Lev Lazarev won the men’s singles title at the ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix in Xi’an, China, on Saturday, scoring 250.21 points across two programs.
Lazarev, a Russian skater competing under International Skating Union rules as an Individual Neutral Athlete, led after scoring 86.76 in Friday’s short program. He added 163.45 in the free skate to secure gold. The ISU lists him under the AIN2 designation.
New Zealand’s Yanhao Li finished second with 230.89 points after scores of 83.59 and 147.30. Japan’s Daiya Ebihara took bronze on 219.76, including 73.29 in the short program and 147.47 in the free skate.
The Xi’an competition opened the seven-event ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix 2026/27 series. The International Skating Union said 116 skaters and couples representing 32 nations were entered for the Aug. 20-22 event.
Russian-affiliated athletes returned to broader ISU competition this season after the governing body revised its restrictions in June.
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The ISU said eligible Russian and Belarusian skaters could compete as neutral athletes without national flags, uniforms or anthems during the 2026/27 season.
Lazarev’s victory followed another neutral-athlete success in Xi’an, where Sofiia Dzepka won the junior women’s event. Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov also topped the ice dance competition, according to ISU event updates.
