Japan’s Rio Nakata defends Junior World title

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...