Records and surprises highlight ISU Junior Grand Prix in Gdansk

Gdansk, Poland

 

Surprising turns and twists made the fifth event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2024/25 in Gdansk (POL) very exciting. Dark horse Lukas Vaclavik (SVK) and Ice Dancers Katarina Wolfkostin/Dimitry Tsarevski (USA) celebrated their first JGP win while Mao Shimada (JPN) collected a record eighth consecutive JGP gold. The Pairs, led by Jiaxuan Zhang/Yihang Huang (CHN), fought for the last spots for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.   

Mao Shimada (JPN) defies gravity  

Japan’s Mao Shimada is already the most successful Junior Skater in history after winning her sixth (and including the Junior Final even eighth) JGP title in Gdansk. She also has two ISU World Junior titles on her record. Shimada sparkled again in Gdansk, winning with 26 points to spare and setting a new personal best en route and even more than that – it was the highest score recorded on the JGP by a Junior woman! Needless to say that the 15-year-old qualified for her third consecutive ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Shimada took the lead in her Short Program to “Defying Gravity” with effortless looking jumps and beautiful spins. She continued to defy gravity in her Japanese-style Free Skating “Mado Kara Mieru” by reeling off a triple Axel, a slightly underrotated quad toe (q) as well as seven triple jumps. Shimada picked up a lot of points for her excellent spins as well and won with a new personal best of 224.68 points.

“I feel like I did my best tonight,” Shimada said. “At the Final, I want to skate clean, do a clean quad toe and have better flow in my skating.”

The Japanese Junior star really enjoys her programs this season, especially her lovely Free Skating that emphasizes her soft and musical style. “I like this program very much and really enjoy skating it.”

JGP Gdansk 2024 Women Gold Mao Shimada JPN silver Kaoruko Wada JPN bronze Nayeon Ko KOR ©International Skating Union (ISU) 2174033623

From Left to Right: Kaoruko Wada (JPN), Mao Shimada (JPN), Nayeon Ko (KOR) - ISU Junior Grand Prix 2024 in Gdansk (POL) ©International Skating Union (ISU)

Shimada’s teammate Kaoruko Wada continued her success in her ISU Junior debut season by taking the silver with two strong performances and new personal best scores for her Short Program to “How Does a Moment Last Forever” and her Free Skating to “Titanic”. With a silver and a gold from the circuit, Wada will join Shimada in the Junior Final. Nayeon Ko (KOR) bagged the bronze like she had in Riga (180.14 points) and she’ll have to wait until the end of the JGP to find out if she did enough to get into the Junior Final.

Lukas Vaclavik (SVK) wins dramatic battle

The Junior Men’s competition couldn’t have been more dramatic! Lukas Vaclavik (SVK) came out on top, defeating JGP Riga Champion Sena Takahashi (JPN). Reigning ISU World Junior Champion Minkyu Seo (KOR) rose from a distant 11th place in the Short Program to snatch the bronze by half a point.

Vaclavik was ranked third with his Short Program to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Lacrimosa by Apashe. His jumps were solid, but he messed up the change sit spin. Skating to “Truetalk” and “Truman Sleeps” in the Free Skating, the 17-year-old nailed two triple Axels. He ranked second in the segment, but overall pulled up to first to win his first JGP medal at 207.78 points. He is also only the second Slovakian Skater to win a JGP event after Adam Hagara accomplished the feat a year ago. By the way, Vaclavik hails from a true skating family. His little sister Aneta Vaclavikova competed in Ice Dance with partner Ivan Morozov in Gdansk, finishing ninth. Plus, their brother Tadeas Vaclavik (CZE) is a Single Skater on the JGP as well.

“For me, the expectations were not high,” Vaclavik shared. “I just tried to come and skate my best or what I practiced for. If there was like a goal to do here, it was maybe to stay on the podium which would be third place. This (winning) is a nice surprise.”

JGP Gdansk 2024 Men Gold Lukas Vaclavik SVK silver Sena Takahashi JPN bronze Minkyu Seo KOR ©International Skating Union (ISU) 2174269721

From Left to Right: Sena Takahashi (JPN), Lukas Vaclavik (SVK), Minkyu Seo (KOR) - ISU Junior Grand Prix 2024 in Gdansk (POL) ©International Skating Union (ISU)

Takahashi put out a great performance in the Short Program to “The Greatest Showman”, but he struggled with the Axel in the Free Skating, popping it twice, and slipped to second at 198.42 points. Seo had a subpar Short Program when he singled the Axel and fell on the Lutz. However, the ISU World Junior Champion rallied back in the Free Skating and came back much stronger to win the segment and clinch the bronze (195.86 points).

Takahashi and Seo are headed to the Junior Final, but Vaclavik, who ranked fourth at the JGP in Riga, will have to wait and see what happens in the last two events.

Zhang/Huang (CHN) strike second gold as Pairs events wrap up

The Pairs determined their last qualifiers for the Junior Final as it was the fourth and last event for them on the circuit. Favorites Jiaxuan Zhang/Yihang Huang scored a runaway victory with 25 points to spare. They started off with a solid Short Program and built on their lead in the Free Skating to “All For One” in spite of struggling with the side by side jumps (161.96 points). The team tops the Junior standings with two wins.

“Today we were lacking a bit,” Huang admitted. “There were some mistakes in the program. However, compared to our last competition, there was still some progress. So we believe there is potential for our future.”

Zhang pointed out what she likes about Pair Skating: “We always work together to make sure there’s improvement. We love this discipline.”

JGP Gdansk 2024 Pairs Gold Jiaxuan Zhang Yihang Huang CHN silver Sofiia Holichenko Artem Darenskyi UKR bronze Julia Quattrocchi Simon Desmarais CAN©International Skating Union (ISU) 2174033205

From Left to Right: Sofia Holichenko/Artem Darenskyi (UKR), Jiaxuan Zhang/Yihang Huang (CHN), Julia Quattrocchi/Simon Desmarais (CAN) - ISU Junior Grand Prix 2024 in Gdansk (POL) ©International Skating Union (ISU)

Sofia Holichenko/Artem Darenskyi (UKR) earned the silver medal on 136.58 points but had no chance to qualify for the Final as they competed only in one event. Julia Quattrocchi/Simon Desmarais (CAN) climbed from sixth place after Short Program to third overall (134.88 points) and made the Junior Final.

After the conclusion of the four JGP events with Pair Skating, the following six couples have qualified for the Junior Final (unofficial result): Zhang/Huang, Jazmine Desrochers/Kieran Thrasher (CAN), Olivia Flores/Luke Wang (USA), Romane Telemaque/Lucas Coulon (FRA), Quattrocchi/Desmarais and Sae Shimizu/Lucas Takeshi Honda (JPN).

Katarina Wolfkostin/DimitryTsarevski (USA) golden in Gdansk

Coming back to the Junior ranks after a season at the senior level paid off for Katarina Wolfkostin/Dimitry Tsarevski (USA). Following a silver medal in Ostrava, the team now struck gold in Gdansk and booked their ticket to the Junior Final. Wolfkostin/Tsarevski looked strong in the Rhythm Dance to “Car Wash” and “Disco Inferno” and impressed with their emotional Free Dance to “Moulin Rouge”, collecting all level threes and fours for their elements. The US-couple earned the highest Free Dance score this season in the JGP circuit so far and they were rewarded with a seasons best score of 166.88 points.

“This is a great improvement,” Wolfkostin noted. “I started the season a little late for my fracture, so it’s a little rough in the beginning but we know we’re getting back into the groove of things. I think each competition, we just keep improving.”

JGP Gdansk 2024 Ice Dance Gold Katarina Wolfkostin Dimitry Tsarevski USA Silver Sandrine Gauthier Quentin Thieren CAN bronze Dania Mouaden Theo Bigot FRA ©International Skating Union (ISU) 2174269698

From Left to Right: Sandrine Gauthier/Quentin Thieren (CAN), Katarina Wolfkostin/Dimitry Tsarevski (USA), Dana Mouaden/Theo Bigot (FRA) - ISU Junior Grand Prix 2024 in Gdansk (POL) ©International Skating Union (ISU)

Sandrine Gauthier/Quentin Thieren (CAN) danced off with the silver medal, showing improvement from their first event especially in their Free Dance set to “Pact Sworn In Blood” and “Planting the Fields”, setting a new personal best in the segment and total score (160.75 points).

The charming French team of Dana Mouaden/Theo Bigot came from a fourth place in the Rhythm Dance to capture the bronze medal with their Free Dance to “Believer”. It was their second JGP medal after a bronze a year ago in Budapest and it came with new personal best scores (153.19 points)!

A total of 131 Skaters/Couples from 35 countries competed in Gdansk. You can re-live all the action and the winners’ interviews at the ISU YouTube channel. Tune in again when the series continues with the sixth event in Ljubljana (SLO) next week.

 

Follow the ISU Junior Grand Prix events:

The schedules of each ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event are available below:

 

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final:

 

Where to Watch?

The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube channel in most countries.

 

How do skaters qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final?

Skaters compete in a maximum of two events and collect points. The top six Single Skaters, Pairs and Ice Dance Couples will then qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Grenoble (FRA) December 5-8, 2024, where they will be competing for the final JGP title.

Check out the ISU Junior Grand Prix Standings to find out who is on their way to qualify for the Final:

Men      Women            Pair Skating      Ice Dance

 

More information

Full entry lists, results, the General Announcement and further information are available on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.

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