USA’s Leah Neset and Artem Markelov stand atop the podium after winning gold at the 2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China.
2023-24 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final: Ice Dance
USA’s Leah Neset and Artem Markelov dominated the Ice Dance event at the 2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China, winning the title. Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov of Israel took the silver, the first JGP Final medal of any color for their country. Germany’s Darya Grimm and Michail Savitskiy earned the bronze, the first medal for a German ice dance team at this event in 22 years (Miriam Steinel and Vladimir Tsvetkov won bronze in 2001 and 2022).
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov
Neset and Markelov took the lead in the rhythm dance after scoring a new personal best of 72.48 points in their third season on the circuit. Their rock n’ roll routine to music by the Scorpions and Joan Jett featured a level-four straightline lift and excellent twizzles. The team met all eight key points in their rocker foxtrot steps in which both sequences were graded a level four. The midline steps garnered a level three and two.
“We are very happy with how it went today,” said Neset. “We especially worked on our performance since the JGP. We liked the long break, so we had some time to work and concentrate. I think it showed today. We are very excited about our score. Overall, our goal for the event is to show our best possible performance.”
Neset said she loved all the senior teams competing at this event and found it “especially inspiring how Chock and Bates manage to match every beat of the music.”
“I also have a lot of role models. but if I had to name one specifically, it would be Scott Moir,” said Markelov.
The two-time national junior champions put out a spellbinding free dance to “Anytime, Anywhere” and “Cry” which earned a new personal best of 104.61. The team showed lots of expression and detail as they racked up many positive grades of execution (GOE) on all elements. The level-three circular steps and level-four twizzles and lifts were particularly strong. The one-foot steps were graded a level three while the dance spin received a level four. Their total score was 177.09.
“We are very happy and grateful for this experience and that we were able to show a good performance,” said Neset. “At the end of the program I was very happy that we were able to out a good skate. We want to work and improve our power and performance.”
“We are thankful for our coaches and parents for always being there for us,” added Markelov. “We tried to do our best and we are so glad to have put out a skate we are proud of.”
Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov
Tkachenko and Kiliakov came out strong with their clever and engaging rhythm dance in which they represent race car drivers from the 1980s. The 2023 JGP Armenian Cup champions showed very good level-four twizzles, earning +2 and +3 GOEs. They met seven out of eight of their key points in the rocker foxtrot steps and the diagonal steps garnered a level two and three. They also showed a good level-four rotational lift in their routine to selections by Yello. The team came very close to their personal best with 68.14 points for second place.
“We are very happy with our skate today!” said Tkachenko. “It’s amazing to have reached the Final and it’s a new great accomplishment in our career. I feel like I want to do even better. We don’t want our last performances to impact a new event though.”
“We worked really hard in getting more into character,” added Kiliakov on what they have improved upon.
The 2023 JGP Osaka silver medalists put out a strong free dance to “Ojo Azules,” “Danzante Vasija De Barro” and “Sikuriadas.” The team showed good presentation and were committed throughout their performance. The twizzles, lifts, and dance spin were all rewarded with a level four with positive GOEs. The diagonal steps were graded a level two, while the one-foot steps garnered a level two and three. They finished second with their routine and overall (100.64/168.78).
“We are so happy that our hard work paid off,” said Kiliakov. “We did a lot to improve this season. This music is from a contemporary ballet by Christopher Dean about political depression in South America. The music is very beautiful, and we watched the ballet a few times. The costume in the original play is body paint and of course we couldn’t do that, but we tried to get as close to the original as possible.”
“The eye make-up represents that I am tired and I am fighting him,” added Tkachenko.
They want to continue working on the details of their programs, as well as their connection. They also want to project passion and energy on the ice.
Darya Grimm and Michail Savitskiy
Grimm and Savitskiy delivered very good level-four twizzles in their rhythm dance to catchy selections by the Electric Light Orchestra. The ice dancers, who won both solo events in Austria and Poland, also met seven out of eight of the key points in the rocker foxtrot steps. The midline steps were rewarded a level three and one, while the rotational lift was a graded level four. They improved their personal best with 66.49 points for third place.
“Overall, we feel quite good about our skate today,” said Savitskiy. “After checking the protocol, I am definitely not pleased with getting a level one on my steps. I felt that it wasn’t a level four, but I am a bit surprised to see level one.”
Their preparation for the event went smooth and they felt confident coming to Beijing.
“Our goal here is to show two solid performances and get rewarded with a podium position,” said Savitskiy.
The two-time national junior champions earned a new season’s best (92.92) for their complex free dance to Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso and “Habanera.” The composition was very difficult, and they showed good unison throughout. The twizzles were graded a level three while both lifts and the dance spin garnered a level four. Both the diagonal and circular steps were deemed a level two, and they finished third overall (159.41).
“We came here with the goal to show two solid performances,” said Grimm. “We knew we had the chance to medal if we had two solid performances, and we are happy we did.”
“It was definitely one of our better run-throughs of this program,” added Savitskiy. “Still, there is a lot of room to grow and improve. We think we need to work on our speed, especially towards the end of the program. But we have some time before Junior Worlds and will work hard on that.”
Celina Fradji and Jean-Hans Fourneaux
Celina Fradji and Jean-Hans Fourneaux of France picked up a new season’s best (61.60) for fourth place with their rhythm dance to music by the Scorpions and AC/DC. The team met five out of eight of their key points and earned a level four on the rotational lift. The midline steps were graded a level two and three, while the twizzles were a level four and three.
“We are happy with the first part, the second part was a bit shaky,” admitted Fourneaux.
“I made a mistake, but luckily it was not on an element,” pointed out Fradji. “But we surely lost points on the overall impressions. We have been working on the key points since the JGP and it shows that our work pays off. Our goal here is to be close to the podium.”
The 2023 JGP Bangkok silver medalists earned a new season’s best (91.82) for their free dance to “Partida” and “Porto Dio.” They showed good expression and were on point with the music. The twizzles were graded a level four and three, while the circular steps were a level two. While the straightline lift was good, there was a mistake on the rotational lift that was graded a level two. They finished fourth overall with another season’s best of 153.42 points.
“I lost my balance during the lift, but we are happy we did not fall,” explained Fourneaux.
“We are happy despite the problem on the lift,” said Fradji. “It was better than in Osaka. We are happy with the fourth place, but the bronze was the objective though.”
Mariia Pinchuk and Mykyta Pogorielov
Mariia Pinchuk and Mykyta Pogorielov of Ukraine placed fifth (60.20) in the rhythm dance with their performance to “Unchain My Heart” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” The 2023 JGP Istanbul champions earned a level three twizzles and the first rocker foxtrot steps. The diagonal steps were graded a level two and one, and they also showed a very fast level-four rotation lift.
“It is a great atmosphere here, we never skated at a competition of this level in Juniors,” said Pinchuk. “We are pleased with our performance but need to check the protocols. I was not really comfortable with the twizzles as they didn’t work out during the warmup.”
Pinchuk and Pogorielov picked up a level four on the twizzles and lifts in their Free Dance to music by Madonna. The dance spin was also graded a level four and they placed fifth overall (87.03/147.23).
“We felt more confident on the ice today and really enjoyed the skate,” said Pinchuk. We love skating to this music! I was surprised to see Loena Hendrickx skating to the same piece. I love her skating and her program very much.”
“We had some goals for this competition, and we fulfilled them,” added Pogorielov.
This was their last junior competition, and they will now prepare for the European championships.
Yahli Pedersen and Jeffrey Chen
USA’s Yahli Pedersen and Jeffrey Chen were off to a strong start with level-four twizzles in their rhythm dance to music by Queen. They picked up a level one and three on the midline steps, but then Pederson took an unfortunate tumble during the first rocker foxtrot pattern which received no value. They quickly recovered and showed a good level-four rotational lift, placing sixth with 54.30 points.
“It’s overall great to be here,” said Chen. “It is a great experience for us as a new team. The stadium is so big. We can’t yet really say why the mistake happened; we will have to go back and watch. The rest of the program went well.”
The ice dancers have already visited the Great Wall and the pandas in the zoo.
The team, who took silver at both JGP events in their first season together, placed fifth in the free dance with a new personal best (90.27) and sixth overall (144.57). Their precise routine to music from the Phantom of the Opera was highlighted by level-four twizzles and lifts.
“It was a little bit hard to regroup from yesterday, but we think we managed pretty well,” said Pedersen. “We are pleased with what we showed today. It’s great to have scored a personal best.”
The team will now return home to prepare for nationals next month.
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