San Jose teen Polina Edmunds is returning to the world figure skating championships for the second consecutive year.
The Archbishop Mitty High junior was named to the team Sunday with fellow 2014 Olympians Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold. Edmunds was eighth at the ’14 World Championships and ninth at the Sochi Games.
Edmunds, 16, followed up her breakthrough season a year ago with a strong performance last week at the U.S. championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she finished fourth.
“To be in the top four two years in a row is a big accomplishment,” Edmunds’ coach, David Glynn, said Sunday.
Fremont’s Karen Chen, 15, finished third at the U.S. championships, but is too young to compete at senior international competitions. Instead, Chen will skate at the world junior championships, March 2-8 in Tallinn, Estonia. She was born six weeks too late to be eligible for the senior competition in March in Shanghai, China.
Kevin Shum of Piedmont also qualified for the junior worlds after taking the silver medal in men’s juniors in Greensboro.
Ice dancer Elliana Pogrebinsky of Campbell and partner Alex Benoit made the junior team as well. Anthony Ponomarenko of Morgan Hill and Canadian partner Christina Carreira are second alternatives.
Edmunds also will represent the United States at the prestigious Four Continents competition, Feb. 9-15 in South Korea. Glynn said Edmunds has had to overcome physical changes this season because of puberty, but “she continues to show her technical consistencies.”
