ever since they stepped foot onto Olympic ice in Milan, Miura/Kihara have looked as strong as they ever have. This is a pair on a mission to not only win Japan’s first pairs title, but to do it in spectacular fashion. They put down two of their best ever programs in the Team Event, and they look solid in their chances at this Olympic title. After taking seventh at the Olympics four years ago, they won two World titles and two World silver medals, and this could be the culmination of four years of superb skating that have led them to this moment.
SILVER Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin GER - The World silver medalists have had an up and down season, and it might be advantageous to their preparation here. They and Stellato/Deschamps are the only ones of the top group who didn’t skate in the Team Event, and that means they come in a bit fresher, but also wide-eyed in their Olympic debut as a pair. Four years ago, Hase had an unorthodox debut experience with Nolan Seegert where he got COVID for the first half and barely made it to the event.
BRONZE Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava GEO - They are not immune to competition pressure, and we’ve seen them collapse in major events because of it. They have spectacular throws and side-by-side jumps, and really rack up the points with the big elements and their huge ice coverage. Their liabilities come in when you look at the lifts and the death spirals, and that’s where things can start falling apart when they are off. Their chances at the podium will come down to how well they can keep it together knowing an Olympic medal—a first ever for Georgia in figure skating—is within reach.
4. Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii ITA - Still coming off the high of a historic bronze in the Team Event and fresh from recovery from a knee injury that Conti suffered in late December, Conti/Macii could make more history by becoming the first Italian pair to win an Olympic medal. Conti’s knee has held up well in Milan and they have only been skating stronger and feeling more confident as they’ve been here.
5. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps CAN - One of the inspirational stories of the past decade has been the return of Stellato to competition after retiring in the early 2000s from singles skating. And she came back to not only a feel-good story but also as one of the best pair skaters in the world. Stellato/Deschamps won Worlds two years ago and are in contention for the podium. An accident in practice in Canada took them out of the Team Event, and there was a huge question as to whether they would even make it to Milan at all. But the story and the dream continue, and we’ve certainly learned to never count them out.
6. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko HUN - If there’s anyone who can upset the balance, it’s Pavlova/Sviatchenko, known to be one of the most consistent pairs out there and can certainly step in if (and probably when) others make mistakes. They’ve got an outside shot at the podium, and Hungary has not had a pairs medal in 70 years.
7. Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi JPN - Another dark horse here who could potentially shake it up. The rise of Nagaoka/Moriguchi this season has been meteoric. Their spectacular lifts and side-by-side jumps have made them a crowd favorite, and they’ve made strides in the consistency of their throws. They are still working on more advanced pairing skills and are greener in some of the pair basics (like the death spiral), but they could really shake things up if they are clean.
8. Wenjing Sui/Cong Han CHN - The reigning Olympic champions have made a valiant last minute comeback this season. Sui had planned on coming back with a different partner, but it did not work out and Han stepped in to give this one more try. They’ve been hampered by the lack of preparation, which has shown up in their conditioning and their lifts, and, more recently, by injury to Sui. How they skate this week will not take away the fact that they are Olympic champions and one of the greats of this generation.
9. Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud CAN - The Canadian champions unexpectedly took on the full reigns of the Team Event after Stellato/Deschamps withdrew, and they did it so well, putting out a strong short and their best free skate of the season. They are ready for this event, and could figure into the top six if they can go clean.
10. Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea USA - Another pair that has top six potential are Kam/O’Shea, who were the unofficial MVPs for Team USA as they won Team gold. Their performance over expectations in the Team Event—particularly a career-best free skate—helped the US win that gold, and they have that memory to draw from as they try to make some individual event memories of their own.
Top 11-16
11. Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel GER
12. Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakhmanin ARM
13. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini ITA
14. Ioulia Chtchetinina/Michal Wozniak POL
15. Camille Kovalev/Pavel Kovalev FRA
16. Anastasia Vaipan-Law/Luke Digby GBR