Anastasiia Metelkina

Anastasia Nikolaevna Metelkina (Анастасия Николаевна Метёлкина; ანასტასია ნიკოლაევნა მეტელკინა; born 10 March 2005) is a Russian-born pair skater who competes for Georgia. With current partner Luka Berulava, she is the 2024 World Junior champion, 2024 European silver medalist, the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix gold medalist.

Metelkina previously competed with Daniil Parkman, winning a bronze medal at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo and a silver medal at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. Metelkina/Parkman were the first Georgian pairs team to compete at a World Championships, doing so in 2021.

Personal life
Metelkina was born on March 10, 2005, in Vladimir, Russia. She trains in Perm, Russia with partner Luka Berulava.

Career
Metelkina began figure skating in 2009. Her first pair partners were Daniil Shvetsov and Ilya Krasnikov, both of whom she represented Russia with.

2020–21 season
In December 2020, it was announced that Metelkina had teamed up with fellow Russian pair skater, Daniil Parkman, and that they would be representing Georgia together. In February 2021, it was announced that the pair had earned the minimum technical scores to compete at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden.

Making their debut as a pair team at these Championships, Metelkina/Parkman placed fourteenth in the short program and sixteenth in the free skate, finishing the event in sixteenth-place overall. They became the first Georgian pair team to compete at a World Championships.

2021–22 season
Metelkina/Parkman began their season with a silver medal at the 2021 Budapest Trophy, before going on to finish fifth at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup. At the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, the pair took the silver medal.

Although assigned to compete at both the 2022 European Championships and the 2022 World Championships, the pair ultimately withdrew from both events and were replaced by Safina/Berulava.

2022–23 season
Metelkina/Parkman opened their season at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, finishing fifth. They went on to compete on the Grand Prix series, finishing fourth at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy as well as taking bronze at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo.

Despite being selected to compete at the 2023 European Championships, Metelkina/Parkman ultimately ended their partnership in December 2022.

2023–24 season
In June 2023, it was announced that Metelkina had former a new partnership with Luka Berulava. Metelkina/Berulava opted to make their competitive debut on the Junior Grand Prix, a first for Metelkina, winning the gold medal at the 2023 JGP Turkey in Istanbul. Despite two falls in their free skate, their margin of victory over American silver medalists Flores/Wang was almost 27 points. Two weeks later they competed their second event, the 2023 JGP Hungary in Budapest. They again won easily, despite difficulties on their jump elements. Metelkina/Berulava's results qualified them to the Junior Grand Prix Final in December; they said they planned on getting senior-level experience in the meantime.

Metelkina/Berulava made their senior debut at the Warsaw Cup, winning the gold medal. They then entered the Junior Grand Prix Final as heavy favourites to take the title, and won by a 34-point margin over Canadian silver medalists Kemp/Elizarov. They were the first Georgian pair team to win the Junior Grand Prix Final gold.

Entering the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas as among the favourites, Metelkina/Berulava took first place in the short program, winning a gold small medal. Metelkina erred on both of her jump sequences in the free skate, and they came fifth in that segment, dropping to second place overall. They finished 3.05 points back of champions Beccari/Guarise of Italy. Berulava remarked that "not everything worked out. But it's only our first season together and silver is also a medal."

Metelkina/Berulava were heavy favourites at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, and won the short program by a margin of 9.20 points. They struggled in the free skate, with errors on all four jumping elements, but still finished first in that segment as well, and claimed the gold medal. Both vowed to work harder in training after the difficulties in the free program.

Making their senior World Championship debut as a team at the 2024 edition in Montreal, Metelkina/Berulava were fifth in the short program. They were only 0.08 points behind fourth-place Germans Hase/Volodin, thus narrowly missing participation in the final flight of the free skate. In that segment, they struggled with several errors, including an aborted lift, which saw them come tenth in the free skate and drop to seventh overall. Speaking afterward, a "despondent" Berulava said: "Right now, I don't have words to comment on this performance."

Detailed results
ISU Personal Best highlighted in bold.