Junior Athletes Ready for ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Competition begins on Wednesday, March 7 with the short dance and pairs short program. The men take the ice on Thursday, March 8, while the ladies hit the ice on Friday, March 9.

In the ladies field, Ting Cui and Emmy Ma will both be making their World Junior debuts. The event caps off 2018 U.S. junior bronze medalist Cui’s first career international season. She placed sixth at Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Australia. Ma, who competed as a senior at this year’s U.S. Championships, finished third and fifth in her two JGP Series assignments in Latvia and Poland, respectively.

Three U.S. junior champions make up the men’s team for the United States. 2018 U.S. junior champion Camden Pulkinen, 2017 U.S. junior champion Alex Krasnozhon and 2016 U.S. junior champion Tomoki Hiwatashi are all headed to Bulgaria. This will mark Pulkinen’s World Junior debut, following three medals on the JGP Series circuit. He won JGP Austria and the silver medal at both JGP Poland and the JGP Final. Krasnozhon comes off an undefeated JGP Series circuit, winning in Australia, JGP Croatia and the JGP Final. Hiwatashi returns to the World Junior Championships for the first time since winning bronze in 2016. He captured two bronze medals during the JGP Series this season.

2018 U.S. junior champions Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov and 2018 U.S. junior silver medalists Sarah Feng and TJ Nyman will compete in the pairs competition, which will be both teams’ first appearance at the event. Lu and Mitrofanov finished fifth at both their JGPs this year before capturing their first U.S. title in early January. Feng and Nyman are in their first competitive season together and made their international debut at JGP Croatia where they finished eighth.

The ice dance teams of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, Caroline Green and Gordon Green, and Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye will take the ice for the United States. Carreira and Ponomarenko, who won their first U.S. junior title this year, hope to improve upon their 2017 World Junior bronze medal after a successful JGP Series. The Michigan-based team won both JGP Austria and Belarus while capturing the silver medal at the JGP Final. The Green siblings and the duo of Lewis and Bye, the 2018 U.S. junior silver and bronze medalists respectively, will make their World Junior debuts.

2018 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ICENETWORK STREAMING SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change)