ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is an international figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. It is the final event of the ISU [Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating], a series of international competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earn points based on their results at the qualifying competitions each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to then compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Since 2008, the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final has been held concurrently with the senior-level Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
Mao Shimada of Japan currently holds the record for winning the most Junior Grand Prix Final titles in women's singles. Three teams are tied for winning the most titles in pair skating : Julia Obertas and Dmytro Palamarchuk of Ukraine, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China. Anastasia Mishina has also won two titles in pairs, but with two different partners. Two teams are tied for winning the most titles in ice dance: Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin of Russia and Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov of Russia. Maxim Shabalin of Russia has also won two titles in ice dance, but with two different partners. No one skater holds the record in men's singles as there has been a unique champion each time the competition has been held.
History
The ISU Junior [Grand Prix of Figure Skating] was established by the International Skating Union in 1997 and consists of a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. The locations of the Junior Grand Prix events change every year. While all seven competitions feature the men's, women's, and ice dance events, only four competitions each season feature the pairs event. Skaters earn points based on their results each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are then invited to compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.Skaters are eligible to compete on the junior-level circuit if they are at least 13 years old before July 1 of the respective season, and if they have not yet turned 19 or 21. Competitors are chosen by their respective skating federations. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member nation in each discipline is determined by their results at the prior World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Switzerland hosted the very first Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, the culminating event of the Junior Grand Prix series, in 1997 in Lausanne. Timothy Goebel of the United States won the men's event, becoming the first skater in the world to successfully perform a quadruple Salchow jump in competition, as well as the first American skater to land a quadruple jump of any kind in competition. Julia Soldatova of Russia won the women's event, Julia Obertas and Dmytro Palamarchuk of Ukraine won the pairs event, and Federica Faiella and Luciano Milo of Italy won the ice dance event.
At the 2002 Junior Grand Prix Final, Miki Ando of Japan became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in competition. Beginning with the 2008–09 season, the Junior Grand Prix Final has been held concurrently with its senior-level complement, the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. China was scheduled to host the 2020 Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing, but the ISU cancelled all scheduled Junior Grand Prix events for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary and health care costs for those hosting competitions.