Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Galliamov won the pair skating gold medal at the ISU Grand Prix in Shenzhen, China, the first time Russian skaters have won this adult series since November 2021.
The duo earned 209.84 points across the short and free programs to secure first place, according to NEWS.ru and Sport Express.
Results from the Shenzhen Grand Prix
The competition in China, which took place from November 5 to 8, featured eight pairs. Mishina and Galliamov established a lead during the short program on November 6, scoring 74.69 points, which gave them a 7.63-point advantage heading into the final segment, Fontanka reported.
By the end of the event, the pair had increased their margin to 11.57 points over the silver medalists. The final standings for the pairs discipline were as follows:
- Anastasia Mishina / Alexander Galliamov (Russia): 209.84
- Anastasia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia): 198.27
- Yuna Nagaoka / Sumitada Moriguti (Japan): 181.50
The Russian pair, who train under Tamara Moskvina, beat their closest competitors, the Georgian duo representing Eteri Tutberidze and Stanislav Morozov. This gold medal serves as a major argument for the students of Moskvina, though it does not guarantee them a spot at the World Championships.
Due to ISU restrictions following the return of Russian skaters to the international arena, the country holds only one quota for the pairs discipline. Mishina and Galliamov must now defend their position against another top Russian pair, Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitry Kozlovsky, who are also training under Eteri Tutberidze and recently won silver at the Grand Prix in France with a score of 197.66.
⛸ Russian figure skaters Mishina and Galliamov win their first @ISU_Figure Grand Prix gold in five years Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov won the third event of the ISU Grand Prix in Shenzhen (China). They scored a combined 209.84 points across the short programme and…
Women’s singles competition results
In the women’s singles category, Japan’s Mone Ikiba took the gold medal with 224.48 points. Russia’s Alexandra Ignatova earned the silver medal with a total of 221.27 points, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported.
Ignatova, the 22-year-old 2022 Olympic silver medalist who gave birth to a son in August 2025, performed a quadruple Lutz during her free program. This appearance marked her first time competing at an international Grand Prix stage in five years, Novaya Gazeta Europe noted. While she did not secure the win, she remained competitive in a difficult field, finishing second behind Ikiba.
Luka Berulava expresses frustration over technical performance
Following the pair competition, Georgian skater Luka Berulava expressed frustration regarding his performance in technical elements.
“I am very angry with myself for not being able to do basic elements like lifts. I have been struggling with them for many years: I go to the gym every day, even on weekends, but I just can’t do it,” Luka Berulava told Sport.ru.
as reported by Sport.ru
Berulava noted that while he is an emotional person who needs to release feelings after losses, his partner, Metelkina, is much more reserved.
Skater Katerina Gerboldt expressed her joy for the duo and their coach, saying their return to the top of the standings is important after Galliamov recovered from a serious injury.
Status of Russian skaters in ISU events
The ISU allowed Russian athletes to participate in the 2026/27 Grand Prix series under a neutral status, provided they did not participate in or publicly support the war in Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported.
However, the ISU has also implemented strict eligibility rules. Eligibility was also denied to Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, though the specific reasons were not disclosed by the ISU. Earlier in the season, Russian juniors Sofia Dzepka, Lev Lazarev, Maria Fefelova, and Artem Valov won three disciplines at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Bangkok, and Vladislav Dikidzhi won the Kinoshita Group Cup — 2026 Challenger series in Tokyo.
Upcoming competition schedule
The next ISU Grand Prix stage is scheduled to take place in the United States from November 13 to 15, NEWS.ru reported. Additionally, the Finlandia Trophy is set to be held in Helsinki from November 20 to 22, where the pair Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitry Kozlovsky are expected to compete, Sport Weekend noted. Looking further ahead, the main goal for these athletes remains the World Championships, scheduled for March 17–21, 2027, in Tampere, Finland.
Russian figure skaters Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Galliamov won the pairs event at an International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix competition. The event is being held in Shenzhen, China:https://t.co/GKUlQ6XSI9 pic.twitter.com/sESzxy2Nb5
More on China
A masterful display of pair skating in Shenzhen🤝 Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov placed first in both the Short Program and Free Skating to win the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China. 🥇 Anastasia Mishina / Aleksandr Galliamov 🥈 Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava 🥉 Yuna… pic.twitter.com/HDT5dtET73