Okazaki Dominates Free Skating in Batumi Men's Event
Japan's Hayato Okazaki delivered the standout performance of the fifth stop of the 2026-27 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, winning the junior men's free skating in Batumi, Georgia, with a segment score of 150.09 points. His technical element score of 76.22 was the highest among all men's competitors, and he finished more than nine points clear of Swiss skater Ean Weiler (140.55) in the free program. Norway's Daniil Valanov rounded out the men's podium with 133.43 in the free skate.
The event, held September 24-26 at the Batumi Ice Palace on the Black Sea coast of Georgia, was the fifth of seven junior series stops this autumn. Ninety-nine skaters representing 37 nations competed across junior men's, junior women's, and junior ice dance disciplines — pairs skating does not return until the final stop in Gdańsk, Poland.
Shifrin Edges Wang in Closest Women's Contest
The junior women's free skating produced the tightest podium of the weekend. Israel's Sophia Shifrin won the segment with 129.62 points, separating herself from China's Yihan Wang by just 1.18 points. Wang posted 128.44 with a technical element score of 69.22, while France's Stefania Gladki — the two-time reigning French junior national champion — claimed bronze in the free skate with 121.98.
Shifrin's victory in Batumi represents a significant milestone. The three-time Israeli junior national champion previously became the first Israeli woman to medal at a Junior Grand Prix event when she took bronze in Baku. A gold in Batumi is the highest result the country has ever achieved in junior-level ISU Grand Prix competition. Her program component scores of 7.46 for composition and 7.54 for presentation highlighted the judges' approval of the artistic side of her skating.
Wang Closes the Gap for China's New Generation
Yihan Wang's silver continues China's strong showing in the 2026-27 JGP series, where several younger skaters are staking claims for places in the national senior program. Wang's 128.44 free skate total, with a component score of 59.22, placed her just off the top of the podium in one of the closest women's free skating results in this year's JGP circuit.
PanoramaSeguin Set for Preseason Return After Nine Months Out With ACLThe competition in Batumi also served as a barometer for which junior athletes are tracking toward the two-skater JGP Final qualification, awarded to the top point earners across the series. With two stops remaining after Batumi — Gdańsk is the final event — the standings in both the men's and women's disciplines remain fluid. The senior ISU Grand Prix season opens on October 23 in Angers, France, creating additional incentive for junior skaters to build momentum and visibility before the new competitive calendar accelerates.
Next Stop: Gdańsk Closes the Junior Circuit
The final Junior Grand Prix event of the autumn takes place in Gdańsk, Poland, and reintroduces pairs skating to the circuit. With top qualifiers already beginning to emerge in the individual disciplines, the Gdańsk event will finalize who advances to the JGP Final, where junior champions are crowned across all five disciplines. Okazaki's commanding Batumi free skate keeps Japan's hopes alive for multiple junior men's finalists this season.
