Women: Kanazawa Barely Ahead of Dzepka
The third stop of the 2026-27 ISU Junior Grand Prix season opened Thursday at Bangkok's IWIS International Training Center with a junior women's short program that delivered one of the tightest leaders' boards in recent JGP history. Japan's Sumika Kanazawa posted 70.38 points to lead the field, just 0.21 points ahead of neutral-status skater Sofiia Dzepka at 70.17. The gap entering Friday's free skate is the smallest margin between first and second at any JGP stop this season.
Kanazawa, 14, won JGP gold in Varese last season and is one of a small number of junior women landing a triple Axel consistently in competition. Her 70.38 represents a personal best at a JGP event and includes the jump as its headline element. Dzepka, competing under the AIN2 designation, has been chasing her first JGP gold all season and brings comparable technical firepower into the free skate.
Canada's Lia Cho sits third at 66.72, with China's Fan Yunxi fourth at 65.27 — within 1.45 points of the podium. Switzerland's Leandra Tzimpoukakis rounds out the top five at 64.41. The gap from first to fifth is only 5.97 points, which in a four-minute free skate is entirely closeable from any position.
Men: Li Looks to Repeat Bangkok Gold
In junior men's, New Zealand's Yanhao Li is chasing back-to-back Bangkok titles. The 2024 JGP Bangkok champion — and the first skater from New Zealand to win any ISU Junior Grand Prix event — leads after the short program with 86.65 points. AIN2 competitor Lev Lazarev is second at 86.47, separated from Li by just 0.18 points.
Thailand's Hiro Kaewtathip energised the home crowd by qualifying third at 81.55, leaving him in striking distance of a first JGP podium. Japan's Shun Uemura is fourth at 80.40, still in realistic medal contention. Israeli skater Kirill Sheiko is fifth at 76.80.
The men's event at Bangkok has historically produced high-quality free skates, and with Li's margin over Lazarev under two-tenths of a point, the outcome will hinge on execution rather than starting position.
Ice Dance: Neutral Pair Leads, China Close Behind
Junior ice dance rhythm dance results saw Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov (AIN2) post a season-best 65.33 to take first place. China's Zhixuan Li and Quanshuo Ge sit second — a dramatic improvement from their eighth-place rhythm dance at the season opener in Xi'an in August. The pair's upward trajectory makes the free dance genuinely competitive.
PanoramaSeguin Plays 14 Minutes in Stars Win, Stays Coy on OpenerThe ice dance results carry heightened stakes at this stop because the Grand Prix Final invitation race is tightening. Several teams need strong finishes here to secure their December qualification, and second place for Li/Ge would represent a significant step toward a berth in the final.
Friday Decides All Three Events
All three junior disciplines — men's free skate, women's free skate, and ice dance free dance — are scheduled for Friday at the IWIS International Training Center. Kanazawa's 0.21-point cushion in the women's event is essentially negligible; Dzepka has posted higher free-skate totals this season and enters as a genuine favourite to overturn the deficit. In men's, Li's 0.18 advantage over Lazarev is equally fragile.
The ISU official results page will carry updated standings as each segment concludes.
