Men, Short ProgramThe competition kicked off with the Men’s Short Program. 41 Men competed in the event. The required solojump in the Junior Men’s Short Program in the 2008/2009 season is the Lutz (double or triple). The requiredflying spin for this season is the flying camel and the required change foot spin is the change foot sit spin.

Adam Rippon (USA) captured the lead ahead of Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic and Curran Oi(USA). All three posted a new personal best.Performing to “Toccata and Fugue”, Rippon nailed a triple flip-triple toe combination, a triple Lutz and threelevel-four spins, but he stumbled out of this triple Axel. The defending World Junior Champion got a levelthree for the straight line and a level two for the circular footwork and picked up a new personal best of74.30 points (41.90 element score/32.40 program component score). “I was really excited to come back hereto Bulgaria. I had a lot of success here last year”, the 19-year-old said, referring to winning his title last yearon the same ice in Sofia. “To come back as the reigning champion – I haven’t really thought about it. If I didthink about it a little bit more there would have been more pressure that I just would have put on myself. Igained a lot of experience during the senior Grand Prix this year. I think it’s really helped me and it’sbrought my skating to a new level. I had done the same competition and I was looking to do it in the samebuilding, so I knew exactly what to expect”, he went on.

Brezina opened his dynamic routine to “Sing Sing Sing” with a beautiful triple Axel followed by a tripleLutz, but then he did the triple flip and could only add a single toeloop for a combination. The 18-year-oldrecovered to produce fast spins and precise footwork, earning a level four for the change foot sit spin and alevel three for the other two spins and the two step sequences. He scored 69.55 points (37.80/31.75), whichwas a new personal best for the Czech skater. “I was also very happy to come here again, because I know therink, I know the ice. I felt after the flip it could be good, but then I did just a single toe. I don’t know why”,Brezina shrugged. “I wasn’t too close (to the boards), but I was looking at the landing and there was a holeand the toe would have taken off from the hole. Maybe there was problem, but it doesn’t matter. You have toit every time”, he added.

Oi, who skated next to last, landed a triple Axel, triple flip-triple toe combination and triple Lutz. His routineto “The Phantom of the Opera” also included a level-four flying camel spin and change foot sit spin and twolevel-three step sequences. The American scored a new personal best of 69.40 points (42.10/27.30). “I washere two years ago for the (Junior Grand Prix) Final, and I know the rink. I wasn’t thinking about my points,maybe because I actually haven’t seen the score sheet yet. I was really happy just to skate my best. It was alittle surprising to be third after the short”, Oi commented. “My goal again was really just to come here toskate well. It was great getting to come to Junior Worlds I’ve never been here before and it’s a greatprivilege.” standing in fifth place. His routine featured a high triple Axel and triple Lutz as well as strong spins.However, the second jump in his triple flip-triple toe combination was downgraded (64.80 points). KevinReynolds (CAN) stepped out of the triple toe in his combination with a triple flip but landed a triple Axeland triple Lutz (63.81 points). He finished sixth. Junior Grand Prix Final Champion Florent Amodio (FRA)singled his Axel, did only a double Lutz and fell on the entry of the sit spin to fade to 19th (49.80 points).