Efimova and Mitrofanov make their mark
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
In a frank interview, USA’s Alisa Efimova, 25, and Misha Mitrofanov, 27, share their thoughts on their successful first international season together. From the programs they chose to the emotional highs and lows of their journey, the duo opens up about the challenges they faced and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
The team, who paired up in June 2023, made their competitive debut at the 2024 Pacific Coast Sectional Singles and U.S. Pair Final, where they placed second. Just two months later, they earned the silver medal at the 2024 U.S. National Championships.
Getting the right programs
When asked about their program choices for the 2024-25 season, Efimova was quick to share her desire to showcase “fantastic skating.” She said she wanted a short program that embodied character, which led her to discover two lively Spanish pieces entitled “Ameksa” and “Uccen” by the Taalbi Brothers.
“I brought it or sent it in a message, I don’t remember,” she recalled when introducing the music to coaching team. “We played it on the ice, and everyone liked it. It felt very fast, and I think it was a good fit for us.”
Mitrofanov jokingly quipped, “Will Misha survive?” but the chemistry between the two was undeniable and the program clicked.
Their free skate to “Je suis malade” was chosen by choreographer Rene Roca, and it immediately resonated with them.
“After we heard this one, the other ones just didn’t sound good anymore,” said Efimova.
“We were very happy to work with Rene this season,” added Mitrofanov. “After nationals (last year), she reached out to us, and she gave us the opportunity to work with her. We were super happy and super grateful for everything.”
When asked if the team had thoughts about using either program for next season, Efimova said they were “thinking about it.”
“We don’t have a decision yet,” she shared. “I don’t even have a really strong opinion yet. I think we have to really listen to music, talk through some ideas. If we feel that it’s worth leaving one of the programs, I think ‘why not?’”
Both skaters confirmed they plan to work with Roca for the 2025-26 season.
Kicking off the 2024-25 season
The 2024-25 season proved interesting for both skaters as three of their international competitions were at “home.”
“We had our first one was in New York so that wasn’t too far away from Boston which was really nice,” said Mitrofanov.
The competition in New York was the 2024 John Nicks Pairs Challenge, their first Challenger Series (CS) event where they placed second on the heels of teammates Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. Two weeks later, they came in fourth at CS Nebelhorn.
“That’s where Alisa used to train, and I think that was definitely a great experience. I’ve done that competition once before but doing it a second time with knowing that it’s Alisa’s home, it felt more special to be honest. It was great to see her in her ‘home’ environment, see all her friends, see all the coaches that were at the rink. I really felt like joy for myself with that.”
“Then when we went to Skate America. It was my home competition in Dallas,” Mitrofanov continued. “It’s literally 10 minutes away from my house so that was amazing.”
“That was just fantastic to be in Texas,” added Efimova. “I think this was my third time in Texas. As soon as I leave the airport, I see these wide roads and I feel I already know this place! So, it already also started feeling like home for me and it was absolutely a great experience!”
The team placed third overall at this event, earning their first Grand Prix medal as a team.
“The medal was just a cherry on top of the cake,” said Efimova. “I feel that was a very good kick for us into the whole season. Just because we really worked hard throughout the whole season and this medal just meant, ‘Yeah okay, it does pay off.’ For me, this was so great!”
The team’s second “home” competition was at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they won the pairs title. It was one of their standout moments which Efimova described as one of the biggest accomplishments of her career.
“It is a great feeling to win,” said Efimova. “I feel I have had many silver medals and bronze medals, which is absolutely fantastic and I’m happy for each of them. But after being third after the short and just doing a good free …it was not even 100%. I felt like it was still it was a good skate, and then getting the reward of winning just like doubled the emotions. For me, I felt like for 23 years, throughout my whole career, that it was like one of the big moments.”
World debut in Boston
Worlds in Boston, which was their third home event, was another unforgettable experience for the team. Particularly for Mitrofanov, who was competing in this event for the first time.
“It was absolutely unbelievable!” he said. “To have Worlds in Boston, it was everything I could hope and dream for. We had that slight extra pressure, you know, like, this is home, this is worlds. So, you really want to do well. But to be honest, the support from the crowd was absolutely amazing. That’s what really helped.”
Both skaters admitted that while they had goals, they didn’t have expectations as this was their debut at the event.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Mitrofanov. “We know that everybody says that Worlds is different compared to other competitions, because it’s the big one at the end of the season. So, we didn’t really have many expectations, but we had that goal in the back of our heads to be able to get the potential to get three spots. We really wanted to achieve that.”
“We knew that we needed to get sixth and seventh place,” acknowledged Efimova. “It felt difficult at that point when I was thinking about it in my head. We just didn’t give up. And somehow our coach was talking after the short program like, ‘yeah, you’re close.’ And yeah, I didn’t think about it more. But then we had good days with the skates we did. You know, it came closer and closer all the time.”
The energy from the crowd at TD Garden helped many skaters and teams throughout their performances, and it was no different for Efimova and Mitrofanov.
“I had a lot of energy going before in there,” Efimova recalled of the of short program. “I got very emotional before the skate. I was very pumped and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is early.’ And as soon as I stepped on the ice, I just felt everything in me, these emotions boiling in me. I was almost crying when I entered before the skate, and I just realized, ‘Okay, I need to focus. This is beautiful but I need to focus.’ At the same time, I think I got a very special experience of being able to absorb this in that moment with my whole heart. And I think that is very precious and still be able to skate a solid program, having a good feeling about it in the end. Very, very special.”
It was the same for the free skate, but they were able to focus better on the performance.
“Misha turned me around and said, ‘Watch!’ Efimova recalled, at the end of their performance. “I just could not believe it. The only feeling is huge relief and just saying, we did it. This was our moment.”
For context, Mitrofanov shared a back story from nationals.
“We had a standing ovation of our free skate,” he explained. “And she told me afterwards she didn’t get to see much of it because she had her head in my chest. And so, after all the emotions was going on after the free skate, I wanted to turn her around so she could be able to witness everything. But for the crowd at TD Garden, it was nothing but love. And just thank you, thank you, thank you! The cheering on and everything like that, the support that we had, it just gave us so much energy, so much life into the program. It really helped us. It was everything to us.”
“And one more thing,” Efimova added. “It was very funny that I could even recognize some of our club members in the audience and hear them. That was just a magical feeling too. Having so many of them and really hearing them. That was so beautiful. The hearts were so close at the moment.”
In the end, the young team placed sixth, meeting their goal to help secure three spots for U.S. Pairs next year as well as an eligible third spot for the 2026 Olympics.
“We know the Team USA hasn’t had three spots at the long time,” Mitrofanov pointed out. “So, to be able to be a team to help achieve that definitely feels absolutely amazing!”
“And Alisa, she goes, ‘There’s no other option,’” he laughed. “So, we felt like there was no other options. We needed to skate clean. It was like, we had to get that done. And to be able to do that in front of everybody was just, it was everything to us!”
Skating Club of Boston
Absent at 2025 Worlds, however, were coaches, skaters and parents from the Skating Club of Boston that may have attended the event had they been alive. The skating community suffered a huge loss when 11 athletes, four coaches, and 13 family members perished in a crash aboard American Airlines flight 5342 on January 29, 2025.
“It was very difficult,” said Mitrofanov. “That goes without saying. For the club members that were directly supported, I mean, directly involved in it, I think there were words indescribable for truly what happened. We all came together, and we supported each other, and we wanted to support them as much as we can. We took it day by day and we gave all the love that we had for one another.”
“This has been some of the hardest times for the sports community,” added Efimova. “The hardest part, was like Misha said, taking it day by day. I think we still do. We are lucky to see the family members that are with us. It is a very tough topic, but I feel just carrying the memory of those kids, parents and coaches and keeping their passion alive is something we can do and help them too maybe to handle all this. It is beautiful how the skating community and people outside of the skating community have come together, and I feel this will keep them alive or with us, part of them with us for a long time. I hope forever.”
Efimova and Mitrofanov participated in the special Legacy on Ice on March 2, 2025—an event to both honor and help raise funds for all the 67 victims’ families and first responders.
“Legacy on Ice was absolutely magical,” said Efimova. “I feel it was important for the whole community to come together, for everyone to process this. Seeing the Capital One Arena full, with no empty seats, all these people with tears in their eyes, was just incredible. I feel no one should feel alone. We all share the same pain and grief. And I think also with this, we all together brought some kind of light into this whole new world right now. So a huge, huge thank you for everyone who was involved in Legacy on Ice and just watching it, even just thinking about it.”
“We felt love honestly from the whole world,” Mitrofanov added. “We felt like everybody came together at that moment and helped hopefully bring peace to everybody.”
Efimova and Mitrofanov view the Skating Club of Boston as family.
“We come together and we support each other,” said Mitrofanov. “We’re always there for each other. When we’re training together, everybody is so supportive. It’s beautiful, to be honest. We see when people are having great days, and we cheer them on. When they’re having bad days, we pick them up. And they do the same thing for us. And what’s amazing is that even off the ice, we’re always lingering around with each other, talking with each other. It’s a big family.”
“We hug each other very often and we talk so much,” added Efimova. “You feel their friendliness, kindness and love. That is very special to our club, I feel. And that has played a big role of feeling myself included in this big family. It has helped me to overcome the training moments that have been very, very special.”
Plans for the summer
One of the areas that the team wants to work on during the off season is the triple twist.
“That would be one step,” said Efimova, who wants a level four on the element. “Simple on paper. In practice we need to focus on that.”
Aside from training for the next season, Mitrofanov exclaimed, “Formula 1!”
“Always got to talk about it!” he said enthusiastically. “We’re a Formula 1 household and love watching it. Even Alisa, she likes to watch ‘Drive to Survive.’ It’s something that we share together outside. So we’ll definitely be watching a lot of that.”
“We’ll also go see our families,” he added. “I’ll go back to Texas ad Alisa will go to Finland. Then I know we’ll definitely drag Alisa back to Texas for a little bit. I might go to Finland too. We mingle together. Hip to hip, basically. But it’s great. I don’t get sick and tired of her. I think she gets sick and tired of me sometimes. I’ll give her some space, but then I’ll drag her back in.”
Efimova would also like to take some dance classes during the summer.
“Maybe something more modern,” she said. “Something that would bring some kind of inspiration to our program thinking process, but also just for me.”
A perfect match
In the high-stakes world of competitive figure skating, chemistry, dedication, and mutual respect are everything. For Efimova and Mitrofanov, their partnership has quickly evolved into something more than just a successful pairing—it’s a shared journey of passion, growth, and authenticity.
“I value Alisa’s hard work, her ethics, and every day she comes to the rink, she gives it 110%,” Mitrofanov shared. “Every single day, its full gas, full gas, full gas, and it’s admirable. I have so much respect for her and so much love for her, it’s unbelievable.”
Mitrofanov also reflected on the role his past experiences played in shaping his current path.
“In terms of us coming together and skating so well together, I do want to acknowledge my previous partnerships because that helped me get to where I am today,” he said. “They gave me the experience, they gave me the time, so all of that was necessary to get to this point.”
Efimova echoed those sentiments.
“Definitely, I agree with Misha. I’m used to everything I had before, this whole way, it’s the way that led here,” she said. “All these beautiful moments I had before, they keep me going on this path to right now.”
Trust and mutual drive are at the heart of their success.
“I know that he will give his 100% at training,” Efimova continued. “So when you know it’s just a given, I think all the emotions kind of settle down. There are emotions, and that is okay, but we know that we have a common goal. We give everything, we really want it. That just brings a lot of energy into the work, just confidence.”
What truly makes their connection special, though, is the ease and authenticity they bring into every session — both on and off the ice.
“I also love how Misha can be just Misha in training,” said Efimova. “Just a normal person, talking about normal things, talking about cars. And just being a human, laughing, joking, it brings some kind of ease and peace into the training process. This is still life, this is our life together right now, and this is nice. We are ourselves everywhere we are. And that is beautiful, something that Misha really brings into the whole process.”
As their partnership continues to grow, it’s clear that for Efimova and Mitrofanov, success isn’t just about medals—it’s about the connection, the commitment, and the joy they find together.
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