German figure skaters Minerva-Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin have fulfilled their dream of becoming world champions. Five weeks after securing bronze at the Milan Winter Olympics, the Berlin-based duo culminated their strong short program with a compelling free skate, earning them their first World Championship title in pair skating. Following previous bronze (2024) and silver (2025) medals, the top pair of the German Ice Skating Union (DEU) now boasts a complete set of World Championship accolades.
«We wanted to have fun here. But of course, it’s wonderful that we won,» Hase commented on their success. Regarding their leading position after the short program, she added: «We told ourselves not to overthink it too much.»
Hase and Volodin triumphed on Thursday evening at the World Championships in Prague, achieving a personal best score of 228.33 points. They notably surpassed Olympic silver medalists Anastassia Metelkina/Luka Berulawa from Georgia (218.41) and Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud from Canada (216.09), who secured third place. Japanese Olympic and World Champions Miura Riku/Kihara Ryichi had previously withdrawn from the competition. The second German pair, Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel, concluded in seventh place with 194.11 points.
Hase and Volodin laid the groundwork for their victory on Wednesday with a world-class short program, scoring 79.78 points. They entered the final free skate, their last competition of the season, with a narrow lead. After executing a clean triple combination, Hase experienced a slight wobble on the triple Salchow but managed to remain upright. Subsequently, the Berliners delivered an expressive and flawless free skate, ultimately securing their coveted gold medal.
Future of Gold-Winning Duo Uncertain
The World Championships marked the conclusion of a long Olympic season for the figure skaters. However, a significant question mark lingers over the joint future of Hase and Volodin, as they refrained from making a clear commitment to continue performing together after their third-place finish in Milan.
Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel also presented an energetic and captivating free skate, which was warmly received by the audience. Their 128.76 points represented a season-best free skate score, and their total of 194.11 points precisely matched their performance at the Milan Winter Games, where they had placed tenth.
«We are overjoyed. I honestly don’t know what to say right now. I’m a bit speechless,» exclaimed Hocke, praising the «incredible» atmosphere: «And we are thrilled that we could provide such a beautiful end to the season for our coaches.» Kunkel described the season finale as «simply fantastic. Such feedback from the arena and the audience – that’s exactly why we do this.»