Rio Nakata Wins World Junior Championships Title in Dramatic Fashion

Rio Nakata vaulted from second place after the short program to capture the men's title at the World Junior Championships with a strong free skate on Friday evening, February 28 in Debrecen, Hungary. 

The 16-year-old overtook defending champion Minkyu Seo of South Korea, who finished second, to top the podium for the biggest victory of his career.

Nakata's total score in the win was 248.99 points. Seo finished with 241.45, while Slovakia's Adam Hagara was third at 233.93. American Jacob Sanchez took fourth on 230.41.

Shunsuke Nakamura came in sixth with 225.69, while Sena Takahashi finished ninth on 216.45.

In winning, Nakata became the Hinomaru's seventh world junior male titlist, joining the likes of Yuzuru Hanyu, Daisuke Takahashi, Takahiko Kozuka, Nobunari Oda, Shoma Uno and Kao Miura, who all accomplished the feat.

How Nakata Secured the World Junior Championships Title

Nakata skated to songs from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack and nearly went down on his opening quadruple toe loop when he stepped out and went down to one knee. He showed the heart of a champion, however, by bouncing back to land a big quad toe loop/ triple toe loop combination jump, then proceeded to smoothly work his way through the rest of his program.

The young star, who won the Junior Grand Prix Final in December 2023, landed seven clean triples in the triumph and earned level fours on two of his three spins in the courageous performance.

"I practiced up until now for this, to get gold here," Nakata was quoted as saying. "There are many people around here so I am not showing my emotions too much since it won't be nice. I will get very happy once I'm back to the hotel."

Nakata admitted the miscue at the outset had him rattled.

"When I made a mistake at the beginning, I felt very stressed but after that I calmed down," Nakata commented. "I was able to hang onto it until the end, and I think the biggest thing I got from this competition, well, I failed my first toe loop, but I think the second one was the best one."

Added Nakata, "At first, I thought it was going to go bad. When I had the step out. After that, I wasn't sure if I could do the axel but I decided to trust my training up until now, to not let it all go to waste."

Seo Falls on Triple Axel, Settles for Silver

Seo was the final skater of the evening and had a chance to repeat as champion with a clean skate, but fell on a triple axel and didn't attempt any quads in his skate to "Singing in the Rain." The 16-year-old hit eight triples and registered level fours on all of his spins, but it wasn't enough this night.

"I was very nervous about today's performance. Overall, it was a happy day," Seo commented. "There were many competitions this season and I am happy to end it with a medal at the World Junior Championships."

Added Seo, "For next season I really want to work on my quads. I see Rio with his quads and I really want to do it as well."

Nakamura Slips Early in His Free Skate

Nakamura, who was fourth after the short program, competed to "Lamentations of the Heart" and "lo Ci Saro" and fell on his opening quad toe loop. The 19-year-old landed six clean triples and notched level fours on two of his spins.

"I had a mistake at the beginning, but after that I was able to switch my mindset," Nakamura remarked. "So I think it went well. The part where I wasn't able to perform solidly until the second half is something I see as a learning experience and a part of my growth."

Added Nakamura, "I felt that I wanted to turn but I started to rotate early and couldn't get enough height for the quad toe loop. The spin and the quad toe loop were tough.

"I made mistakes both in the short and free program, but I was able to regain my control," Nakamura continued. "Through this competition, I was able to grasp the feeling of approaching a match with a strong conviction and I think this will lead to my growth."

Takahashi Pleased to Finish in the Top 10

Takahashi skated to selections from "The Four Seasons" and singled his opening planned triple lutz. The 15-year-old did hit seven triples and post level fours on all of his spins to finish inside the top 10 in his first world juniors.

"I'm a little frustrated but I enjoyed skating," Takahashi stated. "I was nervous so I was surprised but I could regain my control, so I'm glad. Even though I made some mistakes, I got a good score. So I'm happy."

Added Takahashi, "I was nervous but I was able to enjoy skating until the very end, and I could bring out a good performance. Even though it wasn't without mistakes, I enjoyed it and I'm satisfied with it."

Metelkina, Berulava Take the Lead in Pairs

Earlier Friday, Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava took the lead in pairs after the short program with a tally of 69.18. Sae Shimizu and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda placed 11th after the pairs short program with 49.33.

In action late Thursday, Italy's Noemi Maria Tali and Noah Lafornara won the junior ice dance title with 177.50. Sara Kishimoto and Atsuhiko Tamura finished 16th at 132.95.

RELATED: 

• Mao Shimada Moves Out to Big Lead at World Junior Championships in Quest for Three-Peat
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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.