After a breakout season which culminated in a surprise victory at the 2024-25 Junior Grand Prix Final, USA’s Jacob Sanchez is stepping fully into the senior ranks. The skater from New York opened last season with a silver medal at 2024 Cranberry Cup and followed up with two gold medals at his individual Junior Grand Prix (JGP) events in Türkiye and Slovenia.

Prior to his win at the JGP Final, he debuted as a senior internationally at the Challenger series in Tallinn, Estonia, where he also took gold. Now he is making an Olympic push as he prepares for his first full season in the senior ranks.

Summer in Lake Placid

Each summer, Sanchez and his coaches relocate their training to Lake Placid, New York, for a month-long training camp, which recently wrapped up.

“This is kind of like our intense training during the last bit of the off season,” he explained. “It’s really good for cardio, and you definitely feel the difference coming from a low elevation. It’s not as bad as say, Colorado—it’s nothing compared to there, but it’s definitely noticeable.”

Despite the increased physical demands, Sanchez feels at home.

“We’re always here every summer,” he said. “It’s really pretty, and not too hot nor too cold. It’s amazing.”

Unexpected Triumph in Grenoble

The Junior Grand Prix series was a whirlwind for Sanchez, who wasn’t even expecting to receive assignments—let alone qualify for, and win, the Final.

“And I know Rio (Nakata) and what he’s capable of,” Sanchez said of the event favorite at the Final. “I was hoping that he would skate his best, but unfortunately it wasn’t his day.”

“But I was just in shock when I found out I won. I couldn’t believe it,” he recalled. “I hadn’t seen Rio skate after me. I was second to last to skate, so I was doing interviews, and someone just told me, ‘We think you won.’ I was like, ‘No way!'”

It wasn’t just a physical victory, but a “huge” mental fight.

“There were so many emotions going through my head at once,” Sanchez remembered. “It’s easy to get lost in the pressure when you’re skating among the top six in the world.”

Sanchez and Nakata are also friends, so they catch up on the weekends.

“He’s been busy!” Sanchez pointed out. “A lot of shows over in Japan. I’m definitely kind of bummed out that I won’t be able to see him this season because of the level change, but I’m excited to see how he does this year. I hope that he can go back and claim his title again on the Junior Grand Prix, and also potentially do back-to-back Junior Worlds champion. I’m excited to see him progress more!”

Senior Debut, Junior Worlds and Rising Confidence

Sanchez made his senior U.S. National debut this year where he placed seventh and came out of it with a renewed sense of purpose.

“Even though it wasn’t perfect, I feel like the way I skated and performed was a good start,” said the 18-year-old. “I feel that I kind of put my name in the mix a little bit more than before. I made the last warm up after the short program, so that was a really big confidence boost for me. That kind of showed me like, ‘Hey, I can compete with these guys. I’m not that far.'”

The skater pointed out that had he been clean in both programs, he would have placed in the top five, potentially even fourth.

His outing at the 2025 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where he finished fourth, was a testament to how much work he has put in. Although he was frustrated with a mistake in the free skate, he accepted it.

“I can’t change it, but I also just took a moment to kind of pause and reflect on how much I’ve grown and worked on myself in the past year,” he pointed out. “Also just looking at the season as a whole and how many successes and how many things that I’ve done this year.”

The athlete definitely feels his skating skills, performance, and quality overall was an improvement from last season.

“Also, just the way that I kind of portrayed myself out on the ice,” he added. “I feel like it showed how different it was between the year before and this past Junior Worlds.”

As for another Junior Worlds? He’s in if the opportunity presents itself.

“I’d love to do Junior Worlds one last time, but it really depends on how the season goes,” he said. “It would be a way to close the book on that chapter of my career. But my goal is to really focus on the senior events.”

Goals for the 2025-26 Season

Sanchez is stoked for the new season to start and is looking forward to new challenges.

“I’m excited to have a fresh start!” he said. “Even though last year I kind of already had that debut and all of that, but I can’t wait to be in the mix of an Olympic year in my first year being senior.”

With an eye toward the 2026 Olympics and beyond, Sanchez is doubling down on his artistry and technical range.

“I’m really excited going into this season,” he said. “I really want to expand my technical ability in addition to overall presence. I want this season to be one of those seasons where I leave an impression, like, ‘Hey, watch out for me for 2030. I’m here!'”

He has been assigned to the Grand Prix Cup of China which will take place in Chongqing in late October.

“I looked at the entries and I’m competing against a lot of these skaters that were in the top 10 at senior Worlds,” he observed. “I’m really excited to be able to compete with a lot of the skaters that are most likely going to be qualifying for the Olympic team for their respective countries.”

Off-season Training

His primary focus? Quality.

“I’ve just been taking in all the feedback that I got last year and trying to apply it to all my skating in every session that I can,” said Sanchez. “I’ve been working on the quality of everything—skating, transitions, jumps,” he said. “Trying to get as much creative execution as possible and raise my components.”

He has also been trying to improve the take-off of his triple flip as he is aware of the edge calls from this past season.

“I’ve been working on it,” he said. “That also comes with the quality of my jumps. I feel like having good edge quality through all the jumps is good, and the flip is one of those jumps that was in the mix a lot this past off-season in training. But I really do enjoy the doing the flip! I think it’s one of the better jumps in my opinion, but sometimes my edge just gets a little flat.”

He also hopes to include a quad this season. He landed one in practice during the JGP series but took a break to focus on the Final and just train for the competitions.

“I kind of left it alone for a little bit,” he said of the quad flip. “I’ve been working on it but also working a lot on technique. I’ve tried all of them. I’m still working on every single one that I can, but I’m definitely trying to get one in for this season. We’ll see which one lands first!”

Taming the Demons with New Programs

Sanchez returns this year with new choreography: Adam Blake for the short program and Rohene Ward for the free skate. The short program is to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand while the free skate is to music from Dune: Part Two by Hans Zimmer.

“The short program is about separation from a loved one,” he revealed. “I feel like a lot of people can relate to it. It’s very different from last year—more mature and very dramatic. It’s definitely a big switch up for me. I think this is one of the programs that can be considered an Olympic program.”

The free skate tells a story of struggle and redemption.

“I’m portraying a character who faces personal challenges and overcomes them, which I really connect to,” said Sanchez. “I feel like I did so much work on myself and really embraced the process of everything with the 2023-24 season. There’s an important voiceover in the music about trusting the process—something I really resonate with.”

Opening up about these challenges, Sanchez referred to low self-confidence and low self-esteem during the 2023-24 season.

“I never really had fun skating,” he admitted. “I had all these wonderful opportunities, like the Youth Olympic Games and Junior Worlds, but I was so focused on results and wanting to win that I never really embraced the real aspect of skating. I was obsessed with being perfect which led me to losing motivation. I missed the joy of skating. So, I feel like going through this and really working on it to kind of just improve myself, was the best thing. That season taught me how to believe in myself again.”

Family, Hobbies and Idols

Off the ice, Sanchez is a recent graduate of Bridgeway Academy and plans to take a gap year to focus on training. He remains close to his family—parents originally from Puerto Rico, and brothers Joseph and Jaden—and his two dogs, Rocky (Rottweiler) and Dusty (Jack Russell-Maltese mix).

He enjoys video games, especially multiplayer survival games like Call of Duty, Fortnite and Minecraft. He spends time with his family time when schedules align and loves his mom’s Puerto Rican chicken and rice dish.

Earlier this summer, he and his family went on a cruise in the Caribbean to the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos for vacation.

Sanchez is also deeply inspired by skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu, Jason Brown, and Nathan Chen, but no one more than his close friend, Ilia Malinin.

“I really loved Nathan’s work ethic and enjoyed reading his book,” he said. “I also appreciate Jason and Yuzuru for their artistry. I think their performances are always performances to remember.”

“Ilia’s my best friend,” he added. “He’s helped me through so much—technical advice, competition nerves, everything. His energy is generational. I looked up to him before he ever became the ‘quad god’ as he always had amazing ability. I know him on such a personal level, and I think just knowing everything that he does and knowing how much of a hard worker he is, how he carries himself, and how confident he is, is really inspiring. I’m really excited to see how he continues to push the sport and how he continues to just push the men’s field and continue his career.”

He also enjoys watching Mikhail Shaidorov.

“I competed with him before he became a senior,” said Sanchez. “I remember he was at my first JGP when I went to Poland in 2021. It was awesome to see somebody that I’ve just competed with not too long ago become a world silver medalist!”

Looking Ahead: Cup of China and Beyond

Sanchez’s first planned competition of the season is the Cranberry Cup in August, followed by his senior Grand Prix debut at the Cup of China. A possible second Challenger event may also be added.

With his mindset focused on improvement, quality, and joy, Jacob Sanchez is more than just ready—he’s “hungry.”

“I’m excited to be a rookie again,” he said, smiling. “This is the beginning of something new.”

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Paula Slater

Founder of Golden Skate in 1999, Paula has followed the sport of figure skating for over four decades. A retired U.S. Army veteran, she takes joy in promoting the sport worldwide, covering events, interviewing skaters, and providing resources. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and in her free time, enjoys reading, walking her dogs, painting, and consuming large quantities of coffee.