Hana Maria Aboian & Daniil Veselukhin (USA) skated to victory in their first Junior Final and established themselves as the new leaders in the discipline at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final on Saturday in Nagoya (JPN) as the Junior Ice Dance event concluded with a beautiful Free Dance competition.

Hana Maria Aboian & Daniil Veselukhin golden in Nagoya 

The team from the USA celebrated a golden debut. France’s Ambre Perrier Gianesini & Samuel Blanc Klaperman  moved up from third to capture the silver medal in their first Junior Final,  and Iryina Pidgaina & Artem Koval of Ukraine earned the bronze. 

Aboian & Veselukhin delivered a confident performance to “Hymn”, “Salvation for a Proud Nation” and “Surrender to Hope” that featured well synchronized twizzles and an excellent curve-rotational lift. The JGP Abu Dhabi Champions scored 98.86 points and totalled 165.45 points for victory. 

 Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin (USA) won gold in the Junior Ice Dance at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya (JPN) © ISU

“It's a huge deal for us to win the Junior Grand Prix Final,” Aboian said. “Last year, we were really wanted to be here and it's really incredible that we were able to achieve such a big dream. To be able to compete here it's just such an incredible feeling and with this win, I think it gives us confidence moving into the following competitions.” 

Perrier Gianesini & Blanc Klaperman came out with an unusual dance to the “Tarzan” soundtrack. The 2025 Youth Olympic Games Champions produced smooth steps and lifts to pick up 95.93 points for a total of 158.28 points. It was the French team’s debut in the Final as well. 

 Ambre Perrier Gianesini and Samuel Blanc Klaperman (FRA) took silver in the Junior Ice Dance at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya (JPN) © ISU

“I think we gave it our all today, so we're very happy with ourselves,” Blanc Klaperman said. “Overall, we're pretty happy with the result because we moved up a place, which is better than losing. Of course, as athletes, we always aim for first place, but we knew that not finishing first wouldn't ruin our careers, and there's still a very important event for us, the Junior World Championships, so this is a step towards the World Championships. We're happy with this silver medal and hope to win a gold medal.”

Performing to “Moulin Rouge – The Musical”, Pidgaina & Koval entertained the crowd at the IG Arena with their energetic dance. They earned 92.79 points and finished third at 156.22 to win their first medal in the Final. 

Iryna Pidgaina and Artem Koval (UKR) finished with bronze in the Junior Ice Dance at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya (JPN) © ISU

Dania Mouaden & Theo Bigot (FRA) moved up to fourth place with 149.74 points followed by Layla Veillon & Alexander Brandys (CAN) on 145.73 points. Jasmine Robertson & Chase Rohner (USA) dropped from fourth to sixth with 140.29 points. 

ISU Junior Grand Prix Final schedule:

Thursday, December 4: Junior Pairs, Junior Men’s & Junior Women’s Short Programs
 Friday, December 5: Junior Rhythm Dance, Junior Men’s & Women’s Free Skating
 Saturday, December 6: Junior Pairs Free Skating, Junior Free Dance
 Sunday, December 7: Exhibition Gala

Where to Watch

All the Junior events will be live-streamed on the  Skating ISU YouTube channel.

ISU Junior Grand Prix Standings

Check out the road to the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final:

Men       Women            Pair Skating      Ice Dance

Full entry lists, results and further information are available on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.