{"id":26867,"date":"2026-01-08T12:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/alisa-efimovas-olympic-dream-hinges-on-last-minute-citizenship-nbc-los-angeles\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T12:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:10:13","slug":"alisa-efimovas-olympic-dream-hinges-on-last-minute-citizenship-nbc-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/alisa-efimovas-olympic-dream-hinges-on-last-minute-citizenship-nbc-los-angeles\/","title":{"rendered":"Alisa Efimova\u2019s Olympic dream hinges on last-minute citizenship \u2013 NBC Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alisa Efimova\u2019s Olympic Dream<\/h1>\n

Introduction to the Challenge<\/h2>\n

Alisa Efimova stepped off the ice and slipped into a jacket, an American flag patch on her left sleeve impossible to miss, after a brilliant performance with pairs partner Misha Mitrofanov at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night.
\n
\nEfimova hopes to be representing the stars and stripes at the Milan Cortina Olympics next month.<\/p>\n

The Citizenship Requirement<\/h2>\n

But time is running out. One of the Olympic requirements is that competitors are citizens of the nations they represent. And while the 28-year-old Mitrofanov was born in the U.S., the 26-year-old Efimova was born in Finland \u2014 she didn’t come to the States on a full-time basis until 2023, when they became partners \u2014 leaving her in bureaucratic limbo while the American government decides her fate.<\/p>\n

The Path to Citizenship<\/h2>\n

Efimova and Mitrofanov were married in February 2024. She had a green card approved in July of that year and has been seeking a waiver of the required three-year waiting period for citizenship. The finalized U.S. squad for the Winter Games will be announced on Sunday. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping maybe a last-minute miracle might happen,\u201d Mitrofanov said.<\/p>\n

Support from the Skating Community<\/h2>\n

The Skating Club of Boston, where Efimova and Mitrofanov train, has done most of the legwork in pursuit of her passport. U.S. Figure Skating also would love to have arguably its best pairs team on an Olympic team carrying massive expectations. \u201cMost of the season has been great. To be honest, the last few weeks, it\u2019s been more difficult than normal. We\u2019ve had to do a little more paperwork. There\u2019s been a great push for it,\u201d Mitrofanov said.<\/p>\n

Performance Under Pressure<\/h2>\n

They were brilliant on the Enterprise Center ice on Wednesday night. Efimova and Mitrofanov 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. \u201cMaybe two days before," Efimova said, \u201cI couldn’t shut my thought process down. I was thinking about the competition, about the skate. But as soon as I entered the rink today, this is a space I know pretty well, and I just trusted the routine I’m used to before the competition.<\/p>\n

Competition Results<\/h2>\n

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 U.S. pairs spots at the Winter Games. 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.<\/p>\n

Mindset Shift<\/h2>\n

\u201cI think think there’s a little mindset shift going through this \u2014 \u2018Oh, we can deal with this situation and perform with this kind of pressure and these kinds of thoughts, maybe it\u2019s making me a little stronger in the future,’\u201d said Efimova, who also has represented Russia and Germany along with her native Finland in international competition. Efimova and Mitrofanov’s crisp, clean program Wednesday night stood in stark contrast to many of their closest rivals.<\/p>\n

Waiting for Approval<\/h2>\n

At least they control their own fate where the Olympics are concerned. Efimova and Mitrofanov are waiting on a stamp of approval from someone, somewhere \u2014 and soon. \u201cOf course it’s in the back of our minds,\u201d Mitrofanov said, standing in a hallway just off the ice. \u201cHowever, our focus has been on skating. It’s not like we’re thinking on it every day, in all honesty.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Efimova and Mitrofanov’s situation is a reminder of the complexities and challenges athletes can face in their pursuit of Olympic dreams, especially when citizenship and bureaucracy come into play. As they wait for a decision, their focus remains on their performance, hoping that their skating will speak for itself, regardless of the outcome of their citizenship application.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n