The ice dance team of Effie Chen and Gordei Chitipakhovian earned bronze at Junior Grand Prix Georgia, the fifth of seven ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series events in Batumi, Georgia.  

The duo, who began their partnership in June 2025, is amidst a breakout season that saw them take bronze in their Junior Grand Prix debut in Turkey just last week.  

The Boston-based team opened their rhythm dance, set to "I See Red" and "Wicked Ways" by Everybody Loves An Outlaw, with a Level 4 stationary lift followed by Level 4 sequential twizzles. The two elements contributed a combined 15.58 points and led them to a personal best segment score of 61.70. .  

In second place after the first day of competition, their free dance to music from the soundtrack to the Rio soundtrack featuring vibrantly colored costumes earned Level 4 marks on four elements: their synchronized twizzles, both lifts and dance spin. Their opening diagonal step sequence contributed 9.81 points toward a personal best score of 91.95.  

Chen and Chitipakhovian's total score of 153.65 was a career-best for the team.  

Jane Calhoun and Mark Zheltyshev earned sixth place and a two-day total score of 137.23.  

Skating in their second Junior Grand Prix of the season, the ice dance duo that trains in Novi. Michigan, came out of the gate with a personal-best performance in the rhythm dance. Their skate set to "Woland" from The Master and Margarita by Igor Korneliuk and "Waltz" by Igor Korneliuk was bookended by a midline step sequence worth 9.54 points and a Level 4 rotational lift. Their Level 4 sequential twizzles also contributed to a score of 59.20.  

In the free dance, the reigning U.S. junior bronze medalists received a Level 4 on their synchronized twizzles but unfortunately fell twice on their final lift. The ice dancers' second performance of the competition was setto "María de Buenos Aires" by Dulce Pontes and Astor Piazzolla and "Yo Soy Maria by Milva and Astor Piazzolla and posted a score of 78.03.   

Patrick Blackwell led the charge for the U.S. entries with a fifth-place finish in the men's discipline.  

In the short program, Blackwell struggled with his opening triple Axel but went on to earn over 10 points for his triple flip-triple toe loop combination and Level 4s on his step sequence and all three spins. His performance to an original composition by Émile Dallaire and "Puertas de la Libertad" by Karl Hugo earned a segment score of 74.96.  

In fourth place going into the free skate, Blackwell landed a quadruple toe loop to open his program, which was performed to set to "The Day We Choose to Die" by Trail Rebel, "Autumn Moon" by Eternal Eclipse, "Polaris" by Judah Earl and "Warriors" from League of Legends. The jump added 12.49 points to a free skate score of 128.63. He concluded with a Level 4 combination spin for a total score of 203.59.   

Henry Gao, who also trains at The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, finished seventh. With a personal best total score of 189.15, this result marks his highest finish in the Junior Grand Prix Series.  

His short program to "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saëns kicked off with his highest-scoring element – a triple flip-triple toe loop that posted a score of 10.11. His combination spin also earned a Level 4 distinction. The skate tallied a new personal best point total for Gao at 65.36 points.  

Gao's free skate to music from "Romeo and Juliet" by Nino Rota and Sergei Prokofiev was highlighted by a Level 4 combination spin and tallied 123.79 points.  

Rachel Samiri scored a personal best 181.52 points in total, good for a sixth-place finish in the women's event. Her final score crushed her previous personal best by 19 points.  

Skating to "Bublitschki" by Paul Mauriat and "Kalinka" by the Esin Engin Orchestra in the short program, she opened her performance with a triple flip-triple loop combination that scored 10.81 points. Despite popping her second jumping pass, the California native rallied to earn Level 4 marks on all three spins for a segment score of 62.34, another personal best.  

On day two, Samiri leapt from eighth after the short program to fourth in the free skate, thanks to a personal best score of 119.18, nine points higher than her previous best. Her skate, set to variations of "Esmeralda" by Richard Bonynge, featured a triple Lutz-triple loop. The jump combination tallied a program-high 11.05 points and accompanied Level 4 combination and flying camel spins. All but one element posted positive GOEs.  

For more information on the Junior Grand Prix Series, including full results, news and more, visit the Junior Grand Prix Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating website.