Everything was set for the start, and the organizers once again delivered their best, ensuring a smooth opening. The first competitors to take the ice were the junior men’s skaters. Skating second in the lineup was Aleksei Vlasenko, who experienced firsthand how challenging it is to perform in the first group and how difficult it is to qualify for the free skate from there. Unfortunately, the young skater made a mistake at the end of his program, executing only a double flip instead of a triple. As a result, Aleksei Vlasenko did not qualify for Friday’s men’s free skate.
“This was my first Junior World Championships, and all I can say is that I have gained a lot of experience,” said Vlasenko, who finished in 40th place with a score of 46.38.
At the end of the short program, the reigning champion, South Korea’s Seo Min Kyu, took the lead with a score of 86.68, breaking into tears of joy upon seeing his result.
“I’m happy to be here in Debrecen,” the South Korean skater said after his short program. “I don’t think about being the defending champion; every competition is equally important to me, and I always want to give my best. I wanted to show the audience what I can do, and I am very satisfied with my score.”
The competition was incredibly strong, and the short program was particularly intense, with Japan’s Rio Nakata close behind Seo Min Kyu (86.04) and the USA’s Jacob Sanchez securing third place (82.88).
In ice dance, Italy’s Noemi Maria Tali and Noah Lafornara took the lead with a score of 70.92, ahead of the American duo Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski (65.71) and Germany’s Darya Grimm and Michail Savitskiy (65.42).
There were no Hungarian competitors in the ice dance event.
The Junior World Championships continue on Thursday with the women’s short program, starting at 11:30 AM. Representing Hungary, Polina Dzsumanyijazova will take the ice at 4:36 PM as the first skater in the seventh (penultimate) group. The ice dance free dance will begin at 6:45 PM at the Főnix Arena.
The Junior World Championships can be followed on the event’s social media pages (WHJCH Instagram, WHJCH Facebook event) and the official competition website (https://hunskate.hu/wjch2025/).
