[ICE TIME] Grand Prix Final Bonanza: Mao Shimada Leads Way as Japan Sets New Medal Mark

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Two-time world junior champion Mao Shimada stretched her phenomenal streak of victories in championship events to 16. She became the first skater ever to win the Junior Grand Prix Final three times in a row in Grenoble, France, over the weekend of December 6-8.

Despite winning just one gold medal at the combined Junior and Senior Grand Prix Final, Japan set a new record for the most medals it has ever won at the prestigious event with a total of nine. The Hinomaru's previous mark of seven was set in 2023 in Beijing.

There were plenty of other medals for Japan in France. Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato brought home silver and bronze in men's singles, while Mone Chiba and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto did the same in the women's singles on Saturday, December 7. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara claimed silver in the pairs competition.

Kaoruko Wada and Ami Nakai picked up the silver and bronze behind Shimada in the junior women's classification. Meanwhile, Rio Nakata earned the bronze in the junior men's contest.

A Noteworthy Grand Prix Final Achievement for Glenn

While world champion Ilia Malinin's victory over Kagiyama was no surprise, the win by Amber Glenn over Chiba and Sakamoto established the American as a real contender for this season's world title in Boston. Glenn's gold was the first at the GP Final for an American woman since Alissa Czisny won in 2010.

The 25-year-old Glenn was victorious in both of her GP assignments and won the biggest competition of her career in Grenoble. She has to be considered a legitimate contender for the gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Prevailing over five Japanese women at the GP Final had media asking Glenn if she felt she had just won the Japan Championships.

"No, seriously, the other girls are absolutely incredible," Glenn stated on Saturday. "I know many of us did not have the best short program or long programs, but I feel like today was significantly better than Thursday for most of us, if not all of us. But I know we all have more that we can do and we can show, and I'm just proud of all of us."

Chiba Pleased with Her Overall Performance

Chiba went all out in her free skate to try and overtake Glenn but came up short.

"I felt nervous as if I was doing a world championship," Chiba said. "Yesterday I couldn't read the audience's reaction. Today I was careful not to make mistakes and do better."

Added Chiba, "I'm satisfied with today's performance because I didn't fall and could land the last flip and loop. That is why my score today was very good as I almost beat my personal best."

Sakamoto Analyzes Her Results in France

Despite suffering her first loss since the 2022 Grand Prix Final at a major championship, Sakamoto was undaunted.

"Unlike in the short program, I was able to approach it with more confidence," Sakamoto said after her free skate. "And I was able to give it my all with the feeling that I wanted to show what I had been practicing, so I am satisfied with today's program."

"Compared to the world championships last season, I think I still have a lot to learn. And I'm not completely free of stress, so there are still some points where I'm not sure if I'll be OK, but I think I'm doing pretty well," Sakamoto continued.

Malinin Reflects on Jump Issues

Malinin uncorked an epic free skate that featured six different types of quads and seven in total. However, he was unable to land one of them cleanly. The outcome had him wondering if he might reconsider his ambitious attempt.

"Going into the GP I wanted to show everything I have been working on as well as incorporating my artistry into my programs," Malinin commented after his win on Saturday. "It was kind of a challenge for me to go all in with the technical content today. I think I will have to go back and see if it was worth it or if it will be better to lower the content to have a good skate."

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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.