World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2024: Shin Jia sets new short program personal best to lead Shimada Mao in women's event
Shin, the Junior Grand Prix Final and Youth Olympic Games silver medallist out-skated favourite Shimada to take a surprise lead.
Figure Skating
What does it take to surpass the reigning world junior, Junior Grand Prix Final, and Youth Olympic Games figure skating champion?
A personal best for Shin Jia did exactly that on Wednesday (28 February), with the Republic of Korea skater knocking title favourite Shimada Mao into second place in the women's short program at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2024 in Taipei City.
Shin's clean skate obtained both the highest technical as well as artistic (components) scores of all 46 skaters, with her total of 73.48 adding over two points to her previous personal best set at last year's junior worlds.
The 15-year-old's opening triple flip, triple toe loop combination and her standalone triple Lutz both impressed the judges, with the Lutz earning a +2.11 grade of execution score – the highest of any element among all 46 skaters.
Shimada, also 15, came into the event as the favourite given her status as defending champion and the fact she has won every junior competition she has entered over the last two seasons, including at Gangwon 2024 last month.
While the Japanese skater also impressed, her triple flip, triple toe combination was singled out for an unclear edge on the takeoff of the flip. That element earned her a +0.68 grade of execution compared to Shin's 1.51 for the same jump.
And although Shimada's own triple Lutz was also impressive, it didn't quite wow the judges the same way Shin's did.
Shimada's routine earned 72.60 points, putting her 0.88 points behind Shin.
Fellow Japanese Kushida Ikura is third on 66.61 with Finland's Iida Karhunen fourth on 64.64, with both skaters completing clean skates of their own to re-write their personal best scores.
Estonian senior national champion Elina Goidina, competing in her first ISU international event, sits fifth.
- Shin Jia on the influence of Yuna Kim, her 2026 dreams and how the Youth Olympics changed her
- ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships Taipei 2024 preview: Full schedule & how to watch live
- Shin Jia helps lead Republic of Korea to YOG Team gold
- Finnish figure skating hopeful Iida Karhunen using wide sporting background for Gangwon 2024