Six U.S. Athletes Set for First Junior Grand Prix Series Event in France

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Aug. 17, 2021) - Six U.S. athletes are headed to the first event of the 2021 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) Series this week in Courchevel, France. This is the first JGP event since the entire series was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Competition starts on Thursday, Aug. 19, with the women’s and men’s short programs. The rhythm dance and women’s free skate will take place on Friday, Aug. 20, and the event will conclude with the men’s free skate and free dance on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Lindsay Thorngren will headline the U.S.

contingent in the women’s competition. Thorngren is the 2020 U.S. junior champion and finished sixth in her championship-level debut at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She also finished eighth at the 2019 JGP event in Poland. Clare Seo will make her JGP debut and is the 2021 U.S. junior bronze medalist.

In the men’s competition, Ilia Malinin and Lucas Broussard will represent the U.S. in France. Malinin will make his third JGP appearance, finishing fourth and seventh at the 2019 JGP events in the U.S. and Italy, respectively. The Virginia native also finished fifth at 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America, which was held as a domestic event due to the pandemic. Broussard will make his JGP debut and finished sixth in the junior competition at the 2021 U.S. Championships.

In the ice dance field, 2021 U.S. junior champions Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen will take the ice in their third JGP event, finishing fourth and fifth in Russia and France, respectively, in 2019. The Youth Olympic bronze medalists placed seventh at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020.

Entering its 24th 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). Depending on the developments during the JGP Series, the ISU Council will evaluate if and how the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021 (scheduled for Dec. 9-12, 2021, in Osaka, Japan) could be held by applying alternative qualification criteria. The ISU will stream all events live on its YouTube page.

U.S. ENTRIES AT JGP FRANCE
Athlete(s) | Hometown(s) | Training Town

Women
Clare Seo | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lindsay Thorngren | Montclair, N.J. | Hackensack, N.J.

Men
Lucas Broussard | Seattle | Shoreline, Wash.
Ilia Malinin | Vienna, Va. | Reston, Va.

Ice dance
Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen | Ann Arbor, Mich.; Fremont, Calif. | Novi, Mich.

 

 

-U.S. Figure Skating-

U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the International Skating Union. In 2021, the organization is commemorating its Centennial Celebration, highlighting the contributions of its members, clubs and supporters since 1921. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of 600 member clubs, collegiate clubs, school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Learn to Skate USA programs representing more than 186,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.