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Mao Shimada and Yo Takagi Finish 1-2 at the Osaka JGP

During her free skate, Mao Shimada was nearly flawless as she landed eight clean triple jumps and executed the choreography of her program with precision.

Published

1 year ago

September 16, 2023

Jack Gallagher

Mao Shimada performs her free skate at the Osaka Junior Grand Prix on September 16, 2023, in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. (KYODO)

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IZUMISANO, Osaka Prefecture ― World junior champion Mao Shimada scored a dominating victory at the Osaka Junior Grand Prix at Kanku Ice Arena on Saturday night, September 16, delighting the home crowd with a powerful free skate.

The 14-year-old star from nearby Kyoto Prefecture took a big lead into the free skate and expanded on it to win by more than 25 points. Shimada's total score was 213.86 points, as she led a 1-2 finish for Japan with Yo Takagi, who came in second at 188.15 with a sublime performance of her own.

Taiwan's Yu-Feng Tsai (178.82) narrowly prevented a Japan sweep, as she edged out Ikura Kushida (176.09) for third place with an inspired effort.

Shimada's free skate was nearly flawless as she landed eight clean triple jumps and earned level fours on all of her spins as she executed the choreography of her program with precision. The lone blemish came when she fell on her second jump (a quadruple toe loop), which she had been having trouble landing in training this week.

Shimada's victory was practically preordained, as she held a 10 point-lead over Takagi following Friday's short program. It wasn't a question of whether or not Shimada would win, but rather how large the margin would be.

Mao Shimada Reflects on Her Performance

"Since it was a tournament in Japan, I went into it with the feeling that I absolutely wanted to win," Shimada stated. "I had a lot of fun skating with a strong feeling that, 'I've practiced a lot, so I can do it.' "

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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.