Teen Mei Okada brought home Japan's only medal from the Junior Grand Prix in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with a bronze over the weekend. The 14-year-old added the hardware to the bronze she won at the JGP in Bangkok in September and kept herself in the running for a spot in the JGP Final with the result.
American Sophie Joline von Felten was the surprise winner with a total score of 197.41 points on Saturday, October 5, while three-time world junior silver medalist Jia Shin of South Korea took second at 193.04. Okada's tally in third was 190.93.
Rena Uezono, the world junior and JGP Final bronze medalist last season, ended up fourth on 181.27 and won't make the JGP Final this season.
Von Felten's progress in just two years is nothing short of mind boggling. She competed in two JGPs in 2022, finishing 25th and 23rd. The 15-year-old, who was born in Zurich and trains in Boston, landed two triple axels in her free skate to "Romeo and Juliet" on the way to victory.
Race for Junior Grand Prix Final Berths Comes into Focus
Mao Shimada (30 points) and Kaoruko Wada (28) have already clinched berths in the JGP Final, while France's Stefania Gladki (24) appears in a decent position with just one JGP event remaining.
Shin and Okada are tied with 22 points in the JGP standings along with South Korea's Nayeon Ko. The 16-year-old Shin is first in the tiebreaker category, with Okada second and Ko third.
Von Felten is scheduled to compete in Wuxi, China, this week and can lock up a spot in the JGP Final with a podium finish. South Korea's Yuseong Kim and China's Yihan Wang, both sitting on 15 points, will battle with von Felten for honors in Wuxi.
Okada Earns Plaudits for Showing in Free Skate
After a clean short program, Okada had jump issues with her triple flips (two edge calls) and underrotated a double loop in her free skate to music from the "Maleficent" soundtrack. She did land five clean triples, however, and earn level fours on all of her spins and put out a beautiful performance.
"Everything was so seamless. So much choreography and transitions into and out of all the elements," ISU announcer Ted Barton stated after Okada's free skate. "The elements are part of the choreography and they are not separate and she made it look like that. It was nicely done."
Barton cited Okada's economical use of energy in her program for special praise.
"Look how easy and quick she is off the ice and so efficient," Barton commented. "She uses less energy on these jumps because she uses the momentum to carry her into them, and she has more energy to use in the choreography throughout the program."
ISU commentator Mark Hanretty also liked what he saw from Okada.
"The different cluster of turns at the opening, but she does them so beautifully," Hanretty noted while analyzing Okada's free skate. "Constant facial expression and investment in her interpretation right through the difficult transitions."
Sophomore Season a Challenge for Uezono
Uezono, who was fifth after the short program, competed to "The Bells" in her free skate and was in good position until she singled a planned triple lutz midway through the program. The 14-year-old hit five clean triples and notched level fours on two of her spins, but it wasn't enough to get her on the medal stand.
Something is just a bit off with Uezono's jumps this season. She placed fourth at both of her JGPs this campaign, after taking first and second in her two assignments in 2023.
Despite her position in the final standings in Slovenia, Hanretty and Barton were still wowed by Uezono's presentation and skating skills.
"Rena Uezono showcases a maturity that is incomprehensible considering that she is just 14 years old," Hanretty said. "The presentation, the nuances in the emotional commitment, are so great."
"She merges constant speed with acknowledgement of musical phrasing with her choreography and emotional expression," Barton remarked. "It is just beautifully crafted, it is a different level of junior. [And] it is the highest level of junior."
Added Barton, "This was brilliantly delivered. You can see some of the movements here, just recognizing the notes and the phrasing. She is using her head and her expression with everything else she does and that is what separates her at least at this point."
Sanchez Wins 2nd JGP of Season
American Jacob Sanchez won the men's title in Ljubljana on Friday, October 4 with 229.46 to book his ticket to the JGP Final with a maximum 30 points. Slovakia's Adam Hagara was second at 217.43, while Germany's Genrikh Gartunk came in third on 208.77
Haru Kakiuchi finished well off the pace in eighth place with 194.38.
In other results, Kaho Yamashita and Yuto Nagata (121.73) were 12th in ice dance, which was won by Ukraine's Iryna Pidgaina and Artem Koval (168.30).
JGP Moves to China This Week
The Junior Grand Prix travels to Wuxi, China, for the last stop of the regular season this week (October 9-12). Defending JGP Final champion Rio Nakata will skate for the Hinomaru in the men's competition, while Ami Nakai and Yo Takagi take the ice in the women's event.
Nakata, who was second at the JGP in Bangkok, will be vying for a return trip to the JGP Final in Wuxi. Nakai and Takagi, both with second-place showings in their first JGP of the season, will also contend for a trip to the JGP Final.
Sara Kishimoto and Atsuhiko Tamura will pull on the boots for Japan in ice dance in China.
Sato Discusses Formula for Relaxation
At the recent Japan team press conference in Tokyo ahead of the Grand Prix series, Shun Sato detailed how he prepares ahead of competitions, according to stories from Nikkan Sports and Sports Hochi that were translated into English and posted on fs-gossips.com.
"I take a [shower], I can't go to sleep or eat, and if I fiddle with my phone, I end up thinking about the competition," Sato was quoted as saying. "Taking a shower helps me clear my mind."
Sato, who is a strong candidate to make Japan's team for the 2026 Winter Olympics, talked about the upcoming campaign.
"I think it will be a season of great challenges for me," Sato stated. "My goal is to approach every competition without fear or failure, and with the mindset that it's OK to fail."
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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