Gold medalist Rio Nakata (JPN) wins the Junior Men’s Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
Rio Nakata (JPN) shoots to the top as the Junior Men’s event wrapped up at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Saturday in Beijing (CHN). The Final features the top six Skaters/Couples per discipline from the seven events of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series.
“James Bond” Nakata soars to gold
Japan’s Rio Nakata shot to the top from fourth place in the Junior Men’s Free Skating. Hyungyeom Kim of Korea dropped from first to second while Adam Hagara of Slovakia took the bronze medal.
Nakata opened his James Bond routine with a rock-solid quad toe and this was the key to a perfect program. The JGP Thailand Champion followed up with seven triples including two Axels and strong spins and footwork. The youngest competitor in the event set a personal best with 160.06 points and racked up 227.77 points overall.
Rio Nakata (JPN) wins the Junior Men’s Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“The result is a great achievement, but there are many other competitions ahead this season. I need to work harder, I cannot relax now.
“The morning practice wasn't very successful. The other jumps were fine, but quad was not good enough, so I didn't feel very confident and thought, ‘I'll just have to wait for the real competition’.
“While I was resting, I thought that the Frees I've done this season are not bad, so all I can do is to believe in myself and do what I should do. That's how I gradually stabilized my mindset.
“I was still nervous when I entered the competition, but I thought "I can't do it if I don't do it", so I changed my mood and got into the right state,” Nakata explained.
It was a special day for Nakata, and not only because he won the gold medal in his first Junior Grand Prix Final.
“Today is my mom’s birthday and I think I gave her a nice present today,” he revealed.
Hyungyeom Kim went for a quad toe as well in his program to “Requiem for a Dream”, but missed. The JGP Hungary Champion recovered to land a triple Axel and six more triple jumps.
Hyungyeom Kim (KOR), Rio Nakata (JPN), Adam Hagara (SVK) (L to R) The winners of the Junior Men’s Free Skating in Beijing, China © ISU
Kim was second in the Free Skating with 146.60 points and second overall with 223.61 points.
Hyungyeom Kim (KOR) in the Junior Men’s Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“I felt a little nervous and am not that satisfied with my performance. Nevertheless, I am happy with the result,” Kim said.
Hagara‘s program to “Dream On” by Aerosmith featured a triple Axel-double toe, a triple flip-triple toe combination as well as level-four spins. The only major glitch came when the Slovakian stepped out of his solo triple Axel.
Adam Hagara (SVK) in the Junior Men’s Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
Hagara scored 141.83 points for his program for a total of 213.26 points. The first Slovak Skater in the ISU Grand Prix Final made his country proud with their first medal.
“It was my dream to win a medal here. I am just so, so happy! It is a great accomplishment for my country,” Hagara said.
Juheon Lim (KOR) dropped from second to fourth at 209.99 points after some stumbles. Francois Pitot (FRA) placed fifth (197.31 points) while Daniel Martynov (USA) slipped to sixth (183.47 points).
For full results, see here.
Schedule of the event
Friday, December 8: Junior Rhythm Dance, Pairs Free Skating, Junior Women’s Free Skating, Women’s Short Program & Rhythm Dance
Saturday, December 9: Junior Free Dance, Junior Pairs & Junior Men’s Free Skating, Free Dance, Women’s & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, December 10: Exhibition Gala
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consisted of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN).
A total of 154 Skaters/Couples competed in the series: 46 Men, 43 Women, 29 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples.
The General Announcement of the 2023/24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here. The individual announcements are published under the respective events. Full entry lists and further information are available on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.
ISU Grand Prix Standings
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.
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Selection Criteria
For a Skater/Couple to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2021/22 or current 2022/23 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country Skaters, previously ranked Skaters or split ranked Couples who return with new partners. The minimum total score is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 and are as follows: Women: 141.65, Men: 187.49, Pairs: 132.65, Ice Dance: 137.89.
Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).
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