After the conclusion of the seventh and last event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series, the participants for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final on December 5 to 8 in Fukuoka Japan, have been determined.
Nathan Chen (USA), Keiji Tanaka (JPN) and Boyang Jin (CHN) are the top qualifiers in the Men's after winning their two events. Adian Pitkeev (RUS), Alexander Petrov (RUS) and Ryuju Hino (JPN) have reached the Final as well. Chen and the two Russian skaters will compete in their first Final. The substitutes are: Mikhail Kolyada (RUS), He Zhang (CHN), Shoma Uno (JPN).
Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS) and Polina Edmunds (USA) lead the Ladies standings with two victories on the circuit. Alexandra Proklova (RUS), Karen Chen (USA), Maria Sotskova (RUS) and Serafima Sakhanovich (RUS) are the other qualifiers. All Ladies advanced to the Final in their international junior debut season. The substitutes are: Angela Wang (USA), Elizabet Turzynbaeva (KAZ) and Riona Kato (JPN).
Russian pairs dominated on the circuit. However, Xiaoyu Yu/ Yang Jin (CHN) are the only pair to have taken gold in two events. The Chinese couple as well as World Junior bronze medalists Lina Fedorova/Maxim Miroshkin (RUS), Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalists Vasilisa Davankova/Andrei Deputat (RUS) and Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalists Maria Vigalova/Egor Zakroev (RUS) return to the Final. Kamilla Gainetdinova/Ivan Bich (RUS) as well as Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (RUS) qualified for the first time. The substitutes are Madeline Aaron/Max Settlage (USA), Arina Chernyavskaia/Antonino Souza-Kordyeru (RUS) and Oksana Nagalati/Maxim Bobrov (RUS).
On the Ice Dance side Anna Yanovskaya/Sergei Mozgov (RUS) and Kaitlin Hawayek /Jean-Luc Baker (USA) top the standings with two wins in the series, followed by Lorraine McNamara /Quinn Carpenter (USA), Betina Popova/Yuri Vlasenko (RUS), Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin (UKR) and Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons (USA). Only Yanovskaya/Mozgov have competed in the Final before in the past two seasons and were silver medalists. The substitutes are Madeline Edwards/Zhao Kai Pang (CAN), Alla Loboda/Pavel Drozd (RUS), Daria Morozova/Mikhail Zhirnov (RUS).
Overall 343 skaters/couples (143 Ladies, 110 Men, 26 Pairs, 64 Ice Dance couples) from 55 ISU members participated in the seven events of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The series started in late August in Riga (LAT) and continued in Mexico City (MEX), Kosice (SVK), Gdansk (POL), Minsk (BLR), Ostrava (CZE) and Tallinn (EST). Michael Christian Martinez (PHI) earned the first Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating medal for his country when he claimed the bronze in Tallinn.