Mao Shimada

[gsk8]

 

[gsk8]

 

[Sabsi]

Mao just looks so much more matured than last year and I love her SP Look and Style Green really is her colour

 

[Vemvane]

Congratulations to Mao on her gold medal at JGP Gdańsk!

SP video from the ISU YouTube channel:



And FP:

 

[RafaelAstro]

She has now 6 gold medals at junior grand prix events and 8 gold medals in total at junior grand prix series each one consecutively

 

[Sabsi]

Congrats Mao to the next Gold and a new PB total score of 224.68

 

[gotoschool]

Congratulations to Mao Shimada on her remarkable performances and victory in Gdansk. She skated with engaging expression, fine speed, quick intricate footwork especially in the short program and better loft on her jumps than in Latvia, In the long, she landed her triple axel and quad toe wonderfully with beautiful rippon tanos and fast acceleration in her flexible spins too.

 

[Vemvane]

Photos from the SP at JGP Gdańsk. I love the last three, she looks so delighted.

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Anecdotically, her plush in the Short Program Kiss & Cry looked very much like Gatagoro, the mascot of the Saga Prefecture in Japan:

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But Gdansk is also a city with many fisheries, so it's more probably a local plush?

 

[Vemvane]

Junior nationals SP. I keep finding more details in this skate that delight me - this time it's the turn in attitude after the twizzles in the step sequence.



And her FP.

 

[Vemvane]

Photos from Mao's SP yesterday.



Video of her SP on instagram, using the ISU footage:



I love the smile as she lands her combination, and that falling leaf on "fly" is exquisitely timed. Her step sequence and final spins were fantastic.

 

[Vemvane]

Well done to Mao for winning three consecutive JGPF titles.

FP photos:



And from the victory ceremony:

 

[macy]

she is superb. wishing her continued good health and success!

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

I’ll be rooting for the 2X Junior World Champion again! I think the competitive landscape at this JWC will be a little different from the last two, with Sophie Joline von Felton (another fave) and a quad jumping Russian, not to mention Elyce Lin-Gracey coming in with a SB 142 free skate and a rather large question mark. Jia Shin has a question mark too, but I still wouldn’t bet against her. Skating is unpredictable and so forth, but I know in my heart that Mao has the capability to win this. Go do your thing, Mao!!!

 

[gotoschool]

I wish I had written this earlier, but Congratulations to Mao Shimada for her third consecutive Junior World's title and for delivering such magnificent performances in terms of excellence in emotional and artistic expression while running such a challenging gauntlet of technical elements so successfully with remarkable consistency and buttery smooth skating skills with engaging musicality in her step sequences as well. Mao's triple axel and quad toe and all her other jumps were landed with apparently effortless grace, ease and wonderful flow and as usual the ideal centering, flexibility and peerless acceleration in her spins was remarkable. In my opinion, Mao Shimada deserves to be the Junior, World and Japanese National champion for this season especially since she is robbed by the ridiculous age restrictions. Here is the best stand alone video I could find of Mao's wonderful Long program.

LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CQeIy5--v0

 

[flanker]

Mao Shimada's FS from Japanese "summer camp":

 

[demarinis5]

Beautifully skated program from Mao, loved it!

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

I can't believe it's finally time for Mao's last junior Grand Prix. JGP is going to feel so different next year without her. I hope she enjoys herself at JGP Abu Dhabi!

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

I'm so happy and relieved for Mao to prevail despite the injury. I do not recommend doing a 3A on a sprained ankle, but I thought it was beautiful and one of her best. (Hopefully the sprain was the other ankle). It was nice to see Mao, Ikura, and silver medalist Hana Bath (another triple axel-er) holding the flag and cheering for Shun Uemura and Sena Takahashi during the men's event. Now I hope Mao rests up.

I have a friend that I unintentionally turned into a Mao Shimada fan by showing her a lot of skating videos that happened to include several of Mao's. I was worried that I might have to disappoint my friend if Mao didn't do well, so the night before her free skate I dreamed that I was getting out my phone to tell my friend that she did great. In my dream, I realized that I hadn't seen her FS yet and looked it up. I was horrified that she only got 79! I'm so glad that dream wasn't real!

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

Congratulations to Mao on another Junior National title. Although her FS there was not her best (and has me worried about injuries), she won on the strength of her superb SP. In past years, I thought Mao's programs definitely benefited from more practice and got better as the season went on, but this year I thought her SP looked great from the start. So I was a bit shocked to see how much she has improved it! Definitely worth a watch if you have not seen it yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNbkuQeFrjE