The 2021–22
ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of me ...
was the 24th season of a series of junior international competitions organized by the
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen ...
. It was the junior-level complement to the
2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of invitational senior internationals held from October 2021 through December 2021. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance ...
. Skaters competed for medals in the disciplines of
men's singles, women's singles,
pairs, and
ice dance
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
, as well as for qualifying points. The top six from each discipline qualified for the
2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final, to be held together with the senior final and later cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
On June 23, 2021,
Skate Canada
Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annu ...
cancelled the second event of the series that it had been scheduled to host in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, citing concerns surrounding the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The
Fédération Française des Sports de Glace, the host of the series' first event in
Courchevel
Courchevel () is a French Alps ski resort. It is a part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski areas in the world. Courchevel also refers to the towns of Courchevel 1300 (Le Praz), Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650 (Moriond), and Cou ...
, offered to replace Skate Canada as host by holding a second, separate JGP event in Courchevel on the originally scheduled dates. Due to the size of the rink in Courchevel, the pairs event originally scheduled for JGP Canada was reallotted to JGP Poland.
[
On June 23, the Japan Skating Federation announced that, due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, it would not be sending athletes to any of the first three JGP events.][ JSF ultimately chose to forego the JGP series entirely and did not send athletes to any of the events.][ In addition to the JSF, the ]Chinese Skating Association
The Chinese Skating Association (CSA) was founded in 1956. It hosts the annual Chinese Figure Skating Championships and the Cup of China.
Notable people in Chinese figure skating
*Yao Bin & Luan Bo Pairs team now coaches - first Chinese pair ska ...
also did not send athletes to any of the events due to the mandatory quarantine period upon returning home.
On August 5, the ISU announced that due to varying travel and quarantine restrictions during the pandemic, it would consider re-allocation requests on a case-by-case basis according to an outlined criteria of preference. The ISU also said that they would abandon the re-allocation process in the event of an abundance of requests or overly complex requests that would cause logistical issues. In addition, the ISU decided not to implement a JGP ranking for the season and to instead prioritize holding the JGP series safely "with the best possible participation" in light of the pandemic. The ISU will evaluate if and how skaters could qualify for the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final, scheduled for December in Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
, under alternative qualification criteria.
On August 10, the Figure Skating Federation of Russia
The Figure Skating Federation of Russia (russian: Федерация фигурного катания на коньках России, lit. ''Figure Skating on Skates Federation of Russia'') is the national sport governing body for figure skating ...
(FFKKR) announced that due to quarantine and vaccination requirements for Russian citizens entering France, it would not be able to send skaters to either of the first two stages in Courchevel. As a result, the FFKKR asked the ISU to redistribute the quotas of Russian figure skaters from both stages in France to other stages of the series in countries where entry was possible without restrictive quarantine measures; the ISU Council agreed with the proposals.[ Russia received an additional two entries in singles and ice dance (no pairs events in France) at the third JGP event in Slovakia and at the fourth JGP event in Russia.]
Issues
During the fourth JGP event in Russia, the rhythm dance
The rhythm dance (RD) is the first segment of an ice dance competition. The International Skating Union (ISU) renamed the short dance to the "rhythm dance" in June 2018, prior to the 2018–19 figure skating season, 2018–2019 season. It became ...
, the first event on the opening day, was suspended after one group due to technical issues; the event later resumed at 22:00 (original scheduled finish time of 16:21) after the remainder of the day's events were completed.
Competitions
The locations of the JGP events change yearly. In the 2021–22 season, the series is composed of the following events in autumn 2021:[
]
Entries
Skaters who reach the age of 13 before July 1, 2021, but have not turned 19 (singles and females of the other two disciplines) or 21 (male pair skaters and ice dancers) are eligible to compete on the junior circuit. Competitors are chosen by their countries according to their federation's selection procedures. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member federation was to be determined by their skaters' placements at the 2021 World Junior Championships in each discipline, before the competition was cancelled. ISU member nations were required to confirm the number of allotted slots they intended to utilize by June 1, 2021.
Number of entries per discipline
The number of entries each ISU member nation was allowed to field per discipline was to be based on the results of the 2021 World Junior Championships, before the competition was cancelled. The ISU instead used the 2020 World Junior Championships results.
Singles and ice dance
Pairs
Medal summary
Medalists
Men
Women
Pairs
Ice dance
Medal table
Qualification
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ISU chose not to implement JGP rankings for the 2021–22 season.[ On October 4, the ISU announced the alternative qualification procedure for the Junior Grand Prix Final in December.] In addition to the below procedure, Japan, as the host of the Junior Grand Prix Final, was awarded a wild card berth in men's and women's singles.
; For singles and ice dance:
# The seven winners of each individual JGP event will qualify for the Final.
# Should there only be six different individual winners out of the seven individual JGP events because a skater/team has won two JGP events, the six different individual winners will qualify for the Final.
# Should there be fewer than six different individual winners out of the seven individual JGP events because more skaters/teams have won two JGP events, all the different individual winners will qualify for the Final. In addition, the best second-placed skater/team, third-placed skater/team, and so forth by total score, who are not yet qualified as a winner, would be invited to the Final to reach the number of six entries.
; For pairs
# The four winners of each individual JGP event will qualify for the Final.
# Should there be fewer than four different individual winners out of the four individual JGP events because a pair has won two JGP events, all the different individual winners will qualify for the Final. In addition, the best second-placed pair, third-placed pair, and so forth by total score, who are not yet qualified as a winner, would be invited to the Final to reach the number of four entries.
; Alternates
The three best second-placed skaters/teams, third-placed skaters/teams, and so forth by total score, who are not yet qualified in accordance with the above, will be alternates for the Final. Substitution of skaters will only come into force if the minimum number of entries of six men (not counting the wild card), six women (not counting the wild card), four pairs, and six ice dance teams cannot be reached with the qualified skaters/teams.
Qualifiers
Records and achievements
Records
The following new junior ISU best scores were set during this season:
Achievements
* Hannah Lim / Ye Quan (bronze at JGP France I) are the first South Korean and the first Asian ice dance team to win an ISU Junior Grand Prix medal.
* Arlet Levandi (silver at JGP France II) won Estonia's first JGP medal in men's singles.
* Karina Safina / Luka Berulava
Luka Berulava (russian: Лука Берулава; ka, ლუკა ბერულავა, born 27 November 2002) is a Georgian pair skater, who currently competes with Anastasia Metelkina. Together they are two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix go ...
(silver at JGP Slovakia) are the first Georgian pairs team to win an ISU Junior Grand Prix medal.
* In the women's free skating at JGP Slovakia, Mia Kalin and Veronika Zhilina
Veronika Vladislavovna Zhilina (russian: Вероника Владиславовна Жилина; born 15 May 2008) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 JGP Slovakia champion.
Personal life
Zhilina was born on 15 May 2008 in Arkhan ...
became the seventh and eighth women, respectively, to land a fully rotated quadruple jump in international competition.
* In the women's short program at JGP Russia, Sofia Akateva
Sofia Dmitrievna Akateva (russian: Софья Дмитриевна Акатьева, born 7 July 2007) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2023 Russian champion. At the junior level, she is the 2021 JGP Russia champion, the 2021 JGP Poland ...
became the 13th woman to land a clean triple Axel in international competition. In the women's free skating, Sofia Samodelkina
Sofia Vladimirovna Samodelkina (russian: Софья Владимировна Самоделкина; born 18 February 2007) is a Russian figure skater. She is 2021 JGP Slovenia silver medalist, 2021 JGP Russia bronze medalist, and 2021 Denis ...
, Anastasia Zinina
Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the mos ...
, and Akateva became the ninth, tenth, and 11th women, respectively, to land a fully rotated quadruple jump. Akateva also recorded the highest-ever TES for a junior woman in both programs, and set the junior record for the free skating and combined scores.
* Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich (bronze at JGP Poland) won Cyprus's first ISU Grand Prix medal at either the junior or senior level in any discipline.
* In the women's free skating at JGP Poland, Sofia Akateva
Sofia Dmitrievna Akateva (russian: Софья Дмитриевна Акатьева, born 7 July 2007) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2023 Russian champion. At the junior level, she is the 2021 JGP Russia champion, the 2021 JGP Poland ...
became the first woman to land a triple Axel and three quadruple jumps in one program.[
* In the women's free skating at JGP Austria, Varvara Kisel became the 14th woman to land a clean triple Axel in international competition.]
Top JGP scores
Men
Best total score
Best short program score
Best free skating score
Women
Best total score
Best short program score
Best free skating score
Pairs
Best total score
Best short program score
Best free skating score
Ice dance
Best total score
Best rhythm dance score
Best free dance score
Notes
References
External links
ISU Junior Grand Prix
at the International Skating Union
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 ISU Junior Grand Prix
ISU Junior Grand Prix
Junior Grand Prix
ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of me ...