This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.
HITACHINAKA, Ibaraki Pref. ― Teen sensation Mao Shimada will look to defend her title when she takes the ice on Saturday, November 26 for the women's short program at the Japan Junior Championships.
The 14-year-old pulled off a rare double last season when she won the Japan Novice Championships and followed that up with a triumph in her first appearance at the national junior event.
Shimada has taken the Junior Grand Prix circuit by storm in her debut season, capturing the crown comfortably in both the Czech Republic and Poland to qualify for the JGP Final in December in Turin, Italy. With a quadruple toe loop and a triple axel in her jump arsenal, Shimada will be a prohibitive favorite to win her second junior title here.
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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, here, and find him on Twitter @sportsjapan.
