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Mao Shimada and Yo Takagi Finish 1-2 in Women's Short Program at Winter Youth Olympics

Winter Youth Olympics gold-medal favorite Shimada landed all of her jumps and is in prime position to capture the women's title in South Korea.

Published

3 months ago

January 28, 2024

Jack Gallagher

Mao Shimada in a March 2023 file photo. (ISU/GETTY IMAGES/via KYODO)

Read the full story on SportsLook - Mao Shimada and Yo Takagi Finish 1-2 in Women's Short Program at Winter Youth Olympics

World junior champion Mao Shimada took the lead in the women's short program at the Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea on Sunday, January 28 with an outstanding performance at Gangneung Ice Arena.

The 15-year-old star landed all of her jumps while exhibiting beautiful line and edge and is in prime position to capture the gold medal.

Shimada's score in first place is 71.05 points, with Japanese compatriot Yo Takagi in second at 67.23. The host nation's Jia Shin, seen as Shimada's primary challenger in the competition, is third on 66.48. Shin's teammate Yuseong Kim is fourth with 63.64.

Shimada, who repeated as Junior Grand Prix Final women's champion in December 2023 in Beijing, is looking to extend her incredible streak of victories in international junior competitions to nine with a win.

Including domestic championships, her run of triumphs is 11 and counting. Over the past two seasons, the only events she has not won were the Japan Championships, where she competed against senior skaters and finished third both times.

*Mao Shimada is the two-time defending Junior Grand Prix Final women's champion. (KYODO)*

Shimada Exhibits Strong Technique at Winter Youth Olympics

Shimada, who struggled in her short program at the JGP Final before rallying to win in the free skate, was in a groove from the outset this day. She skated to "Americano" and opened with a fine double axel, followed by a triple flip/triple toe loop combination jump, and went on to land an excellent triple lutz. Shimada received level fours on all of her spins and a level three on her step sequence.

"Going into these Youth Olympics, I was a little worried because I made mistakes in the short program at the last three competitions," Shimada was quoted as saying by Olympics.com. "But I managed to leave all that behind me and performed well."

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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.