Mao Shimada Wins Junior Grand Prix Final for 3rd Consecutive Year

Two-time world junior champion Mao Shimada extended her incredible championship winning streak to 16 with a victory at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France, on Friday night, December 6. 

The 16-year-old star led a historic Japan sweep of the medals and won the event for a record third straight year despite a pair of falls in her free skate.

Shimada triumphed with a total score of 199.46, well ahead of compatriot Kaoruko Wada, who was second at 191.75, and Ami Nakai, who came in third on 189.58.

China's Yihan Wang finished fourth with 187.90, while South Korea's Yuseong Kim (184.23) was fifth and France's Stefania Gladki (175.39) sixth.

Shimada Overcomes Shaky Start in Her Free Skate

Shimada skated to "Mado Kara Mieru" and encountered trouble right away, as she under-rotated her opening triple axel, then fell on a quadruple toe loop. She bounced back to land five clean triples in a row, before going down again on a triple loop. Shimada got up and hit her final jump (a triple lutz) and her last two spins without incident. All of her spins were judged as level fours.

"I am very happy to be part of the historical sweep for Japan and that we could show today that the junior field in Japan is very deep," Shimada stated.

She added, "I am happy to have achieved the third win in a row. All my performances at the finals were a bit uneven, but I am glad to have won these three titles."

Shimada continued by saying, "My skate today was full of mistakes and that is very disappointing for me. But what was good was that compared to last year's final I was able to put the last event behind me and not repeat the mistake I did at the previous event."

Wada Nails Four Triple Jumps

The 15-year-old Wada didn't fall in her performance to selections from the "Titanic" soundtrack, but was judged a quarter rotation short on two combination jumps late in her program and an under-rotation on her final jump (a triple lutz). She landed four clean triples and earned level fours on two of her spins.

"This was my first participation in the JGP Final and Ami and Mao helped me a lot," Wada commented. "This is why I think it was possible to achieve this result as a team. I got a lot of under-rotations called today, that is something I have to work on going into my next event."

Added Wada, "I am glad I was able to enjoy my skate today despite being a bit nervous."

Nakai Expresses Joy After Earning First Junior Grand Prix Final Medal

Nakai, skating in the JGP Final for the third straight year, competed to songs from the "Cinderella" soundtrack and also got off to a rough start on her opening combo jump as she under-rotated a triple axel, then was a quarter rotation short on her triple toe loop.

The 16-year-old did land four clean triples and post level fours on all of her spins on the way to her first JGP Final medal.

"This is my first medal at the JGP Final and I am very, very happy to have achieved that also together with my teammates," Nakai remarked. "I am proud I could land the triple axel in this big event, despite it being a bit under-rotated. I think I did well on the other elements."

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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.