Helsinki Fintastic Junior of Finland skated off with their fourth Junior World title at the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships 2026 this weekend in Gdansk, Poland. The Finns celebrated a runaway victory in what was an exciting competition filled with powerful performances and inspirational programs.

The medal winning teams at the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships ©ISU

Helsinki Fintastic golden again

Helsinki Fintastic Junior of Finland returned to the top of the podium after taking two silver medals in the past two years. Valley Bay Synchro Junior, also from Finland, rose from fourth to second to claim their first Junior World medal while the Skyliners Junior repeated as bronze medalists. 

Helsinki Fintastic Junior (FINI) skated to their fourth Junior World title with a vampire program ©ISU

Helsinki Fintastic Junior took a confident lead with their Short Program to “Upside Down” on Friday. The Finns built on that with a fantastic vampire theme Free Skating Saturday set “Kill of the Night”, “The Pendant, Evil Tango” and “Concerto to Hell”, earning a level four for six elements. Fintastic Junior achieved a seasons best of 137.68 points for a total of 218.21 points. They won their fourth title after 2020, 2022 und 2023 with 14 points to spare. 

„It's much more than skating to us. It means a lot,” Emilia Markkula said. “This is just a reward for our hard work and we're so happy to be back on top. 

“I think this year we turned the pressure into power and we were just so calm. We wanted to do it together and that's what really helped us,” she added.

„[In the program] we want to express all of the vampire stories that are being told and all the legends,” Eevi Oksanen explained. “We want to be strong vampire kind of persons.”

Valley Bay Synchro celebrates first Junior World medal

Valley Bay Synchro Junior stood in fourth place following a solid Short Program. Performing to “Dona Nobis Pacem” and “Winter” from “The Four Seasons”, the French Cup Champions set a seasons best of 131.81 points and moved up to second place at 204.86 points to win their first Junior World medal. 

Valley Bay Synchro Junior was excited about taking their first medal at the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships ©ISU

The team was stunned when they found out that they were on the podium. 

“We were in shock, wordless, and it was absolutely amazing, I can't describe the feeling,” Pihla Gronroose shared. “This means everything. We're so happy and we did this together. The main thing was that we were together and we enjoyed it really much,” she added. 

The Skyliners collect fourth consecutive bronze

The Skyliners Junior put out a dramatic Free Skating to “Carmen”. They ranked fourth in the Free Skating with 122.82 points but overall held on third place at 200.40 points to win their fourth consecutive bronze medal at the event.

The Skyliners Junior (USA) claimed their fourth consecutive bronze medal at the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships ©ISU

„We felt really, really determined throughout the whole skate,” Stephanie Sze commented. “It was definitely a fight throughout the program, especially with a fall in the middle. We kept the resilience and our momentum and I think that's really what pulled us through.”

Les Supremes Junior (CAN) finished fourth, edged out of the podium by just one point. The Canadians ranked third both segments but overall slipped to fourth as Valley Bay Synchro overtook them (199.42 points).

Defending Champions Teams Elite Junior, the first U.S. Synchronized Team to win this title, came fifth this time. A fall in the Short Program in the twizzle element cost precious points. They remained in fifth place after making to more errors in the Free Skating (193.12 points).

Nexxice Junior (CAN) finished sixth on 192.32 points.

What & When

The schedule of the ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships 2026 is as follows:

Friday, March 13: Short Program

Saturday, March 14: Free Skating 

Where to watch

The ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships were live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here. 

Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted. 

Originally called Precision Skating, Synchronized Skating was introduced in the 1950s. It is a highly technical form of Figure Skating characterized by speed, precisions, unison, intricate formations, synchro elements, difficult footwork, spectacular lifts and exciting transitions. A synchronized team traditionally consists of 16 skaters (plus up to four alternates). There are also new formats developing such as Synchro Nine.

This year’s championship marked the 11^th edition of the event that started in 2013. The ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Championships were originally held biennially and are held annually since 2017. The event was cancelled once in 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page. Follow the event on social media using the hashtag: #SynchroSkating.