Free-Skate Reversal Decides Women's Singles
The ISU Junior Grand Prix in Bangkok concluded Saturday with one of the tightest free-skate reversals of the young season. Sofiia Dzepka entered the final segment trailing short-program leader Sumika Kanazawa by just 0.21 points — Kanazawa had posted 70.38 in the short program, Dzepka 70.17. The gap widened in the opposite direction once the free skate was under way: Dzepka scored 135.56, three points ahead of Kanazawa's 132.41, and claimed gold with a combined total of 205.73.
Kanazawa, who had been the slight favourite heading into the free skate as the segment leader, finished with 202.79 points. The 2.94-point margin between first and second is narrow enough that a single grade of execution call could have changed the outcome. Canada's Lia Cho completed the podium at 192.75 (66.72 SP + 126.03 FS), holding third throughout both segments.
Dzepka competes under the AIN2 designation — the ISU category for Russian-passport athletes cleared for neutral individual competition. The Bangkok victory is her strongest Junior Grand Prix result to date and positions her at the front of the standings for women's singles Grand Prix Final qualification. This was the third of seven events in the 2026–27 series.
Ice Dance: Fefelova and Valov Untroubled
In ice dance, Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov — also competing as AIN2 neutrals — led from start to finish. Their rhythm dance score of 65.33 gave them a platform rivals could not close over the free dance. A score of 100.76 in the free dance brought the combined total to 166.09, the highest ice dance score recorded at this early stage of the season.
Italy's Zoe Bianchi and Daniel Basile claimed silver at 160.28 (63.38 RD + 96.90 FD). France's Léa Hienne and Louis Varescon were third throughout and retained bronze at 149.03 (59.58 RD + 89.45 FD). The French couple's podium finish adds to their Junior Grand Prix Final qualifying points at a critical point in the series.
Men's Short Program Settled by 0.18 Points
The men's short program standings heading into Saturday's free skate were separated by similarly fine margins. Yanhao Li of New Zealand led the field with 86.65 points; Lev Lazarev (AIN2) sat just 0.18 behind at 86.47. Thailand's Hiro Kaewtathip was third at 81.55 — a result that would mark a significant milestone for Thai figure skating if he maintains it into the final standings — with Japan's Shun Uemura fourth at 80.40. The men's free skate was the closing event of the Bangkok competition.
Series Standings and What Comes Next
Bangkok was the third of seven Junior Grand Prix stops before the Grand Prix Final. The event was hosted at the MCC Hall at The Mall Bangkapi, a venue that has developed into a reliable fixture on the ISU junior calendar. With Fefelova and Valov's ice dance total of 166.09 now on the board, it provides the benchmark the remaining five events must beat to displace them at the top of the series standings.
The women's result leaves the qualifying picture in flux: Dzepka and Kanazawa each hold a strong result from Bangkok, but with four events remaining, both will need at least one more strong performance to secure a Final berth. Cho's bronze keeps Canada on the qualification map after a quiet opening to the season. Full results are available at the ISU results portal.