Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO) win the Junior Pairs Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) once again ruled in the Junior Pairs competition as the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final continued Saturday in Beijing (CHN). The Final features the top six Skaters/Couples per discipline from the seven events of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series.
Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) strike gold
Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava of Georgia once again confirmed their class and scored a runaway victory with more than 30 points. Canadians Ava Rae Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov collected the silver medal while their teammates Jazmine Desrochers/Kieran Thrasher came from fourth place to earn the bronze.
Metelkina/Berulava turned in a confident performance of their program to “The Millionaire Waltz” which was highlighted by a triple Salchow-double Axel-double toe, a triple twist, throw triple flip and loop as well as difficult lifts. With 131.63 points, the two-time JGP Champions improved their personal best by more than 10 points. Overall they collected 202.11 points.
“My feeling after a competition is always the same – relief, especially when it was a good competition as it was here. We are very happy with how we did,” said Berulava.
“We are going to the European Championships next and we have the highest goals, probably winning.
“There is still a lot we can improve – the death spiral, the side by side spin, the skating skills. We also plan on going to Worlds and Junior Worlds.”
Skating to “Writings on the Wall” and “Skyfall”, Kemp/Elizarov completed a triple twist, double Axel-double Axel sequence, a triple Salchow and two more triple throws.
Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov (CAN) in the Junior Pairs Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
The JGP Poland Champions set a personal best with 110.92 points which added up to 168.83 points.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement. We’re done some better programs and practice, but we’re pretty proud of what we did.
“We had no expectations coming to this competition, just wanting to have fun. So after the short, we felt a little bit of pressure. Then we just have to remind ourselves to keep focusing on ourselves,” Kemp said.
“This program is the first program we’re ever done internationally with two throw triples. It’s a really stressful competition. So we’re really happy that we managed to put those out. It’s amazing having a medal,” Elizarov added.
Desrochers/Thrasher produced a triple twist and level-four lifts in their routine to “Warsaw Concerto” to earn 101.42 points, another personal best. They totaled 156.33 points to move up to third place and take the bronze.
Jazmine Desrochers and Kieran Trasher (CAN) in the Junior Pairs Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“I’m really happy with that score and with that skate. We just wanted to show everyone that we can do the elements in the program,” said Thrasher.
“On other days we haven’t shown people it like that, so that was also another goal that we accomplished at this competition. Even if there’s a few small mistakes, we will come back and work harder.”
Martina Ariano Kent/ Charly Laliberte Laurent (CAN) slipped from third to fourth place at 150.70 points. Olivia Flores/Luke Wang (USA) came fifth (145.39 points) while 2023 ISU World Junior bronze medalists Violetta Sierova/Ivan Khobta (UKR) came in sixth (140.17 points).
Full results are available here.
Schedule of the event
Friday, December 8: Junior Rhythm Dance, Pairs Free Skating, Junior Women’s Free Skating, Women’s Short Program & Rhythm Dance
Saturday, December 9: Junior Free Dance, Junior Pairs & Junior Men’s Free Skating, Free Dance, Women’s & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, December 10: Exhibition Gala
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consisted of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN).
A total of 154 Skaters/Couples competed in the series: 46 Men, 43 Women, 29 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples.
The General Announcement of the 2023/24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here. The individual announcements are published under the respective events. Full entry lists and further information are available on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.
ISU Grand Prix Standings
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.
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Selection Criteria
For a Skater/Couple to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2021/22 or current 2022/23 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country Skaters, previously ranked Skaters or split ranked Couples who return with new partners. The minimum total score is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 and are as follows: Women: 141.65, Men: 187.49, Pairs: 132.65, Ice Dance: 137.89.
Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).
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