Rio Nakata of Japan defends title at Junior Worlds with commanding “Gladiator” free skate

Japan’s Rio Nakata defended his title at the 2026 Junior World figure skating championships on March 6 in Tallinn, Estonia. Minkyu Seo of the Republic of Korea took his second consecutive silver, while Taiga Nishino of Japan captured the bronze in his debut at this event.

Rio Nakata

The defending champion took a three-point lead with a new record short program score of 89.51 points. USA’s Ilia Malinin previously held the highest score with 88.99 at the 2022 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Nakata earned high grades of execution (GOE) in all elements, including a triple Axel, triple loop and triple flip-triple toe. The footwork and three spins were all graded a level four in his Flamenco-themed routine to “Aroul” and “Uccen” by the Taalbi Brothers.

Nakata was very happy with the result and new record.

“Going into this program, I wanted to have no mistakes and skate a clean program, and I was obsessed with getting first place,” said the 17-year-old. So I did everything I could and I’m very happy.”

When asked where he might improve, the teen said: “Maybe the step sequence. I couldn’t reach 90 points. In order to achieve 90 points, I need to increase my GOE. I think that’s probably the main thing that would contribute to me getting 90. For the Axel, I think I could upgrade the GOE.”

The 2025-26 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final silver medalist attacked his jumps in his battlefield-hero free skate to selections from the Gladiator soundtrack. He landed a solid quad Salchow, followed by a quad toe-triple toe and triple Axel-Euler-triple Salchow. He only earned a level four on one spin but landed four more solid triple jumps while earning positive GOEs throughout. He scored a new personal best of 178.96 for first place in the free skate, and another personal best total score of 268.47.

“Of course I am very satisfied with this placement,” said Nakata. “I was aiming to defend my title, and I was able to do exactly that, so I am happy about it. However, when I look at the judges’ scores, I lost levels on the spins. I had four, three and two, so that is quite horrible. That is something I really need to focus on for next season. I need to practice a lot more for that.”

While in the Kiss and Cry, Nakata help up a photo of him and Canada’s Grayson Long.

“Grayson had an injury before Junior Worlds and unfortunately could not be here,” acknowledged Nakata. “So, I promised him I would hold up a picture of the two of us. We both like Attack on Titan, so I did that pose for him in the kiss and cry. We became good friends, and he is going to come to Japan to train with me.”

When asked about his friendly rival Seo, Nakata said that he’s always been a “good companion” since his first year as a junior.

“Because of him I wanted to practice more,” said Nakata. “It is very hard to compete with Minkyu because he is such a good skater. His skating is very good, his spins are very good, and this year he is also doing quads. So competing with him is difficult, but he is a very good rival and really made me want to train more.”

Next season, Nakata wants to include four, maybe five quads.

“One of my goals in seniors is to try and land the quad Axel,” he said. “Apart from that, I want to win medals in the Grand Prix series and qualify for the Grand Prix Final. I want to win Nationals and then make it to Four Continents and the World Championships. Those are my goals.”

Minkyu Seo

Seo placed second with a with a new season’s best of 86.33 with his classical short to “Moonlight Sonata.” The 17-year-old displayed good musicality throughout his classical short to “Moonlight Sonata” which featured level-four spins and footwork. He landed a solid triple Axel, triple loop and triple flip-triple toe.

“Recently, I changed my skates, so I’m now getting used to them,” said Seo. “I think I did better than I expected. I changed them as a precaution because I wanted to change them before they break.”

“The skaters I’m competing with right now are absolutely excellent skaters from all around the world,” he added. “I’m very satisfied with that, but for next season I’m going to compete in seniors, so I’m actually very excited for that and I will try to do my best to prepare for it.”

The two-time Junior World medalist took a hard fall on an underrotated quad Salchow in his free skate to “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3.” However, he quickly recovered to land a triple Axel-triple toe, triple flip-triple toe and four more clean triple jumps. While the triple Lutz received an edge call, two spins were graded a level four, and he finished in third place with 157.58 points. With a total score of 243.91, he managed to hang on to second place overall.

“Even though I made a mistake on my first jump, I tried to overcome it step by step and focus on the next elements,” said Seo. “It was a difficult situation after making that mistake, but I tried to recover through the rest of the program, and that was the good thing about this free skate—to still skate a clean program after that and fight until the end. That was very good. I am very happy to finish in second place here.”

Regarding his rivalry with Nakata, Seo said: “Rio is technically a better skater than I am, so competing with him really motivates me to improve my technical side and become better in the jumps.”

Seo will move up to the senior level next season.

“My goal is to win medals at the Grand Prix events, but in order to achieve that, I really need to practice my jumps more,” he summed up.

Taiga Nishino

Nishino place fourth with a new personal best (81.14) for his dynamic short program to Michael Bublé’s “Such a Night.” The two-time JGP medalist landed a triple Axel, triple loop and triple Lutz-triple toe. The footwork and two spins were graded a level four.

The 16-year-old from Yokohama was happy with his clean skate.

“At Junior Worlds, my goal was to achieve about 80 points,” he said. “I did exactly that, so I’m extremely happy about it. But from now on, I think I wouldn’t be able to win with lower 80s, so I need to build up my practice and get better.”

Nishino said another goal of his is to make the audience “happy.”

The two-time junior national medalist skated a classical medley free skate built around Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No.5, and Fur Elise (Hidden Citizens version). He hung on to his opening quad toe and quad Salchow, opened with a quad toe, but slightly underrotated the front end of a triple Axel-Euler-triple Salchow. Nishino went on to land four more clean triple jumps while showcasing level four spins throughout. He picked up a new personal best of 160.09 for second place in the free skate and moved up to third place overall (241.23).

“The good thing about this free skate was that I managed to skate a clean program and fight until the end,” said Nishino. “That was good. Something I could improve on are the two quads. They were not as good as they usually are in practice, and there was also an underrotation on the triple Axel.”

But he was still satisfied with the placement.

“I was pretty nervous today but being able to skate a clean program and fight until the end, I think that was good,” said Nishino.

“Daiya Ebihara is my rival, my competitor, but also my good friend,” he added. “So, when I was sitting in the leader’s chair, I really wanted him to do well.”

Jacob Sanchez

USA’s Jacob Sanchez showcased his maturity in his expressive short program to Les parapluies de Cherbourg, placing fifth (81.03). His routine featured a solid triple Axel and triple loop, but the skater put a hand down on the front end of triple Lutz-triple toe. He also left points on the table after the change-foot camel spin and his footwork were graded a level three.

“I think it was really good,” said the 18-year-old. “Obviously, I didn’t get all my levels, which is OK. I’m really just here to try to enjoy my last junior experience as best as I can. I’ve been doing that so far, and I’m just really happy to be here in this arena with all my friends and just competing for fun.”

Sanchez, who’s been staying in touch with Ilia Malinin after the Olympics, said he talks to Malinin nearly every day.

“Honestly, it’s been so inspiring to talk to him after that skate,” he said. “Obviously, it was very unfortunate, but seeing the way he handled himself and being able to talk with him through it was inspiring. It showed me that it’s okay to make mistakes because we all will and it’s going to happen. Having that example from such a close friend and also such a great skater is another huge inspiration for me.”

The 2024-25 JGP Final champion placed fifth (148.07) in the free skate with his routine to selections by Ros Stephen.  While there is no quad in his repertoire, he landed a total of six triple jumps. The only error came when he stepped out his final jump—a triple Salchow—putting a hand down on the landing. All spins were awarded a level four from the judges, and he placed fifth (229.10) overall in his fourth appearance at this event.

“I was just happy that I went out there and skated,” said Sanchez. “I will say it was the first time in quite a while that I was actually nervous for my free skate. I do not know what it was—maybe because it was Junior Worlds, or because it was the last time I am skating this season—but I was actually pretty nervous.”

Despite the mistake on his Salchow, he was no disappointed.

“I think I still got a pretty good score, and I feel like I have seen a lot of progress from last Junior Worlds until now,” said Sanchez. “During the three-jump combination, I actually thought back to last year’s Worlds and how big that was for me. I am happy that I overcame that because I had been thinking about it a lot. But I was able to pull it off, and I had a couple of good saves out there, which I am really happy with. So I can really see the progress.”

Sanchez plans to take some time off for a family vacation and is excited to start working on two new programs for next season.

“I do not know yet what I will do or who I will work with, but I am looking forward to a new creative process,” he said. “I am really looking forward to trying the new rules, experimenting with choreography, for example a choreo spin and six jumps. I am not sure if it is officially confirmed yet, but that is what I have been hearing a lot, and it sounds fun. I am curious to see how everything develops, and I am excited to have more opportunities for different choreography and different movement.”

Habin Choi

Habin Choi from the Republic of Korea sat in ninth place after the short with 75.78 points.

“Even though I was able to show a clean program jump-wise, I’m a little bit disappointed about the mistake I did in the step sequence,” said Choi. “I really can’t say right now what happened there.”

Choi delivered a technically demanding free skate to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales which featured a quad Lutz-double Axel sequence and solo quad Lutz. He stepped out of a triple Lutz and received an edge call on a triple flip, but showed three good level-four spins. The two-time JGP medalist placed fourth in this segment, and with a total score of 224.36, rose to fifth place overall.

“I am a little bit disappointed about my jump combination where I made a small mistake,” he said of the triple Lutz. “But I am most proud of the quad Lutz that I was able to land, and also the other jumps that I landed.”

“For next season, I want to have a free skate with three quads,” Choi announced. “I am working on the toe loop, Lutz and flip, and I have not decided yet which ones I will include in the program. My main focus in the off-season will be to stabilize my quads and gain more consistency with them.”

Lucius Kazanecki

USA”s Lucius Kazanecki placed 11th after a solid short program to music from Interstellar, earning a new personal best of 74.89 points. His routine featured a triple loop, triple Axel and triple Lutz-triple toe.

His free skate to Piazzolla’s “Adiós Nonino” was highlighted by a quad toe-triple toe, quad toe and triple Axel. The only error came when he stepped out of a triple Lutz, but all spins garnered a level four. He placed seventh (144.47) in the free skate and moved up five spots to sixth overall (219.36).

“I’m definitely very happy that I landed that, because it has not been going great lately,” he said of the quad toe combination. “I’m just so happy that I was able to do it when it mattered. Obviously, I’m a little disappointed that I missed a simple jump, and that caused me to lose some points, but that’s life.”

“Everyone here is so good, and every micro detail means one place higher or lower than someone else,” he added. “It is going to be my job to fix that in the future, to correct those things and one day be at the top.”

The 2025-26 JGP Final bronze medalist will move up to the senior level next season.

“Obviously, now I want to take a step back and learn from this competition, from all my mistakes,” said Kazanecki. “I want to adjust and also work on new things, maybe try new choreographers. I really want to have a cool environment and a new learning experience going into it.”

Jaekeun Lee

South Korea’s Jaekeun Lee placed sixth (79.27) in the short program after a clean skate that included a triple loop, triple Axel and triple Lutz-triple toe.

“I was a little bit worried about today’s performance, but in the end I did better than what I thought,” said Lee. “I felt some pressure and I really wanted to do a better performance today. That’s why I was worried.”

However, the 2025 JGP Riga silver medalist made several mistakes in his free skate to “Archangel” by Two Steps from Hell. The opening quad toe was landed on the quarter and he popped an Axel in the second half. He also stepped out of a triple Lutz, but managed a total of five triple jumps. He placed 10th in this segment and dropped to seventh place overall (138.93 / 217.58).

“I’m a little bit disappointed, but I will practice harder for next season,” said the18-year-old from Gunpo City. “I really want to learn more difficult skills overall. I am also working on the quad Salchow.”

Rounding out the top 10

Yanhao Li of New Zealand finished eighth overall (217.58) in his fourth appearance at this event.

“I am actually looking forward to competing in seniors,” he said of next season. “I definitely want to focus mainly on seniors. Maybe that also brings a different mindset. And also with the new rules, like the changes in jumps and everything, that is pretty exciting. I will keep the short program. For the free skate it is not decided yet, but I do want to focus a little more on technique.”

Japan’s Daiya Ebihara, who stood in third (81.53) after with a personal best short program, struggled in the free skate where he placed 12th. He placed overall with 217.52 points.

“This Junior World Championship was half disappointing because of the short program,” said Ebihara. “I gave it everything and started in third place, but after that I somehow fell into a negative mindset. I was not able to process the short program properly, and that led to today’s performance. So, for the next competition, I want to start fresh and learn how to deal better with emotions like that.”

“After the short program, there were so many thoughts in my mind,” he continued. “I came here wanting to win a medal, but somehow I kept thinking about the mistakes, all the worries, everything rushed at me. So, I am not really sure how that happened, because I know being third after the short program should have been something to be happy about.”

During Ebihara’s free skate, he could hear Nishino from the leader’s chair shouting, “Gambatte!”

“Our eyes met, so because of that I was really able to change my mindset and continue from there,” said Ebihara.

“This season, unfortunately, I could not make the Junior Grand Prix Final, so next season I really want to make that my goal,” he summed up.

Denis Krouglov of Belgium, who rounded out the top ten (216.70), shared that his skate broke last month and he went through three blade changes.

“Considering that, I did really well,” he said, adding that his highlight of the season was winning a medal at JGP Abu Dhabi (silver) and going to Japan for the Final.

The 16-year-old is planning two new programs for next season and is focusing on adding more difficulty. He currently lands the quad Salchow and toe loop in practice.

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