It has been a busy few months for U.S. ice dancers Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo. After impressive performances at a summer competition in Upstate New York’s Lake Placid, they were selected for their first international competition — an ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Turkey. Soon after, they earned a second Junior Grand Prix assignment, this one in Azerbaijan. Last week, they wrapped up their 2025 competitions at the U.S. Ice Dance Final, securing a spot in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships to be held in St. Louis in January.
“I made a lot of good memories and new friends, and I also had a lot of big learning experiences,” said Kouevi, 14, of the international travel. “It was really cool because we got to be part of a big and supportive team … It almost felt like we had the country behind us.”
“It was very interesting to see different countries and experience different rinks,” said Homawoo, 16. “You have the team leaders — all these people are there for you, so it felt very heartwarming and a supportive environment.”
Kouevi said the international competitions gave her more confidence. Homawoo said they taught him many lessons about how to improve mental and physical preparation for competition.
The duo has chosen to do online schooling this season, which gives them greater flexibility in their schedules and allows for increased training time. “It kind of creates a motivation,” said Kouevi. Both see their performance levels improving, and they are becoming stronger competitors. “The more we skate, the more run-throughs we do, the better you feel as a partner and a skater, and the more prepared you feel in general for competition,” said Homawoo. “It’s been a very helpful change for the two of us.”
The upcoming nationals will be the third trip to the U.S. Championships for Kouevi and Homawoo. They won the bronze medal in the novice division in 2024 and finished ninth in the junior division in 2025. Their goal is to improve their finish and set themselves up to be contenders for the podium in 2027.
“It’s evolving for me as time goes on, because I feel really honored to go, but I know that we worked really hard to get these nationals,” said Kouevi. Added Homawoo, “Our programs are evolving quite nicely to get to where they need to be for the U.S. Championships.”
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