Ten junior athletes will represent the U.S. at the third stop of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series in Istanbul, Turkey, September 6-9.
The U.S. lineup consists of one athlete competing in both the women's and men's disciplines. In ice dance and pairs, two U.S. teams will take the stage in each discipline.
2022 U.S. men's junior champion Kai Kovar will begin his third Junior Grand Prix season after finishing sixth at last year's Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic.Â
In the women's discipline, Elyce Lin-Gracey will kick off her second JGP season in Turkey. In her debut season, Lin-Gracey claimed two top-10 finishes at Junior Grand Prix Poland 2 (ninth) and Czech Republic (eighth). Lin-Gracey concluded her 2022-23 season by earning bronze at the U.S. Junior Championships.
Two U.S. pairs teams compete in Turkey: Olivia Flores and Luke Wang and Adele Zheng and Andy Deng.
Flores and Wang are off to a good start in the 2023-24 season taking home the silver at their Junior Grand Prix debut in Austria. Last year, the duo earned gold at the 2023 Challenge Cup and finished fourth in their U.S. Championships junior debut.
After teaming up in May 2023, Zheng and Deng will take the competition ice for the first time internationally in Istanbul.
Two ice dance teams will also make their Junior Grand Prix debut for Team USA with Olivia Ilin and Dylan Cain and Yahli Pedersen and Jeffrey Chen.
Last season, Ilin and Cain took home the gold at the 2023 Egna Dance Trophy in the advanced novice division and finished seventh overall at the U.S. Junior Championships.
This will be Pedersen and Chen's first competition as a team after partnering in April 2023.
Competition begins Thursday with the women's, men's and pairs short program. The event continues Friday with the rhythm dance and women's and pairs free skate before concluding Saturday with the men's free skate and free dance.
Entering its 26th season, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series consists of seven international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the seven scheduled events (pairs can compete in two of four designated events). The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023, taking place Dec. 7-10 in Beijing, China.
For more information on the Junior Grand Prix Series, including full results, streaming information, news and more, visit the Junior Grand Prix Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
U.S. ENTRIES AT JUNIOR GRAND PRIX TURKEY
Athlete | Hometown | Training Town
Women
Elyce Lin-Gracey | Arcadia, Calif. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Men
Kai Kovar | Ogden, Utah | Ogden, Utah
Pairs
Olivia Flores and Luke Wang | Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ellicott City, Md. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Adele Zheng and Andy Deng | Lincolnshire, Ill.; Fort Wayne, Ind. | Oakton, Ill.
Ice Dance
Olivia Ilin and Dylan Cain | Gaithersburg, Md.; North Bethesda, Md. | Rockville, Md.
Yahli Pedersen and Jeffrey Chen | Ann Arbor, Mich.; Fremont, Calif. | Canton, Mich.
