ISU Junior Grand Prix Final 2024: Shimada Mao rises from two falls to win third title
A solid short program score helped the Youth Olympic Games champion keep her top position despite an uncharacteristically low-scoring free skate. Shimada led a podium sweep for the Japanese women while fellow Japanese skater Nakato Rio topped the junior men's short program.
Figure Skating
Shimada Mao had two wishes going into the free skate at the 2024 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France: to win her third consecutive title in the junior women's singles and to see three Japanese women on the podium.
She got both of those wishes fulfilled on Friday (6 December), though the way they came true was far below her expectations.
The 2024 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist and two-time junior world figure skating champion had two falls, an underrotation and a step out in her free program and left the ice visibly agitated in a stark contrast to her usually bubbly persona.
Shimada was one of two junior skaters who attempted a quad jump in the free skate. She fell on the quad toe loop attempt and also underrotated a triple Axel, getting more deductions after taking a step on the landing.
She followed those opening jumps with a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and seemed to be regaining her composure in the next two combinations as well until another fall, on the triple loop, dampened her mood once again.
While the nearly six-point lead that Shimada had going into the free skate helped her to stay in the lead position overall, her free skate score of 125.74 – though the highest score of the night – was 27.02 below her personal best.
"I won today because I think I’m getting more points for spins and other elements," Shimada said. "I thought I might win in the overall score but didn’t think to be in the first position in the free, so it was a surprise. I’m happy to achieve a three-peat."
With her third consecutive crown at the Junior Grand Prix Final Shimada extends her unbeaten streak in a third consecutive season. These victories have come at a cost, however.
"Winning more and more, it gets more difficult mentally. That’s why I’m making mistakes more," Shimada admitted. "At first, I could enjoy competitions by imagining what the competition would be like, but once I got used to it, I had more ideas about what I should do in certain cases, which made me nervous."
Like their teammate, Wada Kaoruko and Nakai Ami kept their positions from the short skate, finishing second and third, respectively.
Nakata Rio and Jacob Sanchez exchange presents and share top spots in junior men's short
As Shimada clinched her third consecutive title in the junior women's singles, another Japanese junior began his quest for a second Grand Prix Final win in the men's event.
Nakata Rio was nearly flawless as he delivered a short program packed with triple jumps, opening with a triple Axel and finishing with a triple toe-triple toe combination, to collect 79.39 points. While the 16-year-old comes to Grenoble as the defending champion, he was surprised to see such a high score on the board.
"I wasn't expected to get first in my short program," Nakata said. "I was really nervous at this competition. When I was skating, I feel all the power from the audience and I love to skate here."
USA's Jacob Sanchez also brought a triple jump-heavy program to the Grand Prix Final, but small errors dropped him 0.15 points below Nakata, at 79.24.
The two skaters are good friends with Sanchez coming out for his short skate wearing a black necklace that Nakata has gifted him at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games. It was the same necklace that the Japanese skater wore when he won the Grand Prix Final last year.
"It's really sentimental," said Sanchez, who is competing at his first Grand Prix Final. "It's good energy for me."
The gifts go both ways: Nakata got a part of Sanchez's uniform from the Youth Olympic Games.
Slovakia's Lukas Vaclavik wrapped up the top three after the junior men's short program with 72.72 points.
ISU Junior Grand Prix Final 2024 – Junior women result (free program)
- Shimada Mao (JPN) 199.46 (125.74)
- Wada Kaoruko (JPN) 191.75 (123.98)
- Nakai Ami (JPN) 189.58 (122.32)
- Wang Yihan (CHN) 187.90 (123.38)
- Kim Yuseong (KOR) 184.23 (119.81)
- Stefania Gladki (FRA) 175.39 (113.08)
ISU Junior Grand Prix Final 2024 – Junior men short program result
- Nakata Rio (JPN) 79.39
- Jacob Sanchez (USA) 79.24
- Lukas Vaclavik (SVK) 72.72
- Yanhao Li (NZL) 72.17
- Seo Minkyu (KOR) 69.68
- Takahashi Sena (JPN) 61.83