The first Junior Grand Prix of the 2026 – 2027 figure skating season took place in Xi’an, China, last week and people were wowed by the wonderful performances of Russian skater Sofia Dzepka. Both her short program and free skate were huge hits with the judges, the fans in the arena and viewers at home. Performing as a neutral, AIN athlete, Sofia took to the ice as the first junior Russian skater to participate internationally in several years. But she was warmly welcomed by the crowd, which was wonderful to see.
Sofia’s short program was a joy to watch, filled with balletic movement and refined skating elements and set to the beautiful music of Introduction and Tarantella Op.43 by Pablo de Sarasate. For her short program she scored 72.74 points.
But it was Dzepka’s free skate to The Matrix score that was truly amazing, and where she managed to jump the highest scoring quad toeloop (4T) in junior figure skating history – 12.51 points. Take a look at the video here... The whole program was enthralling and packed full of interesting and difficult transitions and wonderfully executed elements. She thoroughly deserved the high mark, of 140.54 points, that the judges awarded her.
Having watched Sofia’s fantastic progression on the Russian junior skating circuit for years, it’s lovely to see her do so well on her international debut. Can’t wait to see her at her next international assignment!
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