Today, September 24, Azerbaijan's figure skating team begins its second major competition of the new season – the ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Batumi, Georgia.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Azerbaijan will be represented by Alexander Plushenko, Arina Kalugina and the ice dance duo of Anna O'Brien and Drake Tong, all of whom competed at the Junior Grand Prix event in Ankara a week ago.
Competition in Georgia begins today with the men's and women's short programs. The men's event starts at 14:00, with Plushenko scheduled to skate at 17:30. The women's short program begins at 18:10, while Kalugina will take the ice at 22:13.
On Friday, September 25, competition will continue with the rhythm dance, starting at 15:30. O'Brien/Tong are scheduled to perform at 17:35. The men's free skate will begin at 18:40.
The tournament concludes on September 26, with the free dance starting at 12:15 and the women's free skate at 15:40.
It is worth recalling how the Azerbaijani skaters performed in Ankara.
Plushenko scored 171.65 points across the two programs – 57.12 in the short program and 114.53 in the free skate. The tournament did not begin well for the Azerbaijani skater. He failed to execute his double Axel in the short program, while other mistakes left him 16th in the interim standings.
Plushenko performed better in the free skate and eventually climbed to 13th place among 33 competitors.
As the Ankara Grand Prix was the 13-year-old's first international competition, his scores there currently stand as his personal bests and are listed as such by the International Skating Union (ISU).
The men's competition in Batumi will feature 26 skaters. Plushenko has been drawn in the final group and will be the 23rd skater to take the ice. Notably, none of the skaters who finished in the top 10 in Ankara will compete in Batumi. Plushenko will therefore face a new set of rivals, and the event will show how the level of competition compares with his previous tournament.
The women's event features 35 competitors, with Kalugina scheduled to skate 31st.
Kalugina also endured a difficult competition in Ankara. She fell in both programs and was unable to execute one of her key elements, the quadruple Salchow, in the free skate.
The 15-year-old scored 144.25 points overall – 45.42 in the short program and 98.83 in the free skate – to finish 17th among 39 competitors. A cleaner performance could have allowed her to challenge for a significantly higher position.
Kalugina's career-best total is 172.43 points, while her personal best in the free skate is 115.39. Both scores were recorded at the 2025 World Junior Championships. Her best short-program score is 57.87, achieved at the ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Baku in September 2025.
As for O'Brien/Tong, the ice dance duo will begin their competition tomorrow among 18 pairs and will skate 15th.
In Ankara, they finished 12th among 20 duos with a total of 118.76 points – 46.51 for the rhythm dance and 72.25 for the free dance. The Azerbaijani pair improved their personal best scores in Türkiye.
The main question for Azerbaijan's representatives in Batumi will be how quickly they can correct the mistakes made in Ankara and deliver more consistent performances. Their first international event of the season allowed some room for error, but cleaner and more confident skating will now be expected.
