German pair Hase, Volodin lead after short program at Skate America
Nov 14, 2026
So our final team. A wealth
of experience here.
Runner-up at Europeans,
bronze medalists at
Olympics and the reigning world champions.
Minerva Fabian Hasser and Nikita
Volodin
for
Germany.
Just
beautiful.
Down
around
the
Salco,
What
a
comeback.
Well
six
of
the
seven elements were sensational.
It's the first competition of the season for
It's a real class act, there's no doubt about that.
And Minerva Fabian Hasser, Nikita Volodin for Germany.
And to be honest, such was the quality of all the other elements.
They're going to be in the mix.
They may even be leading, to be honest, even with the fall.
To put it into context, I mean,
she was rotated on the Salchow,
so the mistake's going to lose them, what, just over two points
on the grade of execution and, of course,
a one-point deduction on the fall,
so just over three points.
And if you look at the other elements in the program,
they were so good, and the components of the program,
the way they skate, the way they finish everything off,
that wonderful knee bender coming out the twist. Yeah, that's perfect.
And then down in the knee and extend. Just wonderful. Here's the Salchow.
Just watch. Just make sure she gets it round. I think she does.
Yeah, quite the elevation she was expecting on that,
but foot perfect on the loop.
6.5 points on that. This. Don't try this at home.
If you do, make sure you got a crash
helmet on.
Yeah,
I loved it.
So 71.86
or more
would do it.
Yeah, 72.71.
That will do.
They
got over 80 points in the Olympic Winter Games in the short program,
but it is the lead for
Minerva and Nikita, even with a mistake.
So there it is.
Our second event on day one and
That's how it finished out.
Minerva Fabian-Hasser, Nikita Volodin for Germany out in front.
Elissa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov,
the two-time US champions, in second.
And Oksana Rulimoz and Tom Bouvard for Switzerland.
Weren't they great in third place?
And it is pretty tight at the top there.
It really is all to play for in the free.