Figure skating: Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin on “struggle” with Olympic season mistakes, working with Benoît Richaud, and advice from Katarina Witt
When dictated by the challenges of the Olympic season, pairs figure skaters Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin opened up about the difficulties they’ve faced during their past competitions. Olympics.com recently caught up with the duo following a narrow victory at the Finlandia Trophy, highlighting the uncharacteristic errors they made during their performances.
“It’s been a little bit of a struggle to get into the season, to be honest,” Hase reflected. Despite their victory in Helsinki, the errors witnessed during their death spiral and a fall on a triple Salchow revealed that the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026 are looming just two months away.
“We can rely normally on our short program, but with the free program, it’s always kind of different mistakes,” Hase continued. Volodin emphasized the power of mental resilience, stating, “We always know we can go to ‘safe mode’ more controlled, and after a mistake, you concentrate much more than before.”
With heightened competition during this Olympic season, Hase and Volodin, the 2025 World silver medallists, qualified for the Grand Prix final, but saw fierce battles with other leading teams such as Japan’s Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi.
“Everyone is just skating so close,” Hase declared, calling attention to the exciting and motivating atmosphere of the competitive field. As part of their preparation, they spent a week training in Courmayeur, Italy, under renowned choreographer Benoît Richaud’s guidance. “It was a really natural thing how the program built up,” Hase noted.
Additionally, two-time Olympic champion Katarina Witt contributed her insights, assisting the pair in managing competition nerves. Volodin’s recent achievement in obtaining his German citizenship was another triumphant hurdle, which now allows them to focus entirely on their upcoming challenges.
