By Rylie Smith, Team FSO staff writer
The 2023-24 skating season is starting off strong with the juniors kicking off the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Here’s a quick recap of the men and women’s events:
Men
Rio Nakata of Japan took home the men’s title, his first ever JGP win, with a total competition score of 217.65. He finished third in the short program and climbed his way up to first overall with a first-place finish in the free. He opened his James Bond-themed free skate program with a stunning quad toe and executed three level four spins.
Francois Pitot of France earned a close second with a total score of 217.50, earning second in both the short and the free. This was Pitot’s first Grand Prix medal since he won the bronze medal in Courchevel in 2021. Yanhao Li of New Zealand finished in third place with a total score of 210.08. He made history for New Zealand, winning the country’s first ever JGP medal.
Team USA’s Jacob Sanchez, who was first after the short program, dropped to fourth overall. This was Sanchez’s first Junior Grand Prix event since 2021. Fellow American Michael Xie pulled up from eleventh after the short program to finish 6th overall with his 6th place free skate.
Women
2023 World Junior bronze medalist Ami Nakai of Japan won the women’s event with a total score of 190.65. Her only mistake was that she popped her triple Axel into a double Axel at the beginning of the program. The rest of the program included three level-four spins, a level three step sequence and a triple flip-triple toe combo, double Axel and triple Lutz. She earned second in the free skate, but was able to hold the lead to take home the title.
Yuseong Kim of Korea finished in second place at her JGP debut. She opened her free skate with a triple Axel, becoming the 25th woman to land a triple Axel in an international competition. She also executed multiple triples and a triple flip-triple toe combo throughout both of her programs. Kim is the twin sister of Yujae Kim, who finished in 4th place at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Heesue Han of Korea, who was sixth after the short program, took home the bronze medal, earning a total score of 173.99.
Team USA’s Annika Chao, who was third after the short program, finished in fifth place overall in her Junior Grand Prix debut.
Dance
Visit Ice-Dance.com for a recap of the dance event.
Full results can be found at http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2324/jgptha2023/
