Figure skating-Metelkina and Berulava win Georgia's first ever Winter Olympic medal

Advertisement Sport Figure skating-Metelkina and Berulava win Georgia's first ever Winter Olympic medal Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia celebrate with the flag after winning silver n the pairs free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan pose on the podium after winning gold, as Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia win silver, and Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany win bronze in the pairs free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia compete in the pairs free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia compete in the pairs free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia compete in the pairs free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images 17 Feb 2026 08:52AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST MILAN, Feb 16 : Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava made history for Georgia on Tuesday, winning the tiny South Caucasus country's first Winter Olympic medal by claiming silver in the pairs figure skating event of the Milano Cortina Games. It's the latest breakthrough for the reigning European champions, who have gone from strength to strength since teaming up in the spring of 2023. "It's the best day of my life," an emotional Berulava told reporters. "I'm so very happy. It's an amazing moment for my country. I have no words. I'm shocked." Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading After Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara delivered a world record breaking performance, Metelkina and Berulava found themselves in a tense battle for second place with the teams from Germany, Hungry and Canada. Metelkina fought to hold onto a crucial landing on their throw triple loop, and avoiding that fall was likely the difference between a silver medal and finishing off the podium. "No!" Metelkina said with a laugh when asked to describe what was going through her mind in the moment. "I'm used to landings. It happened how it happened. There is still space to grow and, we will improve our performance."The Japanese staged a thrilling comeback to win gold with a score of 231.24, while Metelkina and Berulava secured silver with 221.75. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany, the leaders following Sunday's short programme, had to settle for bronze with 219.09. Metelkina, 20, and Luka Berulava, 23, said managing their time and fitness over four performances at the Games - two in the team event and two in the pairs competition - was key to their success. They said they will use the experience they gained in Milan when they compete at future Games with even bigger aspirations. "We won't say whether we will reach the gold medal next time, spend all of our energy on it," she said. Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST