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July 29, 2026
5 Skills Named After Olympic Gymnasts
September 01, 2026
The 2026/27 ISU Junior Grand Prix season opened in Xi’an with a new generation of figure skating talent making an immediate impact. From spectacular quadruple jumps to demanding pair elements and expressive ice dance, the first event offered an exciting preview of the young athletes who could shape the future of the sport.
Held in China from 20–22 August 2026, the opening Junior Grand Prix event brought together 116 skaters and couples representing 32 nations. Four champions stood out in particular: Sofiia Dzepka, Lev Lazarev, Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov, and Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov. All claimed gold while making their international Junior Grand Prix debuts.
Sofiia Dzepka delivered one of the strongest performances of the opening event.
The 17-year-old Individual Neutral Athlete created a huge advantage in the women’s competition and eventually finished almost 24 points ahead of the field. Her free skate to The Matrix combined a clean quadruple toe loop with seven triple jumps and strong spins.
Her final score of 213.28 points gave Dzepka a memorable victory and an impressive start to her Junior Grand Prix career.
China also enjoyed a successful home event. Thirteen-year-old Yuxuan Liu earned silver with 189.57 points, while 15-year-old Shuxian Jin produced a remarkable comeback. After finishing eighth in the short program, Jin climbed to third place with 188.80 points to win her first Junior Grand Prix medal.
Lev Lazarev dominated the men’s event.
The 16-year-old established a three-point lead after the short program and then attacked a demanding free skate featuring a quad flip, quad toe and two quad Lutz attempts.
He finished with 250.21 points, almost 20 points clear of his closest challengers.
His victory was particularly impressive because Lazarev was dealing with stomach problems during the competition. Despite feeling unwell and facing the heat in Xi’an, he stayed composed and completed a program containing four quadruple jumps.
New Zealand’s Yanhao Li won silver with 230.89 points, while Japan’s Daiya Ebihara moved up from fourth after the short program to take bronze and earn his third Junior Grand Prix medal.
Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov were another team to make an immediate impression.
The Individual Neutral Athletes led the pairs event from start to finish. Their short program included a triple twist and double Axel, while their free skate featured a difficult side-by-side triple flip-Euler-triple Salchow combination and a side-by-side triple Lutz.
Their total of 191.84 points secured the gold medal and 15 Junior Grand Prix ranking points.
China’s Yuxuan Chen and Yinbo Dong finished second, while Chen Ling Wang and Yong Zheng Chen won bronze in their first international competition.
The ice dance title went to Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov, who were also competing internationally for the first time.
They built their lead in the Rhythm Dance before presenting an elegant Free Dance to Mozart’s Requiem and Lacrimosa. Their intricate footwork and impressive lifts helped them reach 162.16 points and claim the title.
Italy’s Zoe Bianchi and Daniel Basile earned silver, while Canada’s Summer Homick and Nicholas Buelow took bronze for the third consecutive time on the junior circuit.
The Xi’an champions have made an important start in the race for the 2026/27 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Each winner earned 15 ranking points, giving them an early advantage as the season continues.
The Junior Grand Prix schedule features seven events in total this season. After the opening competition in Xi’an, the circuit continues with:
The season will then culminate in the Junior Grand Prix Final in Chongqing, China, in December 2026.
With six events still ahead after Xi’an, the competition for places in the Final is only beginning. Young skaters will have more opportunities to collect ranking points, gain international experience and establish themselves among the next generation of stars.
Xi’an showed exactly why junior figure skating is so exciting. New names can arrive on the international stage and immediately challenge expectations.
For Dzepka, Lazarev, Shesheleva and Karnaukhov, and Fefelova and Valov, the journey toward the Junior Grand Prix Final has started in the best possible way.
Source: article on isu-skating.com, published August 24, 2026.
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By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer
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