Gangwon 2024: Leveling up on cue, Shimada Mao's "dream has come true"

Deep breaths. Focus. Think positive - think gold.

That’s all Shimada Mao could bare to think as she posed in the centre of the rink at Gangneung Ice Arena on Tuesday (31 January), waiting for her free skate music “Benedictus” to play.

But the rest is history, as Shimada delivered in the clutch, becoming the first Japanese figure skater to win the women’s singles gold medallist at the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon.

“Today I was so nervous, I wasn’t thinking about whether I could land jumps,” Shimada said during an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, a couple of hours after topping the podium over Shin Jia, Republic of Korea’s rising star, and her good friend and countrywoman Takagi Yo.

“I was just trying to breathe.”

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Shimada Mao: Rising after the fall

Shimada was the penultimate skater on the cards after a five-point, short-program lead over Shin, the heir apparent to Korean legend Yuna Kim.

Shin was not perfect in her free skate, but performed well enough under pressure to briefly grab the lead. It also galvanized a crowd of 13,000 that included Kim and global music icon PSY to pump up the volume.

And Shimada - who isn’t one to watch her competitors skate when waiting for her turn - heard it.

“The crowd was so loud. There were huge cheers when Shin Jia performed and I had to skate under that,” she said. “It was much, much more intense than I ever imagined.

“Skating under circumstances like, it wasn’t what I experienced before.”

Shimada smoked her opening triple Axel but fell on the following quad toe. At the Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing and Japanese nationals, this is where she might have unraveled, letting frustration get the better of her. Indeed at both meets, she was in tears after mistakes in the program.

But not on this night. After her fall, she got right back up and seamlessly continued her program, barely missing a beat.

Shimada admitted practice for the free had not gone so well and because of her recent slip-ups, doubt crept in.

So a day earlier, she tried to take her mind off skating by leaving the Games environment, stocking up on goodies at a huge supermarket in the country she was longing to visit, seeing the real Republic of Korea.

Bingo.

“I managed to skate the short really well but I had concerns about the free and practice didn’t go so well. I came into today with a few concerns but I got away from the athletes village yesterday. It was only for a little bit but it took my mind off things."

2024 World Junior Figure Skating Championships - and beyond

Shimada can now smell the senior Games in 2030 - she is not eligible agewise for Milano Cortina 2026 - having had a taste of the Olympics in the venue used for PyeongChang 2018.

Next up for her is the World Junior Championships only a month away in Taipei, where she will undoubtedly be cast as the heavy favourite with a hat-trick of international titles on the line.

For now, though, the pint-sized 15-year-old wants to savour her gold medal - perhaps with the person who means most.

“This feeling is incredible. My dream has come true,” Shimada said. “I’m soaking up this feeling of having won a gold medal.

“But once I’m home I want to turn my sights to the world juniors and get right back to work.

“I had an opportunity to experience the Youth Olympic stage. It’s made me want to go to the real Olympics more than ever. I not only visualise it. I feel like I’m a step closer now.

“My mother has supported me more than anyone, I think. I want to thank her more than anyone.”