Ilia Malinin captured the men’s title and Isabeau Levito is in first place after the women’s short program on day three of the ISU World Junior Championships 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Malinin put out a record-breaking performance to “Nobody Knows” by Autograf and “Golden Age” by Woodkid to become the first man to win the Junior World title since Tomoki Hiwatashi won in 2019. He is also the third U.S. man to win gold since 2017.
The 2022 U.S. silver medalist scored a world record and personal best 187.12 points in his free skate, which included four quad jumps, including one in a sequence. His total score, 276.11, is also a world record.
Liam Kapeikis finished 12th in the free skate and eighth overall with 210.94 total points. Skating to Moulin Rouge!, Kapeikis earned Level 4 on two spins en route to a score of 131.11 points.
Kai Kovar earned 118.54 points in his free skate and 176.23 overall to finish 18th. He earned Level 4 on two spins and his step sequence.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov captured the silver medal with 234.31 total points, and Japan’s Tatsuya Tsuboi earned bronze with 233.82 total points.
Isabeau Levito is in first place going into the free skate with a personal best 72.50 points. Skating to “The Swan,” the 2022 U.S. bronze medalist scored all positive grades of execution and Level 4 on her elements. She landed a triple Lutz-triple loop combination in the second half of her program. She leads the field by three points.
Lindsay Thorngren is less than one point from podium position and sits in fourth with 66.14 points. The 2020 U.S. junior champion earned Level 4 on all the spins in her program to “Writing’s On The Wall” performed by Sofia Karlberg.
Clare Seo is in 10th going into the free skate with 60.61 points. Skating to “Rain in your Black Eyes” by Ezio Bosso, the 2022 U.S. junior champion earned Level 4 on her final two spins.
The Republic of Korea currently holds second and third place, with Jia Shin second with 69.38 points and Ahsun Yun third with 66.28 points.
The World Junior Championships continue Sunday with the free dance and women’s free skate. Fans can follow the competition by visiting the competition central page on the Fan Zone. All events will be streamed on the ISU YouTube channel.
