Ilia Malinin Sets World Record at World Junior Championships

Ilia Malinin leads the field after the men's short program and pairs team Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia are in medal position in third after day one of the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia.

With a score of 88.99, Malinin set a new world record for best junior short program score, besting the 84.87-point performance Japan's Shoma Uno claimed at the 2015 World Junior Championships.

Skating to "Billie Jean" performed by David Cook, Malinin earned all positive grades of execution, nailing all three of his jumps and earning all Level 4s.

Malinin – who competed at the 2022 World Championships at the senior level last month – looks to become the third U.S. man to win the event since 2017 and the first since Tomoki Hiwatashi in 2019.

Wesley Chu of Canada and Estonia's Mihhail Selevko rank second with 81.59 and third with 81.26, respectively.

Currently in fourth, Liam Kapeikis sits less than two points out of second place after the short program with 79.83 points.

The 2020 U.S. junior bronze medalist secured a personal best internationally, also earning positive grades of execution on all his elements.

Kai Kovar scored 57.69 points and currently ranks 22nd.

In the pairs competition, Smirnova and Siianytsia earned 60.38 points for their short program to "Hey Big Spender" for a new personal best.

Their highest scoring element was their triple twist, scoring 7.50 points. They are in third going into the free skate.

Georgia's Karina Safina and Luka Berulava are in first with 67.77 while Australia's Anastasia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore are in second with 61.72 points. They lead the U.S. team by just over one point.

The World Junior Championships continue Friday with the rhythm dance and pairs 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.