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01/07 19:14 CST Efimova and Mitrofanov dazzle in short program but face citizenship hurdle for Olympics Efimova and Mitrofanov dazzle in short program but face citizenship hurdle for Olympics By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) --- Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov began defense of their U.S. Figure Skating title with a near-perfect short program Wednesday night that they still hope could catapult them onto the American squad for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Efimova and Mitrofanov scored a season-best 75.31 points to put a healthy distance between themselves and a quartet of pursuers, led by the duo of Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy, all of whom are also vying for one of the two pairs spots at the Winter Games. While the others largely control their own fate, Efimova and Mitrofanov do not. One of the Olympic requirements is that competitors are citizens of the nations they represent. And while Mitrofanov was born in the U.S., and the couple wed two years ago, the 26-year-old Efimova --- who was born in Finland and also represented Russia and Germany during her career --- is still waiting for the American government to grant her a passport. Efimova had a green card approved in July 2024 and is seeking a waiver of the required three-year waiting period. "We're hoping maybe a last-minute miracle might happen," Mitrofanov said. The Skating Club of Boston, where the couple trains, has offered its support for Efimova and Mitrofanov, and U.S. Figure Skating would not doubt love to have arguably its best pair on the Olympic team --- which is expected to be announced Sunday. "Most of the season has been great. To be honest, the last few weeks, it's been more difficult than normal. We've had to do a little more paperwork. There's been a great push for it," Mitrofanov said. "Hopefully it happens, but it is out of our control. All we can do is focus on our training, focus on what we do, which is on the ice." The women's short program is later Wednesday night, when world champion Alysa Liu will attempt to dethrone two-time reigning U.S. champion Amber Glenn, after the two of them were separated by just over a point last year in Wichita, Kansas. The dance competition begins with the rhythm dance Thursday night, when the men also take the ice for their short program. The final national championships before Milan Cortina is also the last opportunity to impress the U.S. Figure Skating officials who will select the American squad. The U.S. has qualified two pairs entries and the maximum of three in each of the other three disciplines, and collectively they will try to defend the team gold medal won in Beijing. While pairs has long been the weakest link, Efimova and Mitrofanov provided some reason for American hope. They opened their short program with a beautiful triple twist, then Mitrofanov bent low to hang on through their side-by-side triple toe loops. Their throw triple loop was spot-on, and both of them finished by pumping their fists in the air. Their crisp, clean program stood in stark contrast to many of their closest rivals. Shin and Nagy were second with a season-best 67.67 points, but that still left the relatively new pairing nearly eight points off the lead. Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. champions two years ago, were in third with 67.13 points, even through she fell on their side-by-side triple salchows and stepped out on their throw triple loop. Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, who were in the running for one of the Olympic spots, struggled through a disastrous program. Chan doubled their planned triple toe loop, then somehow hit the ice before their throw triple loop --- and landed hard on the ice again once they tried the element. By the time the music ended, Chan had a look of shock on her face, Howe simply shook his head, and their score of 59.29 points left them with a long climb ahead in Friday night's free skate. ___ AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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