FIGURE SKATING
Juniors open season at ISU Junior Grand Prix Riga (LAT) with a bang
24 Aug 2025
The Junior season is underway! Figure Skating’s next generation opened their season at the first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event in Riga (LAT) with a bang, showing off spectacular jumps, spins, lifts and twizzles. ISU World Junior Champion Rio Nakata (JPN), Mei Okada (JPN), Pair Skaters Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov (CAN) and Ice Dancers Leyla Veillon/Alexander Brandys (CAN) skated off with gold and took an important first step towards the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Relive the action and catch the winners’ interviews on the ISU YouTube channel.
„Gladiator“ Rio Nakata (JPN) wins in style
Rio Nakata (JPN) performs at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga (LAT)
Reigning ISU World Junior Champion Rio Nakata of Japan was the top favorite in a deep field of Junior Men in Riga and did not disappoint. He was on fire in his Flamenco Short Program that included a triple Axel and triple flip-triple toe combination, scoring a new personal best. With a strong lead of ten points, the Japanese could have played it safe in the Free Skating, but as a true “Gladiator”, he did not hold back and put it all out – a quad Salchow followed by a quad toe and five triple jumps. The 16-year-old racked up 246.94 points for a confident victory with 25 points to spare. It was Nakata’s third gold medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix.
“I felt very confident,” the ISU World Junior Champion said. “I wanted to be strong from the beginning to the end. I did the two quads, and after popping the Axel I did what I needed to do.”
Nakata chose the music from “Gladiator” himself. “Misha (Ge, choreographer) gave me some options for my program and I said ‘Gladiator’. I like it because first of all my dad was using it and then (2002 Olympic Champion) Alexei Yagudin. I watch his program every day, it’s my favorite program.”
The 2023 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final Champion is headed next to Bangkok for his second event and wants to qualify for his third consecutive Junior Grand Prix Final.
While Nakata was the “Gladiator”, Canada’s Grayson Long took the role of the “Demon Slayer” in his Free Skating – and skated to his very first medal on the ISU Junior circuit since his debut in 2022. The 17-year-old from Toronto got his triple Axel consistent and put out two strong performances, he only missed a triple Lutz in the Free Skating. The student of two-time Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser set new personal best scores in Short Program and Free Skating. He totaled 221.71 points.
Genrikh Gartung of Germany became the only Skater to land quadruple Lutz in Riga and captured the bronze, coming from fourth place in the Short Program (210.01 points). This is Gartung’s second bronze medal on the circuit.
ISU Junior Grand Prix Finalist Yanhao Li (NZL) was a top contender but made a costly error when repeating an extra triple flip that received no value. He slipped from third to fifth place.
Mei Okada (JPN) takes first JGP title
Mei Okada (JPN) performs at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga (LAT)
A very confident Mei Okada of Japan put out two excellent performances to claim her first Junior Grand Prix gold medal. The 15-year-old took the lead in the Short Program to “Space Table Symphony” and followed up with a beautiful performance to “Miss Saigon” that was highlighted by triple jumps and excellent spins. Okada picked up 189.67 points.
“This is a good step towards my goal, which is going to the Final. This is a very good start for me,” Okada said. “The Final is held in my hometown of Nagoya. If I make it to the Final, many of my friends were saying they want to come and watch.”
Jiyu Huh of Korea debuted in international competition in Riga and was very excited about her silver medal. The 13-year-old really sparkled in her programs, reeling off five clean triples in the Free Skating (186.55 points).
Elisabeth Dibbern made Switzerland proud with the bronze – the first medal for a Swiss woman on the ISU Junior Grand Prix since Kimena Brog-Meier won silver in 2001. It was a major step up for the 14-year-old from Zurich that had placed 9th and 10th in her JGP events in 2024.
Kemp/Elizarov (CAN) come back to triumph
A year ago, Canadians Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov missed the ISU Junior Grand Prix but came back strong to strike gold in Riga. The three-time ISU World Junior Championships competitors shone in their Short Program to “Succession” by Nicholas Britell and defended their overnight lead with another convincing performance in the Free Skating, setting new personal best scores. Skating to “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy, the 2023 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalists completed a side by side triple Salchow-single Axel-single Axel sequence, a nice throw triple loop and difficult lifts to win with 15 points to spare at 175.91 points.
Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov (CAN) perform at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga (LAT)
“It feels good,” Elizarov shared. “We came in confident. Our training has been really good leading up to this event. It feels really good for us to pay off. We trained full programs four weeks leading up to this event. We had two domestic competitions to get under our feet and we won those as well. It’s a good confidence booster.”
Kemp added: “More than the win we just wanted to show the improvements that we’ve made. We are happy we were able to show that. We used the competitions that didn’t go so well the last few seasons to learn from them. I think that helped us.”
The Canadians are headed to the JGP Ankara next week hoping to seal their spot in the Final.
China’s Xuanqi Zhang/Wenqiang Feng collected the silver medal in what was their second JGP event of their career. The 2024 JGP Ostrava Champions impressed especially with their triple twist and throw triple flip, but Zhang fell on the throw triple loop (160.76 points).
The bronze went to Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer (USA) who surprisingly never had competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix before. In their first season, they had to wait as Lewer previously had represented his native Australia, in their second season Williams came back from injury and in their third season they competed at the senior-level ISU Grand Prix. Now back in juniors, the 2024 ISU World Junior bronze medalists hope to qualify a spot in the Final.
Veillon/Brandys’ first golden dance
Layla Veillon/Alexander Brandys of Canada danced on to the top of the podium for the first time in their fourth Junior Grand Prix season. The couple from London, ON stood in second place following the Rhythm Dance, narrowly beaten by France’s Dania Mouaden/Theo Bigot. There was less than half a point between the two couples and Free Dance was decisive.
Layla Veillon/Alexander Brandys (CAN) perform at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga (LAT)
Veillon/Brandys kept their nerves under control and put out a confident Free Dance. They got personal best like in the Rhythm Dance for a total of 161.83 points.
“It feels a bit not so real,” Veillon noted. “We’ve been working really hard in the past. This is our fourth year junior, we kept just building every single year. This year we came in wanting to make a statement, being bold. We are just really excited for what’s to come this season,” she continued.
Veillon/Brandys danced to “Summer 2” and told an intriguing story on the ice: “We are in the museum and we are coming alive at night. Midway through the program in our choreo step it is midnight and there are six hours left (of the night),” Veillon explained.
Mouaden/Bigot turned in a lively Rhythm Dance to “Groove Is in the Heart” and “Gonna Make You Sweat” for the overnight lead. Their Free Dance to “Nature Boy” and “Bad Guy” featured intricate footwork and twizzles. The French couple posted a new personal best as they had in the Rhythm Dance but nevertheless slipped behind Veillon/Brandys on 160.13 points.
The bronze medal was a surprise for Jasmine Robertson/Chase Rohner (USA). They had teamed up only in January 2025 but progressed very fast and now got on to the podium in their Junior Grand Prix debut.
A total of 108 young athletes from 31 countries competed in Riga.
What will happen next week?
The ISU Junior Grand Prix continues next week in Ankara (TUR) and will be another exciting event:
- 2025 ISU World Junior silver medalist Minkyu Seo (KOR) starts into the season and is up against ISU Junior Grand Prix Finalist Sena Takahashi (JPN)
- JGP Riga Pairs Champions Ava Kemp/Yohnatan Elizarov (CAN) want to qualify for the Final
- 2024 JGP Ljubljana Champion Sophie Joline von Felten (USA), who has landed the triple Axel and quad Salchow in competition faces Japanese newcomer Mayuko Oka (JPN)
- 2024 ISU Junior Grand Prix Finalists Iryna Pidgaina/Artem Koval (UKR) are looking to establish themselves as the top junior team this season
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
Full entry lists, results and further information are available on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.
Subscribe to the ISU YouTube Channel to receive all the latest videos and follow the conversation with #JGPFigure.
The schedules of each ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event are available below:
- 20 - 23 Aug 2025 Riga/LAT*
- 27 - 30 Aug 2025 Ankara/TUR*
- 03 - 06 Sep 2025 Varese/ITA
- 09 - 13 Sep 2025 Bangkok/THA*
- 23- 26 Sep 2025 Baku/AZE
- 01 - 04 Oct 2025 Gdansk/POL*
- 08 - 11 Oct 2025 Abu Dhabi/UAE
*The events in Riga, Ankara, Bangkok and Gdansk include Pair Skating.
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final:
- 04 - 07 Dec 2025 Nagoya/JPN
