McAllister 44th At World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Irish figure skater Sam McAllister has finished 44th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The two-time Irish Junior champion became the first Irish skater since Viv Parnell-Murphy in 2010 to participate at the event when he took to the ice at the Arena Armeec earlier today in the men’s short programme.

Skating to “Nothing The Same” by Gary Moore, McAllister opened with a triple Lutz jump preceded by intricate steps. He fell on a triple flip jump combination, but regrouped to execute a Level 2 change foot camel spin and a Level 3 flying sit spin that garnered a positive grade of execution from the judging panel. His step sequence was awarded a Level 2 and then he went on to attempt a double Axel. He closed his routine out strongly with a Level 4 change foot combination spin.

The Ballymoney, Northern Ireland native earned an ISU season best score of 39.97 points to finish 44th overall.

“I am a little bit disappointed that I was not able to show my absolute best skating today,” McAllister said. “However, I am very proud to have represented Ireland here in Bulgaria this week and what I have learned at this competition will help me a lot as I move up to senior international competitions next season.”