U.S. Pairs Shine in Ostrava

Team USA's pairs teams shined bright in their first appearance on the Junior Grand Prix stage in Ostrava, Czech Republic, this weekend, bringing home the gold and silver medals.
 
Team USA dominated the pairs event with Sonia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev winning the gold with 171.36 points and Cayla Smith and Andy Deng clinching the silver with 140.72 points.
 
Baram and Tioumentsev showed that they were above the field and a team to watch this season, winning the event by just over 30 points. Topping the competition in both the short program and free skate, they secured the lead after day one of the competition with 63.77 points, earning all positive grades of execution, including a Level 4 reverse lasso lift that was awarded 9.10 points. Their Level 3 triple twist and side-by-side triple jumps earned them 107.59 in the free skate.
 
Their teammates, Smith and Deng, followed behind as they snagged the silver. Following a 54.39 short program performance, their free skate to "Angel Et Demon" featured their intricate Level 4 lifts as they earned 86.33 points.
 
Canadians Chloe Panetta and Kieran Thrasher rounded out the podium to take the bronze with 139.72 points.
 
In the women's event, Mia Kalin came home with international personal bests in the short program, free skate and total score for a fourth-place finish.
 
Taking 175.85 points overall, Kalin was third after the short program with 59.24 points. Each of her elements in her program to "The Power of Mind" received a positive grade of execution and her triple Lutz-triple toe combination clinched more than 11 points. Kalin's free skate opened with an impressive quad toe-double toe combination followed by a second quad toe for a score of 116.61.
 
Elyce Lin-Gracey finished eighth with 152.88 points. She placed sixth in the short program segment, which showcased her three Level 4 spins, for a new personal best.
 
Mao Shimada of Japan won the gold with 212.65 points. Korea's Minsol Kwon came away with the silver with 189.37 points and Shimada's teammate Ikura Kushida rounded out the top three with 177.02 points.
 
In the men's competition, Maxim Zharkov finished fifth with a total score of 193.48 points, a new personal best. Zharkov's trip to Ostrava was highlighted by his short program to a Pink Floyd medley, which opened with a strong triple Axel.
 
Trailing right behind in sixth place was his teammate Kai Kovar, who also set a new personal best with 191.65 points. The 2022 World Junior Team member placed fifth in the free skate, which featured a solid double Axel-triple toe combination.
 
Japan's Nozomu Yoshioka came away with the gold medal with 219.68 points. Nikolaj Memola of Italy took the silver with 214.11 points and Sweeden's Andreas Nordeback clinched bronze with 212.37 points.
 
In the ice dance competition, Jenna Hauer and Benjamin Starr finished in fifth place with a total score of 147.44 points in their Junior Grand Prix debut. All eight of the elements in both their rhythm dance and free dance received positive grades of execution. 
 
Czech Republic's Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek received the gold medal skating in their home country with 176.26 points. Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez of Great Britain took the silver with 159.55 points and Nao Kida and Masaya Morita of Japan finished out the top three with 149.66 points.
 
The Junior Grand Prix Series continues next weekend in Riga, Latvia. Find full results and schedules on U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone's Competition Central.