Above: Photo Credit Getty Images
By Abby Farrell
Team USA secured silver medals in the men’s and ice dance events at the second stop of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Patrick Blackwell earned his first podium finish in his Junior Grand Prix debut, while Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski clinched their first career Junior Grand Prix medal as a team.
Photo Credit:Getty Images
Competing in the men’s event, Blackwell had a stellar free skate to claim silver.
Finishing fifth after the short program, Blackwell made an impressive leap to the podium by winning the free skate. In his program set to "Smoke and Mirrors" by Gabriel Saban, Blackwell landed a quad toe as well as seven triple jumps, including a triple Axel-double Axel combination worth 12.10 points, and landed a backflip. Bolstering his score were positive grades of execution on every element. He tallied a total score of 152.14, which was more than 30 points higher than his previous personal best score.
In total, Blackwell earned 221.56 total points, crushing his previous personal best by 46.32 points.
His short program to "Love Is a Bitch" by Two Feet, opened with his two highest-scoring elements — a triple Axel followed by a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination — which were awarded a combined 20.29 points for a personal best score of 69.42 points.
Wolfkostin and Tsarevski started off strong in the rhythm dance, finishing second with a score of 55.98. Skating to "Car Wash" by Christina Aguilera featuring Missy Elliott and "Disco Inferno" by Syzz and Nora Van Elken, their program was highlighted by a midline step sequence followed by a Level 4 rotational lift.
The team out of Canton, Michigan, held their position in second place overall after the free dance. Their performance to "One Day I'll Fly Away" and "The Show Must Go On" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack collected Level 4 distinctions for two lifts and over 10 points for a diagonal step sequence to earn a free skate score of 88.96. They ended the competition with 144.94 total points and the silver medal.
This medal marks their first JGP medal as a team, but the third for both Wolfkostin and Tsarevski individually as they both won two medals each with previous partners. They have finished on the podium in both their events this season after taking silver at the 2024 Lake Placid Ice Dance International.
Joining them in the ice dance event were Emily Renzi and William Lissauer. They finished seventh in their Junior Grand Prix debut, earning 50.50 points for their short program and a personal best 77.60 points for their free skate. In total, the duo collected a total score of 128.10.
Josephine Lee represented the stars and stripes in the women’s event, finishing fifth, her best-ever result at a Junior Grand Prix. The reigning U.S. silver medalist earned a short program score of 57.65 thanks to a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination that was awarded 9.18 points.
Her free skate featured a triple loop-double toe loop combination and a triple toe loop-double Axel sequence in the second half of her performance to earn a segment score of 108.89 for a combined 166.54 points.
Pairs team Saya Carpenter and Jon Maravilla clinched seventh in their Junior Grand Prix debut. Their short program and free skate received international personal best scores of 43.39 and 81.84, respectively. Their short program’s highest scoring element was a lift worth over five points and they received Level 4 marks on one lift and one spin in the free skate. Overall, the team was awarded 125.23 points.
For full results from JGP Czech Republic, visit the 2024 Junior Grand Prix Competition Central.
