NAGOYA, JAPAN (Dec. 6, 2025) – Absent last year due to injury, Ava Kemp (Winnipeg, MN) and Yohnatan Elizarov (Winnipeg, MN) marked their return to the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final by climbing onto the third step of the podium in the junior pairs competition in Nagoya, Japan. 

The Canadians finished with a total of 166.46 after a free skate that fell short of their expectations but still earned them 103.64 points on Saturday. This is their second medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final, following the silver they won in 2023. China’s Rui Guo and Yiwen Zhang won gold with a cumulative score of 177.05, followed by their compatriots Xuanqi Zhang and Wenqiang Feng, who took silver with 171.57. 

“We’re disappointed with our free skate today; we expected much better. Still, we made it onto the podium, so it’s encouraging to win the bronze medal,” shared Kemp. 

Jazmine Desrochers (Mississauga, ON) and Kieran Thrasher (Oakville, ON) delivered an impressive performance, scoring the third-best free skate of the day. Their score of 108.45 and total of 162.90 are both personal bests and allowed the pair to finish fourth. Julia Quattrocchi (Laval, QC) and Étienne Lacasse (Sainte-Thérèse, QC) finished sixth with 145.11 points. 

Also in the junior category, ice dancers Layla Veillon (London, ON) and Alexander Brandys (London, ON) managed to climb one spot in the rankings. With a score of 93.03 in the free dance, the Canadians totaled 145.73 points and finished fifth in their first Junior Grand Prix Final. Americans Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin were crowned champions with 165.45 points. France’s Ambre Perrier Gianesini and Samuel Blanc Klaperman (158.28) took the silver medal ahead of Ukraine’s Iryna Pidgaina and Artem Koval (156.22) 

In the senior event, Piper Gilles (Toronto, ON) and Paul Poirier (Unionville, ON) finished their sixth Grand Prix Final just off the podium in ice dance, missing a medal by only 0.06 points. Third after the rhythm dance, they earned 125.86 points in the free dance and finished fourth with 208.75, their best overall score of the year. 

The national champions finished just behind Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who earn a total of 208.81. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, reigning world champions, won with 220.42 points. The silver medal went to France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron with 214.25 points. 

Full results for the ISU Grand Prix Final are here.