2026 Junior Worlds - Men FS

Colonel Green said:
Having a jump as the penultimate element is nice, but that’s going to drop him like a stone.
Click to expand...
Ehhhhhh... He had a 5.75 point advantage over Choi from the SP. He'll drop from 3rd to 5th overall and slot in between Sanchez & Choi, I expect.

ETA - dannnnng. He did drop like a rock. TES took a big hit on review.
 
Ooooh, I could see Minkyu getting too close to the boards on that 4s takeoff, and I was cringing in anticipation before he even landed :(
 
Well, apart from that very hard fall on the opening quad, that was pleasant & well-skated for Minkyu. Should keep him in the lead.
 
I know the Olympics was a shit show for almost everyone, but had he been old enough and skated like that with one more element and a PCS bump for sure, I think he could've been in podium contention.

Yeah definitely on the Worlds team next year IMO and fighting for the podium already.
 
After 4 groups and 24 skaters, the final FS results:
1 Rio NAKATA JPN 178.96 95.71 83.25 8.25 8.43 8.32 0.00 #24
2 Taiga NISHINO JPN 160.09 87.06 73.03 7.18 7.32 7.43 0.00 #21
3 Minkyu SEO KOR 157.58 81.39 77.19 7.61 7.75 7.82 1.00 #23
4 Habin CHOI KOR 148.58 79.01 69.57 6.75 6.93 7.21 0.00 #16
5 Jacob SANCHEZ USA 148.07 73.27 74.80 7.50 7.46 7.50 0.00 #20
6 Genrikh GARTUNG GER 146.01 81.57 64.44 6.21 6.39 6.75 0.00 #8
7 Lucius KAZANECKI USA 144.47 78.20 66.27 6.61 6.50 6.79 0.00 #14
8 Denis KROUGLOV BEL 141.48 72.92 69.56 7.04 6.89 6.96 1.00 #15
9 Yanhao LI NZL 140.40 68.97 72.43 7.21 7.25 7.29 1.00 #18
10 Jaekeun LEE KOR 138.93 68.16 70.77 7.11 7.00 7.14 0.00 #19
11 Yehor KURTSEV UKR 138.40 74.49 63.91 6.29 6.29 6.61 0.00 #12
12 Daiya EBIHARA JPN 135.99 65.16 71.83 7.21 7.04 7.32 1.00 #22
13 David BONDAR CAN 132.97 69.93 63.04 6.25 6.18 6.50 0.00 #11
14 Hiro KAEWTATHIP THA 132.45 71.68 60.77 6.14 6.07 6.04 0.00 #5
15 Nikita SHEIKO ISR 131.76 64.20 67.56 6.79 6.82 6.68 0.00 #10
16 Yu-Hsiang LI TPE 131.48 69.05 62.43 6.07 6.25 6.43 0.00 #13
17 Matias LINDFORS FIN 126.20 56.43 70.77 7.29 7.21 6.75 1.00 #9
18 Jiarui LI HKG 125.43 62.52 62.91 6.36 6.21 6.32 0.00 #6
19 Ean WEILER SUI 122.14 57.45 66.69 6.89 6.46 6.68 2.00 #17
20 Qihan ZHAO CHN 120.28 62.61 57.67 5.68 5.68 5.96 0.00 #3
21 Leon ROJKOV GER 108.46 57.58 51.88 5.11 5.04 5.43 1.00 #1
22 Konstantin SUPATASHVILI GEO 103.77 51.89 51.88 5.18 5.04 5.36 0.00 #4
23 Albin SAMUELSSON SWE 97.77 47.22 52.55 5.21 5.11 5.46 2.00 #2
24 Matvii YEFYMENKO POL 97.09 44.28 54.81 5.50 5.25 5.71 2.00 #7


The final overall results:
1 Rio NAKATA JPN 268.47 1 1
2 Minkyu SEO KOR 243.91 2 3
3 Taiga NISHINO JPN 241.23 4 2
4 Jacob SANCHEZ USA 229.10 5 5
5 Habin CHOI KOR 224.36 9 4
6 Lucius KAZANECKI USA 219.36 11 7
7 Jaekeun LEE KOR 218.20 6 10
8 Yanhao LI NZL 217.58 7 9
9 Daiya EBIHARA JPN 217.52 3 12
10 Denis KROUGLOV BEL 216.70 10 8
11 Genrikh GARTUNG GER 209.68 17 6
12 Yehor KURTSEV UKR 208.45 13 11
13 Yu-Hsiang LI TPE 202.54 12 16
14 David BONDAR CAN 202.06 14 13
15 Ean WEILER SUI 198.91 8 19
16 Nikita SHEIKO ISR 198.88 15 15
17 Hiro KAEWTATHIP THA 194.38 20 14
18 Matias LINDFORS FIN 192.90 16 17
19 Jiarui LI HKG 187.81 19 18
20 Qihan ZHAO CHN 181.83 22 20
21 Leon ROJKOV GER 169.14 24 21
22 Konstantin SUPATASHVILI GEO 165.39 21 22
23 Matvii YEFYMENKO POL 159.98 18 24
24 Albin SAMUELSSON SWE 158.70 23 23


Protocol links: https://results.isu.org/results/sea...OR----FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf
 
I peeped Rio's Instagram and I think he must have been a few rows behind me in the same section for the mens free, or maybe one over. Cool that he got to go watch it.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
So with a 4th and 6th how many men entries does US get next year - grand prix & worlds
Click to expand...
Jr Worlds - 3; JGP - 14

Entries for next season:

Jr Worlds -
3 - JPN, KOR, USA
2 - NZL, BEL, GER
1 - all other federations

JGP -
2 entries in 7 events: JPN, KOR, USA
1 entry in 7 events: NZL, BEL, GER (GER possibly can pick up additional spots if NZL, BEL, UKR or TPE decline spots - we know that JPN, KOR, USA, CAN & SUI won't decline any of their spots as they have more than enough skaters to use all they've earned)
1 entry in 6 events: UKR, TPE, CAN, SUI
1 entry in 5 events: ISR, THA, FIN, HKG, CHN, GEO, POL, SWE
1 entry in 4 events: ITA, LTU, LAT, SVK, AUT, GBR
1 entry in 3 events: EST, ARM, NOR, CZE, ESP, KAZ, BUL, TUR, FRA, HUN, AUS
1 entry in 2 events: all other feds
JGP host feds - 3 at their own event: CHN, LAT, THA, TUR, GEO, SLO, POL

The way it's worked in past seasons with the host feds and the # of spots they ultimately wind up with -
THA, CHN, GEO & POL - they'll have 1 entry in 4 events and 3 entries at their host event for 7 entries total
LAT - 1 entry in 3 events & 3 entries at their host event for 6 entries total
TUR - 1 entry in 2 events & 3 entries at their host event for 5 entries total
 
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So soon after the Olympics, I didn't think it was possible for me to become so invested in another figure skating competition (especially a Junior competition) this season; yet, here I am. All nerves and happy tears again. Gosh, I LOVE this sport.

So many wonderful skates by these young men. Huge congrats to all the medallists. Your were AWESOME.

And, like @Kateri has expressed, I also find Rio very endearing. He truly does seem like such a genuinely nice human being. Holding up the picture of Grayson in the K/C .... awwww .... thinking of his injured friend in his moment of victory. And, wow, his English is terrific. :cheer2:

Shoutout to the seniors for next season: Lookout .... Rio is coming!
 
Last edited:
Rio got GOE4.30 for 4Sin is FS!

At the beginning of his FS, you can see Jacob murmuring something. He said later:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
“Actually, that is quite a funny story, because I say the first words of Ilia Malinin’s free skate. They are really inspiring, and those quotes have quite a deep meaning. I have been repeating that in my head ever since I heard it because I really connected with those words and phrases. I use them to calm myself down, and I feel like it helps a lot.”
Click to expand...
 
Junior Men's FS playlist of videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuiPiC1Hk8eIZxMe6hIYnBnk1Ra7HsVEA

Mixed zone quotes & photos after yesterday's FS (sorry for the delay):

GOLD Rio Nakata:
www.instagram.com

Golden Skate on Instagram: "Rio Nakata 🇯🇵 178.96 / 268.47 On winning again “Of course I am very satisfied with this placement. 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

1,092 likes, 5 comments - goldsk8 on March 6, 2026: "Rio Nakata 🇯🇵 178.96 / 268.47 On winning again “Of course I am very satisfied with this placement. 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...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
SILVER Minkyu Seo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjsuquDNJJ/
BRONZE Taiga Nishino: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjtlrdjCcF/
Jacob Sanchez: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjjg6DDIVJ/
Habin Choi: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjhFksjNst/
Lucius Kazanecki: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjdZxDjFuN/
Jaekeun Lee: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjewzDDIw6/
Yanhao Li: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjd_UgDOtJ/
Daiya Ebihara: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjrR8RjDE7/
Denis Krouglov: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjb5HCjEYS/
Genrikh Gartung: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjWyY7jOfz/
Yehor Kurtsev: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjXvNKjPAL/
Yu-Hsiang Li: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjZY7kDGmz/
David Bondar: n/a
Ean Weiler: n/a
Nikita Sheiko: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjXMt2DMT0/
Hiro Kaewathip: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjQJKfDLeN/
Matias Lindfors: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjUp9yjLR4/
...
Leon Rojkov: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjN-pJDNlj/
 
Ice Skating International Online has uploaded video of the post-FS press conference on their YT channel (Rio Nakata spoke in both English & Japanese): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVGLS6efIdQ

Copying out the ISU's Press Conference highlights document:

Rio Nakata (JPN) Junior World Champion 2026
Minkyu has been a good rival from when I was junior first year. We competed in Poland [2022] and Minkyu came third,
I came fourth. We started being rivals from there. It was very hard to compete with Minkyu because he's a very good
skater and his skating is so good, and spins are so good. And this year he's been doing quads, and it was really hard
to compete with him, but he was a good rival, so that made me want to train more. (on his result) I'm very satisfied
with this placement. I was aiming for a two-peat, so I was able to do exactly that, so I'm happy about that. However, I
was looking at the judges’ scores, and the spins had a level four, three, two, so it's quite horrible. That's something
that I need to focus on going into next season. I need to practice a lot more for that. As for jump composition, I think I
can improve more on it. For next season, I would like to include four to five quads. (on his performance) When I first
landed my quad, I was a little bit relieved, and I had the confidence for my second quad. After my quads, it's just my
triple jumps left, so it was easier than quads. I was just happy to skate clean in my free. (on nerves) I was not that
nervous today, and I know what I have to do. It's only seven jumps. It's harder than than the short program, but I
thought I can do it today. I was calling Misha [Ge], my choreographer before the competition, and he gave me a lot of
advice, and that helped me a lot. (on showing a photo on his phone to the camera) Grayson [Long, Canadian skater],
had an injury before Junior Worlds, and I promised him I'll put a picture of me and him. We like Attack on Titan, so I
did the Shinzō o Sasageyo pose in the kiss and cry for him. He's coming to Japan to train with me again. Next season
on the senior circuit I’m sure I’ll have difficult competition. I am looking forward to compete with all these great skaters.
I want to try the quad Axel, to medal Grand Prix series, go to the Grand Prix Final, win Nationals, go to Four
Continents and Worlds. (on the Olympic Games) I was watching the team event and the teamwork was incredible. In
four years I would want to be on that team event.

Minkyu Seo (KOR) Junior World silver medalist 2026
Even though I made mistake, I went on step by step focusing on the elements. Something to improve is the quad as
there was a mistake. The spins were good today. Even though it was a difficult situation after the mistake, I tried to do
my best in the rest of the program. I am proud of being in second place. My goal for the next season is to win medals
in the Grand Prix. To achieve that I will practice more jumps. (on his rivalry with Nakato) Rio has more talent in jumps
than me that’s why he tries more jumps. (on what impressed him the most when watching the Olympic Winter Games)
The most impressive moment for me was the performance of Junhwan Cha. We saw that he is still growing.

Taiga Nishino (JPN) Junior World bronze medalist 2026
The good thing for the free skating was I managed to skate a clean program and fought until the end. Something that I
could improve on is the two quads. They were not as good as what I usually do, and there was a little bit of underrotation for, the triple Axel. As for the placement, I put everything I could out on the ice, so I'm happy with it. (on
cheering for Daiya Ebihara) Dai is my rival, really good rival, as well as a good friend. I wanted him to do well, so that's
why I was praying for him. (on what impressed him the most when watching the Olympic Games) The most
impressive scene from the Olympics was the team event. I thought Team Japan's level was great. It's very high and all
of them were enjoying performing, and I really liked their teamwork.
 
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