The Junior Grand Prix Series continued this week in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada with JGP Canada, where 21 men, 29 ladies, 11 pairs and 11 Ice Dance teams vied for finishes that would bring them one step closer to the Junior Grand Prix Final in December. The ISU livestreamed the entirety of the competition and uploaded select skaters’ videos to YouTube; additionally, the ITL YouTube channel now features playlists of the medalists’ and special shoutouts’ performances, which can be viewed here.
This competition brought more developed programs from skaters who previously had a Junior Grand Prix event and new programs from those skating for the first time this season. Detailed protocols, score breakdowns, and complete results can be found here.
Pairs
🥇 Anastasia Mishina / Aleksandr Galliamov have clinched another Junior Grand Prix title in Richmond this weekend! Skating their Free Program to the “Master and the Margarita” soundtrack, their only problem in an otherwise perfect performance was an underrotation in their triple Salchow-euler-triple Salchow combo, with a clean Short Program helping them to win by almost over ten points, a margin similar to their first win in Bratislava. This was their second assignment, meaning we’ll be seeing them at the Final in December!
🥈 Apollinariia Panfilova / Dmitry Rylov skated two beautiful programs, with only one underrotation mistake in the Free, leading them to their second silver of the Junior Grand Prix. Their expression and connection to the music shone especially in the Free, which impressed our team. We hope to see them as well at the Final!
🥉 Rounding out an all-Russian podium is Daria Kvartalova / Alexei Sviatchenko, who unfortunately had a few negative GOE elements in both the Short and the Free, but had very nice twists and spins to make up for any loss of points and get them on the podium. Congratulations to all the Russian teams!
Special shoutout in Pairs goes to Japanese pair Riku Miura / Shoya Ichihashi, whose dazzling Free Skate landed them in fourth place to the Russian pairs overall and a nice third place in the Free Skate. We look forward to seeing them in the future!
Men
🥇 Petr Gumennik won first place with a strong Free Skate, rising from fourth place after the Short Program. This is his first medal in his third season on the Junior Grand Prix. His almost perfect Free Skate to “Romeo and Juliet” showcased his posture during his jumps, especially his huge triple Axel-triple loop combination, and his fast spins. We look forward to seeing him in his next assignment at JGP Slovenia!
🥈 Tomoki Hiwatashi finished in second place with two energetic programs. His Free Skate to “Fate of the Gods” had minor errors, but his step sequence was dynamic, and his first place finish after the Short Program helped him maintain his high score. He will also be competing at JGP Slovenia and aiming for a spot at the Final.
🥉 Adam Siao Him Fa rose from fifth place after the Short Program to third place and his first medal on the Junior Grand Prix. We applaud him on his successful quad toe-triple toe combination and for attempting another quad toe in his Free Skate to “Weight of Love”. Although his Free Skate had several errors, the difficult technical elements added to a high technical score.
We’d also like to give a shoutout to Yuma Kagiyama, whose stunning clean Short Program set to “Let the Good Times Roll” by Sam Theard and “FleecieMoore” by Fishbone had him in the top three for the Short Program. He also did beautifully in the Free Skate, earning fourth in the event overall. This is his Junior Grand Prix debut and his first event of the season and he did incredibly!
Ice Dance
🥇 Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha, 4th place at the 2018 Junior World Championships, finished strong in first place with a large point gap between them and the silver medalists. Their Rhythm Dance was energetic and sharp and their Free Dance to “Warsaw Concerto” was gorgeously paired with stunning spin positions and creative transitions between twizzles. They received level 4s on multiple elements and we would like to highlight their stationary lift, where Lajoie was held in a spin with her body parallel to the ground. With a second place at JGP Amber Cup and a first place at JGP Canada, they will most certainly be at the Final in Vancouver, Canada.
🥈 Polina Ivanenko / Daniil Karpov scored their first medal on the Junior Grand Prix on their second season. With a jazzy Free Dance from the “Peter Gunn” soundtrack, it showed off their interesting lift positions, especially their straight line lift where Ivanenko was flipped and partially held upside down. Although they do not have a second assignment, we hope to see them soon!
🥉 In their Junior Grand Prix debut, Ksenia Konkina / Alexander Vakhnov claimed their first medal in third place. Although their twizzles were not synchronized and Vakhnov had a slight stumble after their rotational lift in the Free Dance, that didn’t stop us from appreciating their elegant lines and good extensions.
The standout performance from this weekend in Canada again goes to French team Loicia Demougeot / Theo Le Mercier, whose fun Free Dance set to a rock medley showcased their infectious energy and personality. Looking forward to their future!
Ladies
🥇 Anna Shcherbakova once again clinched the gold medal at her second event in her first Junior Grand Prix season, with beautiful musicality and challenging technical elements. Her Free Skate to “Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso” contained the second quad Lutz attempt from a lady in international competition. She hasn’t yet managed to get it ratified - it was downgraded - and received an edge call on her triple flip, but the mistakes did not take away from the smoothness of her skating, especially with the choreographic elements performed on the accents of the music. With two first places at both JGP events, we will see Shcherbakova again at the Junior Grand Prix Final.
🥈 Anastasia Tarakanova, third place at the 2017 Junior Grand Prix Final, won second place with two perfect programs and three new personal bests. Her Free Skate to a remix of “Moonlight Sonata” had an intense and dramatic step sequence as well as large jumps, showing her skating skills and bringing a beautiful performance. Although Tarakanova is currently not assigned to a second event, we hope to see her pick up a second assignment!
🥉 Rion Sumiyoshi rose from a seventh place in the Short Program to third place, winning her first medal in her first Junior Grand Prix season. With an almost perfect Free Skate to the “Black Swan” soundtrack, Sumiyoshi showcased her fast spins and a nice triple flip-triple loop combination. She has not been assigned to a second event, but we hope to see her again!
Our shoutout in Ladies’ goes to the Korean ladies: Young You, whose lovely “Tango de Amor” is always a treat to watch, with her stunning musicality and amazing elements, as well as Jihun To, whose “Historia de un Amor” put her in the lead for the Short Program for a good while and won her a fifth place finish.