Judge And Tkacheva Line Up For Junior Grand Prix Debut
This week will finally mark the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating debuts for Dillon Judge (17) and Sophia Tkacheva (15) when they take to the ice at the Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia. They were also selected to represent Ireland last year in the series which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both skaters will compete tomorrow (2 September) in the first part of their respective events. In the morning, Judge is scheduled to perform at 11:38 Irish time in the Men’s Short Programme. Tkacheva will be in action later in the Women’s Short Programme at 18:54 Irish time. The Men’s Free Skating will take place on Friday afternoon (3 September), while the Women’s Free Skating will be held on Saturday afternoon (4 September)
Judge is looking forward to being back out on competitive ice again this week after the long break due to the pandemic.
“I want to give the best performance possible and improve on my Short and Free Programme scores from my last international competitions.”
For Tkacheva, preparations for this season have not been ideal due to the ever-changing restrictions, but she is hopeful that the competition will go well.
“I have been working very hard with my coaches for the last couple of months and I will present my new free programme.”
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series features skaters aged 13 to 19 (21 for male Ice Dance and Pair Skating partners) from all over the world. The 2021/2022 season marks the 24th edition of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating that was introduced in 1997. This season more than 300 skaters from over 50 different nations are expected to compete in the series.
This week’s Junior Grand Prix in Kosice, Slovakia will be broadcast live on the ISU’s dedicated YouTube channel. Direct links for each of the segments are as follows:
Men’s Short Programme (2 September)
Women’s Short Programme (2 September)
Men’s Free Skating (3 September)
Women’s Free Skating (4 September)
The conversation about the series can also be followed by using the #JGPFigure hashtag on social media.
