SHANGHAI, August 22. /TASS/. Russian figure skater Lev Lazarev won the men’s gold medal at the Grand Prix stage for juniors in China’s Xi’an on Saturday.

He scored 250.21 points (86.76 for his short program and 163.45 for free skate). New Zealand’s Li Yanhao finished second with 230.89 points (83.59+147.30), and Japanese skater Daiya Ebihara placed third with 219.76 (73.29+147.47).

On Friday, Russian figure skaters Maria Fefelova and Artyom Valov took the lead in ice dance, while another Russian figure skater, Sofia Dzepka, won the junior women’s singles competition.

The ISU allowed Russian skaters to take part in international competitions as neutral athletes in the 2026/27 season.

Russian figure skaters have largely been absent from international tournaments since February 2022. Adelia Petrosyan and Pyotr Gumennik, who took part in the Olympic Games in Italy and finished sixth, were the only Russian skaters to do so.

The ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix series 2026/27 is taking place in Xi’an through August 22.