Shimada Mao Wins First Senior International Title in Tokyo

Shimada Mao made a remarkable senior international debut at the Kinoshita Group Cup in Tokyo, securing her first senior international title with a personal-best score of 231.32 on 6th September. The 17-year-old Japanese figure skater had a stellar performance to end up ahead of the Olympic medal winners, Alexandra Ignatova and Nakai Ami.

Shimada's career took a huge step forward when she entered the seniors when she came through unbeaten from the 39 junior events she had participated in. Her move to senior level competition right away proved her ability to compete with top international players and her place as one of Japan's new wave of figure skaters.

The teenager outscored Beijing 2022 silver medallist Alexandra Ignatova by 10 points (221.06). 4th, Milano Cortina 2026 bronze medallist, Nakai Ami, the leader after the short program, fell to fourth with a score of 207.72 in the free skate. Anna Frolova won the bronze medal with the score of 207.86.

Key Highlights:

• Shimada Mao secured her first senior international title in Tokyo
• She recorded a personal-best score of 231.32 points overall
• Shimada landed triple Axel and quadruple toeloop in one program

The victory was made even more significant by Shimada’s historic achievement in the free skating segment. She was the first female to execute both a triple Axel and a quadruple toeloop in the same program from Japan. Her challenging technicality coupled with her performance wowed the audience at Tatsumi Ice Arena, with the audience on its feet during her performance.

The accomplishment was more than just a medal for Shimada. It represented a successful beginning to her senior international journey after dominating the junior circuit. Her Olympic debut against world-class athletes of both sexes, and under the media spotlight, compounded the impact of her first time at her sport.

Reflecting on her performance, Shimada expressed her happiness with the result and acknowledged the strength of the field she competed against.

“I’m so happy,” Shimada said. “It’s a title against a field including (AIN) skaters and I thought I skated really well today, which makes this championship all the better.”

Despite producing a performance that exceeded her own expectations, Shimada remained focused on enjoying her first senior season rather than becoming overly concerned with scores.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d do this well but I’m happy with the way things turned out,” Shimada said.

She also shared her approach for the season, highlighting performance and enjoyment as her priorities.

“This season, my focus is more on how I perform rather than the score. I just want to make it a season of fun.”

Shimada's win puts her among the young sporting talents and emerging women athletes making headlines in sports. She has made history with her technical accomplishment, dominated her junior career and recorded an impressive debut and it's a new chapter in her figure skating story.