Sports

[ICE TIME] Mao Shimada Scores New Personal Best in 14th Consecutive Junior Victory

In Poland, Mao Shimada had a brilliant showing, one that announcer Ted Barton called the "finest women's performance I have ever seen" in the junior ranks.

Published

22 hours ago

October 1, 2024

Jack Gallagher

Mao Shimada competes in the women's free skate at the Junior Grand Prix stop in Gdansk, Poland, on September 27, 2024. (©ISU)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [ICE TIME] Mao Shimada Scores New Personal Best in 14th Consecutive Junior Victory

Two-time world junior champion Mao Shimada continued her complete domination of the junior ranks with a decisive victory at the Junior Grand Prix in Gdansk, Poland, on Friday, September 27. The 15-year-old superstar beat teammate Kaoruko Wada by some 26 points to win the gold.

This victory gave Shimada an incredible 14th straight triumph in junior competitions (JGP, Japan Junior Championships, world junior championships and other junior events) in her three-year career in the ranks. She has never lost an event she entered as a junior.

Shimada's winning total score was a personal best of 224.68 points. The 14-year-old Wada took the silver with 198.22, while South Korea's Nayeon Ko claimed the bronze at 180.14.

*Gold medalist Mao Shimada (center), silver medalist Kaoruko Wada (left) and third-place finisher Nayeon Ko pose during the medal ceremony on September 27 in Gdansk, Poland. (©ISU)*

These results also clinched berths in the JGP Final for both Shimada (30 points) and Wada (28 points).

In the men's competition on Saturday, September 28, Sena Takahashi squandered a big lead after the short program when he came undone in his free skate and wound up second. Slovakia's Lukas Vaclavik was the surprise winner with 207.78, while Takahashi finished on 198.42. Defending world junior champion Minkyu Seo of South Korea took third at 195.86.

*JGP Gdansk men's singles winner Lukas Vaclavik (center), runner-up Sena Takahashi (left) and third-place finisher Minkyu Seo display their medals after the competition on September 28. (©ISU)*

Despite the disappointing result, the 14-year-old Takahashi also secured his ticket to the JGP Final with 28 points.

Mao Shimada Showcases Jumping Ability

Shimada skated a beautiful and elegant performance to "Mado Kara Mieru" that featured eight clean triple jumps. She also hit a quadruple toe loop but was judged a quarter rotation short on the jump. That was the lone blemish on a sensational show that saw her earn level fours on all of her spins.

"I feel like I did my best tonight," Shimada stated in her winner's interview with ISU announcer Ted Barton. "At the [JGP] Final, I want to skate clean, do a quad toe and have better flow in my skating. I like this program very much and I really enjoyed skating it."

Barton brought a unique perspective to just how sensational Shimada's skating was.

"In my 11 years covering the Junior Grand Prix, this is the finest women's performance I have ever seen," Barton commented.

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.