PAIRS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 2019-20 figure skating season opened on Thursday with the start of ISU Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France as Russia's 13-year-old Maiia Khromykh led the ladies' short program, while her teammate Kamila Valieva took third.
Khromykh delivered a strong short program in her international debut, despite a minor mistake in one of her jumps. She collected 67.72 points to lead the short program. South Korea's Wi Seo-yeong came second with 65.75, while Khromykh's teammate Valieva, also 13, ranked third in 62.31.
In the men's short program, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, winner of the 2019 Asian Open FS Trophy, scored highest with 80.61. Matthew Nielsen of the United States and Aleksa Rakic of Canada ranked second and third respectively.
China's promising star Chen Yudong, 14, ranked seventh. In the World Junior Championships 2019, Chen finished 25th in the short program and failed to make the free skate.
The ISU Junior Figure Skating Grand Prix 2019 includes seven legs and a Grand Prix Final. Courchevel is the first leg of the series and runs until August 24.