At a Glance
- Two-time U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov will miss the Milan Olympics
- Efimova’s green-card status blocks Olympic eligibility despite skating a qualifying performance
- The pair will compete at Four Continents and world championships instead
- Why it matters: Their absence weakens America’s team-event gold defense and highlights how paperwork can override athletic achievement
Alisa Efimova wore an American flag on her warmup jacket, but the flag missing from her passport keeps her off the Olympic team. She and husband-partner Misha Mitrofanov secured their second straight U.S. pairs title last weekend yet will watch the Winter Games from home.
A Title Worthy of the Games-But Not a Ticket
The duo out-skated the field at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, normally an automatic qualifier. U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell announced the Olympic roster without the national champions, saying only that “there are sometimes rules … and this is not the fun part.”
- Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea (silver medalists) received the first U.S. pairs berth
- Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (fourth place) claimed the second spot
- The pair’s home club, the Skating Club of Boston, sent three skaters to Milan; Efimova and Mitrofanov were not among them
Green Card, Red Tape
Mitrofanov, a U.S. citizen by birth, faced no eligibility issues. Efimova, born in Finland and formerly a competitor for Russia and Germany, relocated full-time in 2023 when the two teamed up. She received a green card the same year, triggering a three-year naturalization wait.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey intervened, hoping to accelerate the process. The skaters competed at nationals clinging to what Mitrofanov called “a last-minute miracle.” When the Olympic roster deadline arrived Saturday, the paperwork still lagged, and the couple left the championships early, missing Sunday’s gala.
What’s Next for the Pair
Rather than Milan, Efimova and Mitrofanov will travel to Beijing for the Four Continents Championships next week, a field composed mainly of non-Olympians. Afterward they’ll prepare for the world championships in Prague. International Skating Union rules differ from International Olympic Committee requirements, so Efimova can represent the U.S. without citizenship at those events.
Impact on Team USA
Without the reigning national champions, the United States remains favored to defend its gold in the figure-skating team competition, though the margin shrinks. The American squad was not projected to contend for a pairs medal.
Looking Ahead to 2030
Both skaters see a potential Olympic path four years from now. Efimova will be 30 and Mitrofanov 32 when the Games return in the French Alps.
“We’re thinking about it,” Efimova said. “Four years is a very long time. For now, I think we’re just thinking of how to approach the next season, because this situation … left us with some kind of hunger to make it.”
Mitrofanov added, “Whenever we first started as a team, we didn’t know whether or not the Olympics is even a possibility. We knew it was a long shot because of the paperwork. The more we progressed … the closer we got to that opportunity.”
Support and Perspective
The pair expressed gratitude for public support throughout the citizenship push.
“There were so many people who messaged us and reached out to us wanting to support us,” Mitrofanov said. “So, for us, we’re very grateful.”
He framed the setback as a springboard: “Yes, we didn’t make it, but we don’t see that as a failure. Hey, this was an opportunity. It may not have worked out. But so many great things have come from it that we are very happy moving forward.”
Key Takeaways
- A green card, not performance, kept the U.S. champions out of the Olympics
- The pair will chase world-championship medals instead
- They’ve set their sights on the 2030 Winter Games
