Väänänen decided to make the transition to pair skating at the end of 2018, not long after winning the silver medal at the 2019 Finnish Junior Championships.

Unfortunately, the pairing with Giotopoulos Moore did not work out, and after incurring a new injury, Väänänen returned home to Finland to pursue school and coaching.

Akulov was sidelined from training in November when he contracted COVID-19, but the team was able to return to the ice in time to compete at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they placed 16th.

A couple weeks later, in late December, Väänänen/Akulov competed at their first Finnish Figure Skating Championships, winning the senior pairs title by default as the lone entrant.

The debutante Finns entered Europeans with the goal of placing within the top 16 teams after the short program, ensuring their advancement to the free skating portion of the event.

However, Finnish-based Italian skating coach Maurizio Margaglio was able to get in touch with colleague and compatriot Franca Bianconi on Väänänen's behalf, and the newly partner-less skater was offered a tryout with Filippo Clerici.

In June 2022, Väänänen traveled to Bergamo, Italy where she and Clerici trained together for five days before deciding to team up for the coming season with Luca Demattè, Ondrej Hotarek, and Rosanna Murante becoming their coaches.

[5] The team made short work of their ambition, attaining their minimums during their international debut at the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy where they finished seventh.

They went on to compete at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the pair place nineteenth in the short program and seventeenth in the free skate, finishing eighteenth overall.