Armenian pair enters top 10 of the short program at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2026 World Figure Skating Championship kicked off on March 25 in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. On the first day of competition, the short programs for women and pairs were contested, according to sportaran.com.

Karina Hakobova and Nikita Rakhmanin represented Armenia in the pairs competition. The duo skated to the same short program set to “Artsakh” by Ara Gevorgyan, which they had previously performed at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The Armenian pair skated first in the lineup and delivered a clean and confident performance. The skaters received a score of 67.12 points, surpassing their personal best from the Olympics (66.27). According to experts, a later start position could have earned them even higher scores.

A total of 21 pairs competed in the short program, of which 20 advanced to the free skate. Hakobova and Rakhmanin finished in 8th place overall, securing a spot in the top ten.