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.
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.
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.
ISU commentator Mark Hanretty liked Shimada's program selection.
"The song is about the cycle of life and the evolution through the seasons and the concept and the consideration of this piece is almost like the evolution of the artist Mao Shimada developing," Hanretty remarked after Shimada's free skate.
A Development Plan for Mao Shimada
Hanretty then said, "I was chatting with (coach) Mie Hamada, who was explaining the awareness that Mao Shimada will not compete in the Olympic Games until 2030, and Mie was explaining that she wants to offer her student lots of different vehicles of choice creatively and artistically.
"There is obviously a long-term athlete development plan here to hone every aspect of this toward the 2030 Olympics."
Added Hanretty, "We are seeing brilliance now that might be hard to beat, juniors or seniors, this season."
Barton succinctly seconded Hanretty's opinion.
"There were just no flaws in this program," Barton noted. "It was just so beautifully skated. The music is wonderful. It's mystic in a way."
Shimada, who will be 17 when the 2026 Winter Games are held and eligible to compete in Italy, is already a major star.
Wada Collects Second JGP Medal of Season
Wada, who won the JGP in the Czech Republic in early September, had some jump issues in her free skate to music from the "Titanic" soundtrack. She was judged a quarter rotation short on two jumps and also had two edge calls, but did notch level fours on all of her spins.
Despite the miscues, Wada recorded new personal bests in both her short program and free skate.
Hanretty was impressed by Wada's technique during her performance.
"Look at how she pushes every step forward after the jumping pass," Hanretty said as he analyzed her free skate. "There is always use of blade to take the next push. You can see the ankle working and thus the skating skills differently to that which we have seen."
Added Hanretty, "From that first stroke, that awareness of blade and push and ankle and knee. We talk about 'watch the jump technique, watch the rotational position, watch just the way the blade leaves the ice.' That was already signaling her quality from stroke one."
Significant Struggles Stop Takahashi From Victory
Takahashi, who won the JGP in Riga in August, got off to a bad start in his free skate to "The Four Seasons" and saw matters go downhill from there.
He singled his planned opening triple axel, then fell on his next jump (a triple lutz), went on to single a second triple axel, and was a quarter rotation short on a triple flip. The Kanagawa Prefecture native also registered just one level four on his spins.
Both Hanretty and Barton were clearly stunned by Takahashi's meltdown.
"He lost essentially 15 points with those two triple axels," Barton pointed out.
"I just assumed with the big lead he had, and he has won already, we have seen him skate cleanly when he competed in Riga," Hanretty remarked. "[And] I just assumed Sena Takahashi would walk away with the title."
JGP Travels to Slovenia Next
The sixth stop on the JGP circuit will take place this week in Ljubljana, Slovenia (October 2-5). World junior bronze medalist Rena Uezono and Mei Okada will represent Japan in the women's competition, while Haru Kakiuchi will pull on the boots in the men's event.
Kaho Yamashita and Yuto Nagata are entered in ice dance in Ljubljana, but the Hinomaru will not send a pairs team there.
Miura Reflects on a Certain Era in Skating
Kao Miura, one of Japan's top hopefuls for the 2026 Olympics, had some interesting comments on skating in a recent interview with jbpress.ismedia.jp that were translated into English and posted on fs-gossips.com.
"I've always loved watching figure skating, especially the skating from the 2010s," Miura was quoted as saying. "It seemed like every skater's technique and individuality shone bright then, and I've always wanted to skate like that since I was young. Since I have a flair for speed, I focus on ways to enhance that through my expression and approach to skating technique."
Miura was asked to give his view of the ideal performance in the interview.
"In broad terms, my goal is to perform in a way that entertains the audience," Miura stated. "Since figure skating is a competitive sport, no matter how good the performance is, if the jumps don't land well, it won't change how the audience feels. Therefore, jumps are necessary, and I think I can gradually get closer to my ideal by focusing more on how to incorporate them while showcasing my skating."
Ban on Russian Skaters Remains in Place
Russia's RSport reported on September 29 that the ISU Council held a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 27-28 and took no action on readmitting Russian athletes to ISU competitions. Russian skaters have been prohibited from entering ISU events since March 1, 2022, following the attack on Ukraine.
RELATED:
- [ICE TIME] Ami Nakai and Shunsuke Nakamura Impress in the Junior Grand Prix Meet in Ankara
- [ICE TIME] Rio Nakata Claims Silver at Bangkok Junior Grand Prix
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login