The Global Shift: Georgia and Australia Disrupt the ISU Pairs World Standings

For decades, the upper echelon of pairs figure skating was a closed club, heavily guarded by federations from Russia, China, Canada, and the United States. But as the International Skating Union (ISU) finalizes its World Standings ahead of the 2026–2027 Grand Prix season, the math tells a different story. A wave of non-traditional skating nations has crashed the elite tiers of the discipline, fundamentally rewriting the global hierarchy. Leading the charge is the Georgian duo of Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, whose meteoric rise has cemented them at number three in the ISU Season's World Ranking.[1][4]

The very top of the standings remains occupied by two established powerhouses. Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara hold the number one spot with 2,970 points, followed closely by Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin at 2,818 points. The German pair recently captured their country's first pairs World title since 2018, scoring 228.33 at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague to edge out the rest of the field. Yet, it is the fierce battle immediately below them that has captivated the skating world.[1][2][3]

Metelkina and Berulava have amassed 2,633 points, a staggering total for a federation that had never won a Winter Olympic medal in any sport prior to 2026. The young team—Metelkina is 21 and Berulava is 23—teamed up in the spring of 2023 and aggressively competed on both the junior and senior circuits simultaneously to build their international profile. That grueling strategy paid off spectacularly this past season, culminating in a historic Olympic silver medal in Milano Cortina and a European Championship title.[1][4]

Their momentum carried straight into the World Championships in Prague. Skating to a dramatic, generation-spanning free skate, the Georgians delivered massive technical elements, including a towering triple twist and a soaring triple flip throw. Though a crucial mistake on a throw jump in the free skate kept them from the gold, their overall score of 218.41 comfortably secured the silver medal and their top-three world ranking. "We've worked on our mindset a little bit," Metelkina noted during the season, explaining their newfound consistency. "We've become a little more relaxed."[2][3][4]

Georgia is not the only emerging federation disrupting the math. Hungary's Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko have surged to sixth in the ISU Season's World Ranking. The Hungarian pair finished fifth at the World Championships with a score of 205.08, consistently challenging the established North American and Asian teams with their high-scoring technical content. Their rise has turned the battle for the final flights at major ISU championships into a fiercely contested race, leaving no room for error among the traditional powers.[1][3]

Further down the standings, but climbing rapidly, is the Australian team of Anastasiia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore. The duo's journey to the top 10 has been fraught with off-ice challenges. They missed the early part of the 2025–2026 season due to administrative hurdles and a serious practice accident that left Golubeva with a concussion. Despite the setbacks, they rallied in the second half of the season, fueled by Golubeva officially receiving her Australian citizenship in December 2025.[1][5][6]

That citizenship clearance allowed them to represent Australia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where they finished 18th, before rebounding at the World Championships in Prague to finish in the top 10. The team had already proven their potential on the Grand Prix circuit, making history at the 2024 Skate Canada International by winning bronze—the first-ever Grand Prix medal for an Australian pair.[5][6]

Training in Montreal alongside reigning world champions, the Australian duo has developed a sophisticated, powerful style that belies their relatively short time on the senior circuit. Their steady accumulation of ranking points has positioned them as a legitimate threat to crack the top tier in the upcoming season, ensuring Australia remains a fixture in the final warm-up groups.[1][6]

The traditional powers are acutely aware of the shifting landscape and are fighting to defend their territory. Canada's Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud delivered the performances of their lives in Prague, recording personal bests in both the short program and free skate to capture the World bronze medal with 216.09 points. Their clutch performance kept them firmly in the top 10 of the Season's World Ranking, preserving Canada's legacy in a discipline it has historically dominated.[1][2][3]

Similarly, the United States is relying on a deep roster to maintain its standings footprint. Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the 2026 Four Continents Championships, finished sixth at the World Championships and sit fifth in the Season's World Ranking. Yet, with the margins between fifth and fifteenth place shrinking every season, the pressure on the North American teams to execute flawless quadruple twists and side-by-side triples has never been higher.[1][3]

Analysts point out that the ongoing absence of Russian skaters from ISU competitions has undeniably accelerated this globalization. Without the Russian federation occupying three of the top five spots, emerging nations have had the oxygen to gain crucial championship experience, secure better Grand Prix assignments, and build their base ranking points. However, the scores posted by teams like Metelkina and Berulava prove they are not merely filling a vacuum; their massive technical base values would be highly competitive in any era of the sport.[1][3][4]

As the figure skating world pivots toward the 2026–2027 Grand Prix series, the ISU Pairs World Standings reflect a healthier, more diverse discipline. The days of predictable podiums are over. With Georgia, Hungary, and Australia proving that world-class pairs can be forged outside the traditional strongholds, the race for the top three has transformed into a genuinely global contest.[1][2][4]