17
Jan
Georgian Skaters Triumph
The 2026 European Figure Skating Championships took place from 13 to 18 January at the Utilita Arena Sheffield in England. During this prestigious event, medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pairs skating, and ice dance, while also determining the entry quotas for each skating federation for the 2027 European Championships.
Georgian skaters made history on Saturday in Sheffield. Nika Egadze (23) triumphed in the men's event, becoming the first Georgian man to secure this title. He presented a commanding short programme to Waltz by Mgzavrebi, featuring a quad Salchow-triple toe combination, a quad toe, and a triple Axel. Despite losing a few levels on some spins, his enhanced expression shone through, earning him a score of 91.28 and placing him first in the short programme. The 23-year-old, who finished fourth in this competition last year, achieved a personal best score of 181.72 in the free skate with programmes featuring Sailing, Verve, and Sail. He successfully executed a triple Axel, a triple Lutz, a quad Lutz, a quad toe, and a quad Salchow-Euler-triple Salchow combination.
With a total score of 273.00—another personal best—Egadze secured first place and won the gold medal. “I am so happy to be here in the UK and to skate here,” he expressed. “I feel so pleased. I was trying to compete with myself. I didn’t hear anyone’s scores. I just wanted to do my job here. And I think it wasn’t perfect, because in the second half of the program, I missed some element of the combo. Some things I need to correct a little bit. But I’m so happy that I finally made it. I am not feeling yet that I am the champion. I am just glad that I did two almost clean programs. There were small things, but overall, I am thrilled.”
In the pairs event, Georgian duo Anastasiia Metelkina (20) and Luka Berulava (23) clinched the gold medal, showcasing confidence and skill. They delivered an impressive short programme to Boléro, executing strong side-by-side triple Salchows. Their triple twist, death spiral, combination spin, lift, and step sequences all received a level four rating with positive Grades of Execution (GOE), finishing the short programme in first place with a score of 75.96 points. “We feel good today; it was okay,” remarked Berulava. “We arrived here yesterday late in the evening (there was a very small visa issue that prevented them from arriving earlier). We headed right away to the rink. For me, this was okay.”
In the free skate, the two-time and current Grand Prix Final bronze medallists displayed their prowess with two level-four lifts, a spin, and a death spiral. They received a score of 139.80 points for their routine to Le discours d’Arthur and Keeping Me Alive, securing first place overall with a total score of 215.76. “We are crazy happy to have won the European championships!” said Metelkina. “We’ve had the bronze, the silver, and now we finally got the gold medal. We couldn’t be happier right now!”
Anastasiia Gubanova (23), representing Georgia in women’s singles (Jogi by San Sanana and Ghost the Musical), secured fifth place with a total score of 184.36. As the 2023 European champion, she is also a two-time European silver medallist (2024, 2025), a two-time ISU Grand Prix bronze medallist, and a four-time ISU Challenger Series gold medallist. Gubanova made history as the first Georgian skater to win the European Championships and the first figure skater to secure a senior-level ISU Championship for Georgia in 2023. Moreover, she was the first female Georgian skater to earn an ISU Grand Prix medal, clinching bronze at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy, and was named Georgia's best female athlete of the year in 2023.
Diana Davis (23) and Gleb Smolkin (26), also representing Georgia in ice dance (Pretty Fly, Come Out And Play and Sonata for Cello and Piano by Myaskovsky), finished sixth with a total score of 199.31. Previously selected to compete for Team Georgia at the 2025 World Team Trophy, Davis and Smolkin placed fifth in the ice dance event, contributing to Team Georgia's overall sixth-place finish and securing a berth for Georgia at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Finally, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France claimed the ice dance title. Niina Petrõkina from Estonia triumphed in the women's event. The competition also established the entry quotas for each skating federation for the 2027 European Championships.
