The second day of competition at the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships continued with all four junior disciplines. The junior ladies started the day with
Clare Seo winning the short program. And the first champions were crowned in Nashville:
Kai Kovar in junior men, Sonia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev in junior pairs, and
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov in junior ice dance. Perseverance and redemption were key themes of the day, as many of the junior medalists overcame illness, injury and past disappointments to reach the podium.
Junior Men
Kai Kovar (Wasatch FSC), 15, moved up from second in the short program to place first in the free skate and overall. Skating to "Do You Realize" by Ursine Vulpine and "What a Wonderful World" by Reuben and the Dark, Kovar landed two solid combinations–triple Axel-double toe and triple Lutz-triple toe–to score 135.98 in the free skate and 204.68 total.
"I skated the program that I wanted to," Kovar said of his free skate. "I skated a clean program, and I'm very proud of it. I did all of my elements. I thought I was able to perform well. I'm very happy. There were definitely some little mistakes, but I was able to keep staying aggressive and pushing through."
For Kovar, the victory today was a satisfying comeback from a frustrating season last year, in which he failed to qualify for the U.S. Championships.
"Last year I had a lower back injury during the qualification series that set me back," Kovar explained. "I went to physical therapy (PT) for a month or two. And I was not done with PT during the qualification series. I wasn't able to make it last year."
After he failed to qualify, Kovar was determined to make it to the U.S. Championships this season. "I was driven, and I was really motivated," he said. "Just lots of hard training. With icing and rolling my back out, I was able to sustain a healthy body this year. I trained really hard this full season, and it paid off for me. I'm really excited. I don't have any words to describe it, I'm just extremely happy right now."
It was an emotional moment not only for Kovar, but also for his mother Amanda Kovar–who doubles as his coach.
Amanda Kovar said that she was proud of her son's comeback from injury. "As a parent, it was very frustrating. I could see the range of emotions. But as a coach, I felt like he handled himself really professionally. He worked really hard, and clearly it paid off. He did it consistently."
She described her reaction to her son's free skate: "At first, I was more in coach mode. But when he killed it and landed his last jump, the mom came out, and I almost started crying. He really dug deep for that triple Lutz-triple toe. He was fighting, and you've got to be able to fight for it. Becoming national champion doesn't happen by accident."
Will Annis (SC of Boston), 17, was second in the free skate and overall, after winning the short program yesterday. Skating to "Sarabande Suite" by Globus, Annis completed a triple Lutz-Euler-triple Salchow combination and also attempted a quad toe loop. He scored 127.06 in the free skate, for a total of 202.87.
Like Kovar, Annis took satisfaction from qualifying for this year's championships and performing well, after not participating last season.
"Last year, with my skating, I kind of lost a lot of motivation," Annis revealed. "I almost stopped skating, because I felt like I was going downhill. I didn't have the motivation."
It wasn't until Annis switched coaches–to Olga Ganicheva and Aleksey Letov at the Skating Club of Boston–that he started to regain motivation. "That's what I credit to having that step up this year," he said. "Day to day, I see a lot of improvements and the results that I want. Landing new jumps was noticeable for me. I instantly got more motivation; I got happier. My coaches are really well trained, and it's easier to improve and get new jumps. Practices are overall more consistent. The fact that I was able to get here and skate fine–[if] not my best–is a huge step up from last year."
Maxim Zharkov (Dallas FSC), 17, finished third in the free skate and overall with his dynamic "E Lucevan Le Stelle" program. Zharkov landed a quad toe loop and triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination to earn 121.08, with an overall total of 188.15.
After finishing last in the junior men's event at the 2021 U.S. Championships, Zharkov looks at this year's results as a validation of sorts.
"I came in [this year] with a lot more mental awareness of what I can do consistently, compared to last season, when I was basically trying out elements that I had hardly gotten for more than a month," Zharkov said.
"For me, it's not about the podium finish," he added. "It's more about seeing my personal achievements and hard work come and show itself. I'm creating more of a structured plan whenever I practice. And seeing that really work well in competition is what I do it for."
Like Kovar, Zharkov is coached by his parents. "It's definitely an experience. Personally for me, I'm used to it, because he's been coaching me since I was 2. So I've always been coached by my dad and my mom every day," he said, with a chuckle.
Joseph Klein (Skokie Valley SC), the 2021 junior men's silver medalist, moved up from fifth place in the short program to take fourth in the free skate and overall. He landed a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination to score 113.26 for his free skate and 176.97 total.
"It wasn't ideal, but not every performance is going to be perfect," Klein said. "My goal here was to just be myself and enjoy skating as much as I could. And while I didn't skate to the best of my ability, I really did enjoy every minute I spent out there."
Klein admitted that the stress of competing during the COVID-19 pandemic was significant.
"I think it was a very difficult season for everyone, with COVID and all these new variants," Klein said. "I think everyone was at their highest anxiety this year. So even with my performance not being its best, I still feel very proud of myself. I was able to get here and perform–which many people were unable to–[and] if I wasn't perfect, I'm still very proud of how I skated."
Junior Pairs
Sonia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev (Los Angeles FSC/Dallas FSC) followed their winning short program with a victory in the free skate. Baram and Tioumentsev performed a smooth and lovely long program that featured a Level 3 triple twist and two excellent lifts. The duo earned 109.10, for a total score of 171.36 points. Although they have only been skating together for eight months, Baram and Tioumentsev won the junior pairs title by over 25 points.
"We're really proud of ourselves," Baram said. "We worked hard this whole season. There were a few rough times, of course. But I'm really proud of how far we came in eight months."
"It's a relief," Tioumentev added. "We finished the season great. And that's thanks to all the coaches and family that have supported us all the way through."
Baram and Tioumentsev themselves admitted to being a bit surprised by how quickly they have progressed.
"We weren't really expecting much this season," Tioumentsev said. "Our goal was to get ourselves set to be a pairs team, and in the next season, push further and achieve more. Essentially, this season was just to get us on track."
Baram and Tioumentsev not only met, but far surpassed, that goal.
Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard (Chicago FSC/Northern Ice SC) took second in the free skate to repeat as junior pairs silver medalists for the second year in a row. This year's silver medal holds special significance, as they won it after Bedard recovered from COVID-19.
"Our program today was a fight in many instances," Martins said. "We really had to push through it. But we're happy that we gave it all that we had."
Despite Bedard's recent illness, the team opted to go for their full planned technical content, including a triple twist and two triple throw jumps. They scored 89.82 in the free skate and 144.71 total.
"We'd been planning the program with these elements the whole season. We just wanted to try everything we could," Martins said.
Martins and Bedard have also worked to improve the presentation side of their skating.
"I feel like we've really improved how we express ourselves," Martins said.
"I definitely think our skating skills and stroking between the elements has improved," Bedard agreed. "We always really had the elements. We just didn't have the in-betweens and the skating skills."
Catherine Rivers and Timmy Chapman (Knoxville FSC/Central Florida FSC) pulled up from fifth in the short program to third in the free skate and earned the bronze medal. They completed two solid lifts in their long program to earn 85.05, with a total of 130.75.
Rivers and Chapman moved one step up from their pewter-medal finish last year and were thrilled to perform in front of a crowd. The free skate was a special moment for Rivers in particular, as she is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee.
"It felt so good to be here and have that energy from the crowd and the other skaters," Rivers said. "It's worth it, just to be there for that. When we hit our end pose, it felt like time kind of froze. It just felt amazing. Being able to hear and see all my family and friends cheering me on, in person, just felt so unreal and magical."
Rivers and Chapman, who recently began training with Jenni Meno and Todd Sand in California, feel that they have improved in their overall pairs quality this season.
"I feel like as a team, we've been able to merge our skating a little bit more," Rivers said. "Instead of two people skating on the ice at the same time, it feels more like one cohesive person. We're becoming more together as a pairs team. Which can only happen with time."
Megan Wessenberg and Blake Eisenach (SC of Boston/Rocky Mountain FSC) overcame a rocky seventh-place start in the short program to place fourth in the free skate and collect the pewter medal. They completed a throw triple Salchow in their program to earn 84.27 in the free skate and 129.09 overall.
"It feels wonderful," Eisenach said. "After how this year and yesterday's short program went, I think we're both just happy with how today ended."
"Today, our skating was about resilience," Wessenberg agreed. "After our skate yesterday, we were both a little bit stunned by how it went, because we had been practicing so well. So we acknowledged the fact that we were disappointed. But the best thing we could do was move on and not let it affect how we skated today."
Wessenberg and Eisenach teamed up in 2021 after Eisenach was out for a year due to surgery on a labral tear in his hip.
"I had a nine-month recovery," Eisenach recalled. "Then [coach] Jenni Meno reached out to me and said, 'Hey, we have Megan here, and we'd love for you to come try out.' And after a couple of days of skating with Megan, I was ready to make my choice and skate with her. I'm just glad to be back and able to still do it."
Junior Ice Dance
After finishing a close second in the short program,
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov (Magic City FSC) claimed the top spot in the free dance and won the gold medal in junior ice dance. Neset and Markelov performed a passionate free dance to "My Immortal" by Evanescence and "In the End" by Linkin Park, earning a new personal-best 91.53, for a total of 155.84. Most of their elements received Levels 3 and 4.
"We're very happy with how it went," Neset said. "We feel like we gave it our all. I felt calm."
"From the first moment, I tried to be involved in the music and just express myself on the ice," Markelov added.
Neset and Markelov were sixth in junior dance at the 2021 U.S. Championships and are excited to move to the top of the podium. This is the team's second season together.
"We connect very well," Neset said.
They train in Elena Dostatni's group in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"We're trying to achieve our best every day, and the coaches are pushing us forward," Markelov noted. "They're not letting us slow down. So we're very grateful to have our coaching team."
After leading the short program,
Angela Ling and Caleb Wein (Peninsula FS/Washington FSC) had a slight miscue in their free dance and placed second with 88.59, for a total of 153.58. The duo earned the silver medal (improving from fifth place at the 2021 U.S. Championships).
"It wasn't exactly the skate we were hoping for," Wein admitted. "But we're still happy with what we've done.
Ling and Wein, who have been skating together since 2019, said they don't usually set placement goals at competitions.
"How we feel [about our skating] is more important," Ling said.
Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal (Scott Hamilton FSC) came back from a fifth-place finish in the rhythm dance to take third in the free dance and win bronze. The sibling team scored 85.73, for a total of 140.67.
The Peals were excited to skate in their current hometown of Nashville.
"It's amazing, the unconditional love that we get here," Ethan Peal said. "When we're walking on the street, people will see us with our skate bags and jackets, and they'll say good luck. People don't realize how much the community goes into a skater's program. It means the world to us. I think tonight, we were just trying to skate with that kind of joy in mind."
Vanessa Pham and Jonathan Rogers (SC of Houston/Texas Gulf Coast FSC) placed fourth in the free dance with 84.72, for a total of 140.08, securing the pewter medal.
Junior Ladies
Clare Seo (Broadmoor SC), 15, won the short program with a lyrical, intense performance to "Rain, In Your Black Eyes." Seo, who was the 2021 junior bronze medalist, set a new personal-best score of 67.38. Her program included a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination.
"I really enjoyed my skate. I'm so happy," Seo said. "I was confident on all of my jumps. I think all of the landings were very smooth and clean."
Seo stated that Russian choreographer Anna Novichkina created her short program, with her coaches contributing.
"I think everything is perfect for me," Seo said of the program. "I think it looks smooth."
Seo has a lead of almost five points going into tomorrow's free skate. She said that her goals for the long program are to "land all of my jumps, show performance, and get all Level 4 spins and step sequence."
Elyce Lin-Gracey (Pasadena FSC) surprised by taking second place with her lovely program to "Send in the Clowns." Lin-Gracey completed a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination and received all Level 4s on her spins and step sequence to earn 62.53.
Lin-Gracey competed as a novice this season but earned an invitation to participate in the junior ladies competition in Nashville.
"I think it went way better than I was hoping. I'm happy with my score," Lin-Gracey said. "It's been such a pleasure just being here at the national [U.S.] Championships. I've never skated in an arena before, with all the bright lights. It's such an honor to compete against these girls whom I've watched all season and thought were so amazing."
Lin-Gracey said that she will be trying a new element in her free skate, and that the order of her jumps and spins will be different than usual.
"I'm hoping to just perform my best and to show what I'm capable of," she said.
Josephine Lee (All Year FSC), 13, placed third with her performance to "Please Don't Make Me Love You" by Katherine Shindle, from
Dracula the Musical. Lee earned 60.61 for her short program, which included a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination.
"I think I did a really great job, considering it was my first time out there. I was really satisfied with my skate," Lee said.
This is Lee's first time competing at the U.S. Championships.
"I'm just in so much awe right now. I can't believe I'm here," she said. "I never would have thought I'd be here this season. I was deciding whether to compete novice or junior earlier this season. And now … This is such a big arena. I've never competed in front of so many people before."
Lee said that her short program is "really different music than I've ever skated to before. I feel like it's helped me to express my emotions. I think I improved with this program, and I learned a lot from it."
For the free skate, Lee said: "I just hope to skate my best out there–ideally, a clean program. I want to stay present and grounded and show what I've done and worked for this past year."
Ava Ziegler (SC of New York), 15, finished close behind in fourth. She earned 60.24 for her bluesy program to "I'll Take Care of You" by Beth Hart. Ziegler was the 2021 pewter medalist in junior ladies.
"It was really good. I'm happy with it. I did everything I needed to," Ziegler said of her short program, which was choreographed by Nikolai Morozov. "I connected to this [music] so well. It shows a really fun side to my personality."
For tomorrow's free skate, Ziegler said: "I would really like to land the triple-triple and skate clean. And perform. Because that's what I love to do."
The junior ladies event will conclude tomorrow with the free skate at 10 a.m. ET.
Fans can watch the junior competition live and on-demand on
Peacock Premium. Visit the
2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Virtual Fan Experience for a behind-the-scenes look at the event.
