ST. LOUIS — There’s so much Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov don’t have answers for in this period of uncertainty, but they do know one thing: They are the U.S. champions once again.
The duo defended their U.S. title, winning the 2026 pairs championship after another strong performance in the free skate on Saturday.
They entered the night with a healthy lead, only needing to avoid major mistakes in the free skate to secure the win. It was a shaky start when Mitrofanov stumbled during their double Axel sequence, throwing them off the rhythm and leaving the audience in a gasp as they wondered if there was trouble.
Luckily for them, it was smooth after that. The lifts were executed with precision, and they shared an embrace once their program was complete.
Turns out, they didn’t even need the seven-point lead they entered the night with. Efimova and Mitrofanov scored 132.40 on their free skate, the best of the competition. They won with a combined score of 207.71, more than 10 points ahead of the second place team in Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea (197.12). Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman overcame a fifth place finish in the short program to finish third overall with a score of 187.45.
