TBILISI, February 20, 2026 – The wait is over. Georgia finally took the first ever medal in winter sports. Milan-Cortina was a happy ending for the country, as figure skaters Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava written a new chapter in the country’s sports history. Their silver medal performance in pairs figure skating was a jawbreaker. A new chapter in the history of independent Georgia’s entire Olympic legacy.
Luka Berulava: “I am so tired and happy. We have been locked in from the first day. We knew, we were in a best possible shape, but at the same time, we knew that the competition for the podium would have been mercy less. We had to overcome some tough challenges and we were ready for this battle. This means a lot for us, for the whole country and I am very proud, that the wait is finally is over.”
Metelkina and Berulava were confident during their short program. They ended up in the second place with 75.46 points and were already among the medal seekers. A well written program with refined choreography was put on desk with some high-difficult improvised elements. Take a look at some clean throws and side-by-side jumps, that earned strong grades of execution from the experienced judges.
Anastasia Metelkina: “The final result could have been better or could have been worse, but all in all, we are very proud to give Georgia this silver medal. We have been working hard and we knew, that the competition would be very close. Some pairs had the performance of their life, while some might underachieved, but we are very confident, that our pair could become even stronger in the near future. Again, we are the happiest people now, while the whole country is having a reason to celebrate.”
Soon after, a free program followed, where Georgian couple elevated their performance higher. They were skating with elegance and composure, while did not lacking any emotional intensity. Metelkina and Berulava scored 146.29 points in the decisive segment, achieving a combined total of 221.75 points. That was more than enough to secure the silver medal in a very competitive field.
Berulava: “Our coaches wanted to get the best from us. Our free skate was consistent with the technical consistency . We had some nice powerfull lifts and we were more than happy with musical interpretation as well. We were happy that overall, this resonated very vell with judges and the whole audience as well.”
The Gold was taken by Japan’s Rike Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, as they finished with 231.24 combined points. The podium was filled with Germans Nikita Volodin and Fabienne Hase.
Georgia has always been the strong one in summer Olympic disciplines, such as judo, wrestling and weightlifting, but never so in the winter ones. The historic weight was carried by this cute pair, which ended the historic draught, historic curse.
Georgia is proud of its latest achievement and it shows that this country not only is taking a part in winter disciplines, but is competing at a highest possible level
AIPS
