Azerbaijan's figure skaters give their all in Ankara JGP 2026 PHOTO

Multiple figure skaters representing Azerbaijan have competed at the Junior Grand Prix  held in Ankara this week.

Azerbaijan was represented at the competition by Aleksandr Pliushchenko, Arina Kalugina, and ice dance pair Anna O'Brien and Drake Tong during the competition organized by the International Skating Union from September 17-19.

Pliushchenko, for whom it was his first appearance under the Azerbaijani flag after switching his sporting nationality in early summer, scored 171.65 points after the short and free programs. His scores allowed him to finish 13th among the 33 competitors.

Kalugina managed to finish in 17th place among 39 competitors by scoring 144.25 points. The 15-year-old previously secured bronze medals at the 2025 Denis Ten Memorial in Kazakhstan and the Ephesus Cup in Türkiye.

In the ice dance competition, the pair O'Brien and Tong scored 118.76 points after the rhythm dance and free dance disciplines, allowing them to finish 12th among 20 competing couples.

By Nazrin Sadigova