‘It feels like we all won': The Skating Club of Boston's Efimova and Mitrofanov back after capturing US pairs title
Efimova and Mitrofanov made their adopted hometown proud on Saturday night, winning the pairs title by 21.33 points over silver medalists Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman. After just a year and a half together, Efimova and Mitrofanov have earned a spot on the US team for the World Championships, being held in Boston March 25-30.
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The pair entered their second US Championships expected to win a second consecutive silver. They had medaled once on skating's Grand Prix circuit and did well at two smaller fall internationals. However, reigning US champions Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, had a groundswell of support as one of just six teams to make it to the Grand Prix final.
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In the weeks leading up to US Championships, Efimova and Mitrofanov honed their programs with coaches Olga Ganicheva and Aleksey Letov, and choreographer Renee Roca.
They tried not to think about winning the title or earning a spot on the world team, but it was hard to keep that out of their minds completely.
'I was trying not to focus on [getting a Worlds spot],' said Efimova. 'But I knew it was going to be very hard to watch Worlds in our town if we were not in it.'
The pair entered Saturday's free skate in third place, just .07 behind Norwood training mates Emily Chan and Spencer Howe in second place, and 8.16 points behind first-place Kam and O'Shea.
Much of the pairs before Efimova and Mitrofanov's free skate were tentative or at times scary, with falls and shaky lifts. Efimova and Mitrofanov were the opposite. Skating to 'Je Suis Malade,' they skated confidently, with the only mistake an under-rotation on their side-by-side jump combination of a triple Salchow into two double Axels. Efimova landed both of her throw jumps — a triple loop and a triple Salchow — giving the pair the competition's highest scores on that element.
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'It was a mix of relief and happiness,' Efimova said of their performance.
Earning a 142.87, a career-best free program score, they awaited the performances of the last two teams. Both made significant mistakes, which combined with Efimova and Mitrofanov's huge score secured the victory.
Misha Mitrofanov and Alisa Efimova react to their score in the free skate at the US championships.
Matthew Stockman/Getty
The win earned Efimova and Mitrofanov not just a spot for the World Championships but for February's Four Continents Championships. It's the first time they can compete at those major events together, as they had to sit out international competition last year because Efimova switched countries from Germany to the US.
For Mitrofanov, it was a decade-long climb to his first senior title. He followed his coaches when they moved from the Dallas area to Norwood in 2020, and his allegiance was rewarded.
'It is not Alisa and Misha winning the event,' said Mitrofanov. 'This is our families, our coaches, our choreographers, and the entire community at The Skating Club of Boston. It feels like we all won. You dream it, but when it finally happens, you look around and wonder how you got there, and it is because of them.'
The rest of the US team headed to TD Garden in March was decided last week in Wichita, though it remains to see if all will make it to Boston.
Amber Glenn won her second consecutive women's title, holding off a charge by 2022 Olympian Alysa Liu. Glenn's triple Axel, which she does more securely than any other woman, kept her undefeated this season. Glenn and Liu, who won silver, earned Worlds team spots. Isabeau Levito, last year's world silver medalist, missed the championships because of injury but has also been named to the world team if her recovery is satisfactory.
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The men's team is in a similar boat. World champion
Two-time world ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates
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