Nakata Rio Secures Junior World Title, Seo Minkyu Fails to Defend

Japanese Skater Earns First Crown, Slovakia’s Hagara Takes Bronze in Thrilling Competition

Nakata Rio of Japan claimed the coveted gold medal at the 2025 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on Friday (February 28th). The victory marks Nakata’s first world junior title, a significant improvement from his silver medal performance the previous year. Defending champion Seo Minkyu of South Korea was unable to replicate his success, settling for silver. Adam Hagara of Slovakia secured the bronze medal, edging out American Jacob Sanchez.   

Nakata’s Dominant Free Skate Seals Victory

Nakata Rio delivered a stunning free skate performance, achieving a season’s best score of 162.95. Skating to music from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” he overcame an early error on a quadruple toeloop, showcasing his technical prowess with a clean quad toe-triple toe combination and two impressive triple Axels. His total score of 248.99 placed him comfortably ahead of Seo Minkyu, who finished with 241.45.  

Seo’s Attempt to Defend Title Falls Short, Hagara Claims Bronze

Seo Minkyu, who led after the short program, needed a flawless free skate to maintain his lead. While he started strong with a triple Axel-triple toe combination, a fall on a later triple Axel attempt proved costly, ultimately denying him a consecutive title. The battle for bronze was a close contest between Hagara and Sanchez. Both skaters performed to the music “Lo Ci Sarò,” with Hagara delivering a clean performance that earned him 153.04. Sanchez, despite landing two triple Axels, made crucial errors, including a popped triple Lutz and a shaky double Axel landing, which resulted in a score of 147.53, placing him off the podium.

Championships Continue with Women and Pairs Events

The 2025 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships will conclude on Sunday (March 1st) with the junior women’s and junior pairs’ free skate competitions.

By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer