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Hot favorites Minerva Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER) captured the lead as the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2025 opened Wednesday in Tallinn (EST) with an exciting Pairs Short Program that held a few surprises.

Hase/Volodin (GER) take the lead

Reigning ISU Grand Prix Final Champions Minerva Hase/Nikita Volodin of Germany captured the lead ahead of 2023 ISU European Champions Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii of Italy. Hungary’s Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko are currently ranked third. 

Hase/Volodin put out a sultry Blues “You Were Mine”, hitting a triple twist, side by side triple Salchow, throw triple loop and a level-four lift. The 2024 ISU World bronze medalists showed off their dance qualities and connection to score 71.59 points.

Favorites Minerva Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER) established a sizeable lead after the Pairs Short Program despite a one-point deduction for a time violation © ISU

“If you want to put it nicely, today it was a ‘hard work program’. We had to push from beginning to end. I noticed the excitement today, and thus it was also harder to skate,” Hase said. 

“Then we also got a deduction for a time violation that we had never gotten before this season. The headline for today would be ‘job done’, I would say. We are happy that we are still in the race and survived the first program OK,” she continued.   

“Well, there were some wobbles today,” Volodin admitted. 

“Honestly, we were a bit surprised to be in first place. Mini did a 100 percent today, I did like 50 percent. Tomorrow will be better.”

Conti/Macii’s passionate performance to “Carmen” was highlighted by a triple twist, triple Salchow, level-four steps and spin. However, Conti touched down with her hand on the throw triple loop. The 2023 ISU European Champions picked up 68.52 points. 

2023 European Champions Sara Conti/Niccola Macii (ITA) sit in silver medal position after a passionate performance to Carmen © ISU

“Today there was tension. We tried the ice only on one practice so it was a little bit shaky but today it’s good. I don’t know why had a mistake [on the throw loop] but I think we skated with the heart,” Conti shared.

Macii explained: “We lost a lot of levels, the mistake on the throw loop I was afraid it was about to come because I saw that the transition for the throw was shaky.”

“Today we skated not as we could have but we gave our character and our experience in what we feel to the audience so we enjoyed skating even if we lost some points.”

Pavlova/Sviatchenko went for a totally different style with their entertaining “Sex Bomb”, completing a triple twist and side by side triple toeloop as well as a difficult lift. The only glitch was Pavlova’s touch down on the throw triple flip. The Grand Prix Finland silver medalists earned 65.88 points, just below their season’s best.

A casually-dressed Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) were just short of their season's best with their entertaining Sex Bomb short program to sit third © ISU

“We are satisfied with our performance. We hadn’t been competing for a while and have lost this feeling of a competition a bit. Despite this little mistake on the throw we are happy,” Pavlova said. 

“At the beginning of the season I had a thought that it would be great to get a medal at Europeans but we had some struggles during the season, we experienced injuries. So now we want just to skate clean for ourselves,” she added.

Anastasia Vaipan-Law/Luke Digby (GBR) placed fourth with a clean skate on 64.83 points. 2023 ISU European bronze medalists Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel (GER) are not far behind in fifth place at 62.68 points. Two-time ISU European medalists Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) finished sixth on 60.95 points. 

Reigning ISU European silver and ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalists Anastasia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) surprisingly are sitting in ninth place after she fell on the triple Salchow and they got no credit for the death spiral (57.03 points). 

What and when 

The schedule of the ISU European Championships 2025 is as follows:

Wednesday, January 29: Pairs and Women’s Short Programs
 Thursday, January 30: Men’s Short Program and Pairs Free Skating
 Friday, January 31: Rhythm Dance & Women’s Free Skating  
 Saturday, February 1: Free Dance & Men’s Free Skating
 Sunday, February 2: Exhibition Gala

For more information, full entry lists and results, visit the ISU event page of the ISU European Championships 2025 and the official event website of the Championships. Check out the Facts & Figures for extra information. Follow the discussion on social media using #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating.

Where to watch the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2025:

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here.

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Stay connected with the ISU: 

ISU website:                 ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2025 

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