Mao Shimada Wins a Record 4th Straight Title at the Japan Junior Championships

Two-time world junior champion Mao Shimada etched her name into the history books again with a decisive victory in the Japan Junior Championships in Hiroshima on Sunday night, November 17. The result gave the young star her fourth consecutive win in the event, making her the first singles skater to achieve the feat.

Shimada's triumph broke a tie with Shizuka Arakawa (1994-96) and Miki Ando (2001-03), who had both captured the junior crown three times during their careers.

The 16-year-old Shimada prevailed with a total score of 201.32 points, more than 11 points ahead of second-place finisher Kaoruko Wada, who tallied 190.17. Ikura Kushida, Shimada's training partner, took third on 189.52.

Ami Nakai came in fourth at 180.83, while Rena Uezono was fifth with 180.69.

Also Sunday, Rio Nakata claimed the men's title with 220.47 by overtaking short program leader Sena Takahashi, who came in second at 212.99, in the free skate. Taiga Nishino finished third on 208.49.

Shimada Struggles with Jumps, but Still Wins at Japan Junior Championships by a Large Margin

So dominant is Shimada that she easily prevailed despite not having her best night. She skated to "Mado Kara Mieru" and fell on a quadruple toe loop and under-rotated a triple lutz. Shimada was judged a quarter rotation short on two other jumps.

"I'm very happy that I was able to win four consecutive championships," Shimada stated. "I made a mistake [on the quad toe loop], so I'm very frustrated that I didn't get the results of my practice."

Despite the jump issues, Shimada still hit six clean triples and earned level fours on all of her spins. She is already looking ahead to the Japan Championships (December 19-22) in Osaka, where she will compete against three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto.

"I think it's good that I was able to jump the triple axel firmly, even when I was nervous about it," said Shimada. "I had a lot of desire to get off the quad toe loop, so I was frustrated that I fell, but I was able to jump boldly, so I have no regrets about it.

"I was able to get 150 points [in the free skate] only once," Shimada noted.

She added, "I want to reach the 150-point range one more time to prove it is not a coincidence."

Wada, a 15-year-old from Nagoya, hit five clean triples in her skate to songs from the "Titanic" soundtrack and received level fours on all of her spins. She came up a quarter short on two jumps and under-rotated a triple lutz.

"I'm glad I managed to make it through," Wada commented. "The coaches reviewed my jumps from spring. My sense of stability has increased, and I was able to perform more confidently than last year."

The 17-year-old Kushida, who was fourth in 2023 at the Japan Junior Championships, competed to songs from "The Little Prince" soundtrack. She received a couple of edge calls and was a quarter short on a triple flip. But she did notch level fours on two of her spins.

Nakata Recovers from Fall During Free Skate

The 16-year-old Nakata, who finished second last year, skated to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack and opened with a quadruple toe loop and a triple axel. He then singled a planned triple axel and fell on a triple flip/triple toe loop combo.

Nakata, the 2023 JGP Final men's winner, pulled it back together and went on to hit a total of seven triples and notched level fours on two of his spins.

"I made a mistake," a frustrated Nakata remarked after his performance. "It's different from the way I thought I would win."

Takahashi competed to "The Four Seasons" and also landed seven triples, but did single a planned triple loop late in his program. The quality of his jumps could not match up to Nakata this day. Takahashi did post level fours on two of his spins.

Nishino performed to "Earth Song" and "Rock Me Amadeus" and fell on his opening quad salchow. He was also judged a quarter rotation short on a triple toe loop and a triple axel. The 15-year-old did land five triples and record level fours on two of his spins.

RELATED: 

• Mao Shimada Leads After the Short Program at the Japan Junior Championships in Hiroshima
• Mao Shimada Vying for Historic 4th Consecutive Title at the Japan Junior Championships
  

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.