Jack Gallagher 
Rio Nakata performs his short program at the at the 2025 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on February 26. (©KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - 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."
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
RELATED:
- [ICE TIME] For Japan, Poor Results at Four Continents a Cause for Concern
- Predictions 2025: Japan's Figure Skaters Poised to Continue Stature on World Stage
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.
