Above: Naomi Williams and Lachlan Lewer secure bronze, their first Junior Grand Prix medal. Photo credit Getty Images
By Kristen Henneman
Four Junior National Team athletes brought home their first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating medals this past weekend in Riga, Latvia.
The first Junior Grand Prix of the season, pairs team Naomi Williams and Lachlan Lewer and ice dancers Jasmine Robertson and Chase Rohner both clinched bronze.
Already an accomplished team at the junior and senior level, winning the World Junior bronze medal in 2024 and finishing sixth in the senior event at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Williams and Lewer hadn’t yet competed at Junior Grand Prix event.
The duo that trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado, came out strong, setting a new international personal best in the short program with 58.13 points. They opened their performance to "Otoño Porteño" by Ensamble Nuevo Tango with a strong triple twist lift and ended with their highest-scoring element, a Level 3 reverse lasso lift, which tallied 7.54 points. They also secured the second-highest program component score of the segment.
Skating to medley of John Miles songs in the free skate, Williams and Lewer scored positive grades of execution on all but one element, highlighted by a Level 4 reverse lasso lift that generated 8.70 points, which tied for the highest-scoring element of the competition.
They jumped up to second in the free skate, totaling a score of 101.50 for an overall mark of 159.63 points, clinching bronze with a new international personal best.
Williams and Lewer’s U.S. teammates in the pairs competition, Addyson McDanold and Aaron Felberbaum, placed eighth overall.
Finishing just under a point under their international personal best in the short program, McDanold and Felberbaum’s program to “Breathe” by Tommee Profitt feat. Fleurie tallied 47.90 points, good for fifth place.
In the free skate, they dropped to ninth to finish with a score of 72.64, collecting 120.54 total points.
In the ice dance event, Robertson and Rohner claimed a podium finish at their first-ever appearance representing the United States internationally.
The duo that began their partnership in January of this year skated their rhythm dance to "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite and "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters. Taking third place with 56.91 points, they ended their skate with their two strongest elements, a midline step sequence and Level 4 rotational lift, which scored 9.32 and 6.14 points, respectively.
In the free dance, Robertson and Rohner scored 90.92 points to guarantee a medal with 147.83 points overall. Performing to "Le Temps des Cathédrales" and "La Fête des Fous" from the musical "Notre Dame de Paris" by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamondon, Robertson and Rohner solidified a medal with well-executed Level 4 synchronized twizzles that produced 8.51 points. They also earned Level 4s for their dance spin and two lifts.
Although Michelle Deych and Ryan Hu finished 10th in the rhythm dance after a fall, they rebounded to place fourth in the free dance for a sixth-place result overall, their best in the Junior Grand Prix Series.
Competing for the second straight year at JGP Latvia, the 2025 U.S. junior pewter medalists scored 85.97 points in the free dance, setting a new international personal best by more than five points. Deych and Hu bookended their routine with strong lifts and their serpentine step sequence received 8.72 points.
In the women’s event, Angela Shao claimed sixth in her Junior Grand Prix debut, setting personal bests for her short program and total score and an international personal best in the free skate.
Scoring 58.70 points for her short program to “La Vie En Rose” by Lucy Thomas, Shao began with a triple toe loop-triple toe loop worth 9.12 points and earned Level 4s on all three spins.
On the second day of competition, Shao earned 111.98 points in the free skate and 170.68 points overall, rattling off four straight triple jumps to “Ave Maria” by Roy & Rosemary.
2024 World Junior Championships Team member Sherry Zhang finished ninth. She recorded 52.78 points in the short and 110.62 points in the free skate for a final score of 163.40.
After placing 17th in the short program of the men’s event, Lorenzo Elano – the 2025 U.S. junior champion – came roaring back to finish fifth in the free skate with 131.34 points, a new international personal best.
Skating to music from the "Nocturnal Animals" soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski, Elano’s free skate was anchored by two strong jump sequences. His triple Lutz-triple toe scored 11.45 points, and his triple Lutz-double Axel-double Axel sequence was awarded 14. 93 points, the second highest scoring element of the event.
He placed ninth with 180.59 points overall.
For full results from Junior Grand Prix Latvia, visit the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Series Competition Central.
