2017 JGP Latvia — Riga, Latvia, hosts the third of the seven-event Junior Grand Prix Series. All four disciplines will be contested. This competition boasts the most entries of the Series to date with 26 men, 35 ladies, 12 pairs and 14 ice dance teams.
Who will lead the men’s field is an open question, with so many new faces along with a handful of veterans competing on this stage. Mitsuki Sumoto of Japan, Makar Ignatov and Roman Savosin of Russia, and the American Tomoki Hiwatashi are all medal contenders. Also in the men’s line-up is Maxim Naumov, the son of 1994 World pairs champions Evgenia Siskova and Vadim Naumov.
Japan’s Rika Kihira headlines the ladies field and is a favorite to win this competition. However, she will need to fend off challenges from Russia’s Daria Panenkova and Alisa Fedichkina, Emmy Ma of the U.S. and Yuhana Yokoi of Japan if she hopes to capture the title.
Russia has three pairs teams entered in this competition but a podium sweep is unlikely. Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov are the top ranked team followed by Aleksandra Boikova nd Dmitrii Kozlovskii (who show great promise) and Australia’s Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor. Also on the radar is Canada’s rising stars Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud.
The ice dance battle will play out between two Russian teams and the Americans. Sofia Shevchenko and Igor Eremenko are favored to mine gold ahead of their teammates Anastasia Shpilevaya and Grigory Smirnov and Caroline Green and Gordon Green of the U.S.
2017 JGP Latvia will be live streamed on the ISU channel with Ted Barton as the host.
The 2017 Grand Prix Final takes place in Nagoya, Japan, Dec. 7-10.
LIVE STREAM
START ORDERS/RESULTS
WORLD CLOCK
ENTRIES
PRACTICE AND EVENT SCHEDULE
SEE ALSO:
2017 JUNIOR GRAND PRIX