Photo credit Getty Images
By Kristen Henneman
Brother and sister ice dance team Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal earned personal bests for both their programs to clinch their first Junior Grand Prix gold and the final spot in the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final at the last stop of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series in Wuxi, China.
Entering the competition with a bronze from Junior Grand Prix Thailand earlier this season, the Peals have now medaled at four straight JGP events.
The 2024 World Junior Team members took a strong lead in the rhythm dance with a score of 65.31, topping the competition by nearly five points. Skating to “Boogie Shoes" by KC and the Sunshine Band and "Dance to the Music" by Sly and the Family Stone, Peal and Peal claimed Level 4 designations on their sequential twizzles and rotational lift as well as nearly 10 points for their midline step sequence.
In the free dance, the Peals opened their performance to music from the Pearl Harbor soundtrack with Level 4 synchronized twizzles. They then executed a showstopping Level 4 combination lift for 12.63 points. Overall, they sealed the gold with the highest program component score in the event, totaling 95.19 points for their skate. Their two-day total of 160.15 was also a new personal best.
Olivia Ilin and Dylan Cain also represented Team USA in the ice dance event, finishing just off the podium in fourth, their best result at a Junior Grand Prix.
In their rhythm dance to Carry You" by Ruelle featuring Fleurie, the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games silver medalists in individual and team event finished with their strongest element, a midline step sequence, to secure 56.58 points.
Entering the free dance in fifth, Ilin and Cain moved up a place thanks to a free dance that scored 85.63 points. Their skate to "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire; "Heart of Glass" by Blondie; and "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer featured four Level 4 elements, with their highest-scoring element being their Level 3 serpentine step sequence for 9.24 points. They tallied a final mark of 142.21.
The men’s competition saw Patrick Blackwell finish sixth overall with 196.47 points.
Blackwell, who earned silver at his first Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic, opened his short program with a strong triple Axel and went on to record a score of 64.24 for sixth place.
He climbed up to a fourth-place result in the free skate with 132.23 points. In his performance to "Smoke and Mirrors " by Gabriel Saban, two of Blackwell’s elements scored double-digit points – his opening quad toe loop and his triple flip-triple toe in the second half of the routine.
After winning gold at the Junior Grand Prix in Slovenia just a week earlier, Sophie Joline von Felten represented Team USA in the women’s event in China, placing 13th overall with a total score of 150.25. She tallied 51.41 and 98.84 for her short program and free skate, respectively.
For full results at JGP China, visit the Junior Grand Prix Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
