Rio Nakata in 2nd After Short Program at World Junior Championships

Rio Nakata is just off the lead in second place after the short program at the world junior championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on Wednesday, February 26, after an outstanding performance.

The 16-year-old Nakata is less than one point behind leader and defending champion Minkyu Seo of South Korea heading into Friday's free skate. Seo is in first place with 86.68 points, while Nakata has 86.04. American Jacob Sanchez, the 2024-25 season Junior Grand Prix Final champion, is in third at 82.88.

Shunsuke Nakamura stands in fourth place on 81.29, while Sena Takahashi is seventh at 76.85.

The level of skating was excellent, as one competitor after another put out fine showings on a great day of skating.

Nakata was sharp from start to finish in his skate to "Aroul" and "Uccen," opening with a beautiful triple axel, then hitting a nice triple lutz/triple toe loop combination jump, and going on to land a nice triple flip. His spins and step sequence all received level fours in what was easily the finest short program of his career.

Nakata exuded confidence and displayed real precision in his skate, highlighted by a fist pump as he landed his final jump. If he can match this performance on Friday, he has a good shot at winning the title.

Nakata Pleased With His Performance

"I practiced a lot for the sake of today, so I'm happy that I was able to score 86 points with a clean performance in this venue," Nakata was quoted as saying. "In last year's competition, I had painful memories. So I was nervous going into this. But looking back now, I'm happy with my performance today."

Added Nakata, "I was very nervous, well, rather than being nervous, maybe it's more correct to say that I was anxious. But I did not feel it during my performance, I was able to enjoy my skating. Since I can't win unless I skate flawlessly, I felt anxious thinking about what would happen if I made even one mistake."

Seo Shines in Short Program at the World Junior Championships

Seo skated to "Moonlight Sonata" and was very impressive. The 16-year-old was efficient in hitting all of his jumps and registered level fours on his spins and step sequence.

"I am very happy about my skate and my score today," Seo commented. "Before this, my personal best was 80, and now getting 86 is amazing.

"Yes, I am the defending champion here, but I take every competition as new, so it doesn't really affect me that I won last year," Seo continued. "I think today I really skated securely and beautifully, and that's what led to this high score and success."

An Inspirational Performance by Nakamura

Nakamura gave an inspired effort to "Larger Than Life" and "Everybody," cleanly landing all of his jumps and earning level fours on his spins and step sequence. The 19-year-old surpassed his previous personal best by more than three points.

"I'm relieved I had good scores. It was because I had confidence that I would not make any mistakes in my short program," Nakamura commented. "I think I was in my best condition in the competition thanks to that. So I'm relieved that I did well."

Added Nakamura, "This is my last competition in juniors, so I wanted to give a strong performance. I feel good about that as I was able to deliver a good performance on this big stage and I am also happy because I think this contributed to my own growth as well."

Takahashi Finishes Strong

Takahashi's opening triple axel was a little shaky, but he moved through his program to "This Is Me" smoothly after that. The 15-year-old notched level fours on his spins and step sequence, and has a shot at the podium on Friday.

"I think I did my best, being able to finish my skate right until the end, even though I was nervous," Takahashi remarked. "Growing up I always watched the world junior championships on TV. I was really nervous to be in this venue, and although I have some regrets, I had a lot of fun. Some mistakes were made, but I think I got a higher score than I anticipated."

The women's short program is set for Thursday afternoon, followed by the free dance.

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Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.